What’s driving Whanganui’s tourism boom?
In testing times, the region’s tourism sector has triumphed. Ethan Griffiths examines why.
It was revealed this month the district’s tourism spend grew 4 per cent over the 2020 calendar year – despite New Zealand admitting almost zero tourists through its border, as well as grappling with lockdown restrictions for almost six weeks between March and May.
The increase was the largest jump of any regional tourism group in the country, measured by electronic eftpos spend of tourists around New Zealand by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment.
Before Covid-19 prompted the closure of New Zealand’s border, international tourists made up about 18 per cent of Whanganui’s tourism market, so the increase is equivalent to a 22 per cent jump in domestic tourism spending – by far the largest ever witnessed in the region.
So what is driving the boost? Economic development agency Whanganui & Partners, which is also responsible for the region’s tourism promotional group Discover Whanganui, said the figures represent hard work from industry leaders across the city, as well as an increased focus on promotion and perception.
Paul Chaplow, the agency’s visitor industries strategic lead, said the rise could be attributed not only to significant promotional work by the councilcontrolled organisation, but the work of tourism operators themselves.
“Only 4 per cent in this period is pretty remarkable, but when you consider that that is effectively a 22 per cent increase in domestic tourists, that’s impressive.
“Obviously there’s the whole thing where nationally, no one can leave the country. The domestic market is looking for new opportunities and new experiences, and places they haven’t visited before. Operators have taken to that opportunity.”
The rise in tourism spending was one of only four in the country. Neighbouring Taranaki had a drop of 2 per cent, while Ruapehu had an 11 per cent drop in tourism spending.
Chaplow said Whanganui, not necessarily previously seen as a tourist destination for most New Zealanders, had experienced a rise in profile, driving larger numbers of domestic tourists, primarily from the larger cities.
“We track numbers through our i-site of where people are coming from in New Zealand, and the Auckland and Wellington areas are well represented.
“We’ve also seen over 100,000 people visit our destination websites since the start of July. That is a huge increase too.”
Spotlight on Whanganui
Whanganui & Partners said one of the most important parts of a successful tourism campaign was coverage in the media, which Whanganui & Partners had focused on heavily over the past 12 months.
During 2020, the region was featured in many high-profile campaigns outside of general advertising, including many respected national titles.
“We just take advantage of any media opportunity we have,” Chaplow said.
Word of mouth was also a powerful tool to drive tourism, and that seemed to be the case locally.
“We kind of ended up in a bit of a virtuous cycle because we’ve lifted the profile of Whanganui, people have been coming here, many for the first time, and then they’ve
Whanganui.
“We’ve kind of ended up in a real positive perception shift.”
One of those hosted in the district was Tim Roxborogh, a New Zealand Herald travel writer and Newstalk ZB host, who has visited Whanganui many times in recent years.
The broadcaster dubbed Whanganui “New Zealand’s most misjudged city” in a 2019 piece.
It remains one of his most-read travel write-ups on his blog.
Roxborogh said when he first pitched the idea to a publication, they questioned why he would want to write about the district.
“The whole narrative about the place has changed to outsiders over the last couple of years.
“You’ve got to remember that for a lot of people, Michael Laws and the discussion around gangs was one of the first things you thought about when you thought of Whanganui,” Roxborogh said.
“There’s nothing quite like going somewhere that other people who don’t know about it question why you’re holidaying there, and returning home and saying the joke is on them – it’s awesome.”
The change in perception was also acknowledged by Whanganui Mayor Hamish Mcdouall, who said outside views of Whanganui had completely shifted in recent years.
“I think banishing some of the negativity we attracted 10 to 15 years ago and now really focusing on the positives has helped the region on the whole,” Mcdouall said.
“I think the headspace we tried to create, and this has been 10 years’ worth of effort, is that a boost of reputation takes a very long time and you can lose your reputation very quickly.
“I have to credit [former mayor] Annette Main.
