‘Not very Kiwi’
A move to crack down on parking at a summer hot spot on the Coromandel threatens to snuff out a Kiwi beach tradition.
The Thames-Coromandel District Council is proposing to ban visitor parking on residential streets of Hahei through a Parking Control Bylaw amendment.
Out-of-towners would pay to park at council-owned car parks at a daily rate of $15 or $4 per hour. That would force families to lug their boogie boards and chilly bins a kilometre to the beach. It comes after too many overcrowded summers at what is the gateway to Cathedral Cove. But locals are worried the proposals are set to ruin the relaxed nature of Kiwi summers.
Two options are open to public consultation, driven by the Hahei Beach Residents and Ratepayers Association, to reduce traffic congestion and overcrowding. The first proposes to make all residential streets resident-only parking between October and April.
Another would forbid parking on all Hahei streets and berms for everybody – including residents.
Alastair Sims, who has lived in the small town for the past 20 years, said if the proposals go ahead, they will turn Hahei into a gated community without a gate.
‘‘I think it is an appalling inroad into the way of life we live in New Zealand in general and the [Coromandel] Peninsula in particular,’’ Sims said. ‘‘We are not a European beachside tourist attraction. We have another way, a much more relaxed way, of doing things. We’re much more tolerant.’’
Bach owner Darryl Ward worries such a bylaw change would lead to other Coromandel beach towns following suit.
He attended a Hahei Beach Ratepayers Association meeting about the proposals on August 26.
‘‘It was unanimous that everybody hated the idea of both proposals and that it was completely unfair on visitors that come to Hahei,’’ Ward said. ‘‘Residents as well, but mostly visitors.’’
It would leave people lugging towels, boogie boards, sun brollies and children almost a kilometre from the council car park to the beach, Ward said.
There’s usually a 10-day period spanning Christmas and New Year’s when the beach is chocka with visiting friends and family, Ward said.
If baches don’t have enough parking, those visitors would have no choice.
‘‘You’d have to pay your $15, then walk back to someone’s house. It’s a bit ridiculous. It’s a small town on the end of a 100 kilometre road, if you can’t park in town you can’t park anywhere [nearby].
‘‘It’s not very Kiwi, I don’t think.’’
Thames-Coromandel District Mayor Sandra Goudie said ultimately, the council’s decision would come down to the submissions made by Hahei locals. Similar proposals would only be considered for other areas if similar problems arose.
‘‘Nothing would be applied to any other part of the district without going through a full public consultation process,’’ Goudie said. ‘‘It has to be driven by the community.’’ But the problem of congested streets and car-crammed berms is ongoing, she said.
‘‘It’s a nightmare during the peak summer period ... Hahei and Hot Water Beach have always been particularly bad. Visitor numbers always grow exponentially without any effort on our part.’’
And while hopping out of your car and straight onto the beach is nice, overcrowding means it isn’t practical, Goudie said.
‘‘They just don’t have the space for people to be able to do that, for that amount of people to do that.’’
Goudie wouldn’t comment on feedback from locals until all submissions were received.
‘‘It’s going to be an interesting process. I’m not sure if I’m looking forward to it or not.’’ In a written statement, the Hahei Beach Residents and Ratepayers Association said in 2017 there were concerns that Hahei was turning into a parking lot for Cathedral Cove. The problem of overcrowding won’t go away by itself, the statement said.
‘‘Any changes must be managed carefully and we have advocated a cautious structured approach to determine the effect before introducing further change. A successful resolution may take a number of years to evolve.’’