“She had the headspace 10 years ago to really restore our reputation and alter the perceptions which, for everyone who lives here knows, isn’t the reality.” left raving about
Local operators on the up
Across Whanganui, local tourism operators had noticed the strength and resilience of the district’s tourism sector, with an uptick in visitors evident on the ground.
Whanganui Riverboat Centre manager Phil Pollero said the paddlesteamer Waimarie had often been at capacity over the Christmas period and numbers were currently up 20 per cent on the same period last year.
“We’re seeing visitors from near and far, nationally, that are visiting Whanganui for the first time and taking the opportunity to see and do new activities.
“Our themed cruises over Bayleys Whanganui Vintage Weekend were also well-supported and charters remain popular as local and regional businesses and organisations look to reward their teams.”
It’s a similar story at the Whanganui i-site.
Supervisor Billie Lawson said they have been noticing the same number of people coming through the doors as preborder closures.
“We’ve just swapped internationals for domestic visitors.
“The domestic visitors have done us very proud this summer holidays by choosing Whanganui as a visitor destination.”
"I was pleased to get support from the Greater Wellington Regional Council as well as the Ruapehu District Council and mayor Don Cameron" Weston Kirton
The changing tourism landscape could bring new opportunities for communities along the North Island main trunk line. New Zealand’s first case of Covid-19 had not been reported when Horizons regional councillor Weston Kirton delivered a petition to Parliament on February 14 last year.
Kirton had collected 3000 signatures from his Taumarunui constituents asking Kiwirail to have the Northern Explorer stop at their station in the interests of tourism, economic development and social mobility.
The Transport and Infrastructure Committee has now published a report on the petition and Kirton said he was heartened by the response.
“The committee said they are encouraged that Kiwirail is open to discussing stops with councils along the main trunk line,” Kirton said.
“I was pleased to get support from the Greater Wellington Regional Council as well as the Ruapehu District Council and mayor Don Cameron.”
With a sizeable number of retired people living in Taumarunui where there is no public transport or taxi service, the local branch of Age Concern has been a strong supporter of the petition.
Services Chanelle Manion provided oral evidence to the committee and told them that although the Northern Explorer has stopped in Taumarunui for drivers to change or have a break, passengers were not allowed off.
“I suggested that technology could make the booking process easier and I think that a lot of people’s tech skills have improved since Covid,” she said.
“If there was a minimum timeframe of 48 hours for bookings it would mean that drivers would know which stations they would need to stop at along the route to drop off passengers and would ultimately save time.
“We have all got better at thinking outside the square during the past year and it would be good if Kiwirail can do that.”
Manion said some local volunteers have been tidying the rooms next to the i-site at the Taumarunui Railway Station in hopeful anticipation.
Taumarunui, along with Marton, Taihape and nine other stops on the main trunk line, was dropped from the schedule in 2012 when Kiwirail revamped the North Island main trunk line (NIMT) service into a tourism experience.
The rationale was that the journey between Auckland and Wellington would be too long if all the stops were retained.
In the year since Kirton delivered the petition to Wellington, international tourism came to a standstill and Kiwirail suspended the service after New Zealand borders closed in March 2020.
When the NIMT service had not resumed in July, mayors along the route from Auckland to Wellington added their signatures to a letter addressed to the chairperson of the select committee, supporting Kirton’s petition.
They asked the committee to consider the numerous benefits of rail passenger and freight services to their regions as well as promoting the environmental benefits a rail service would provide.
In late July, Kiwirail announced the service would resume in time for summer and the train would stop in Ohakune. coordinator
Kirton has argued strongly for the environmental benefits of rail and told the committee Kiwirail has a social obligation to provide public transport that is “efficient and responsive to the need to reduce carbon emissions”.
Kiwirail responded that it was open to
hearing requests from other communities along the main trunk line that would like the Northern Explorer stop in their town.
It said if there was a collective group of mayors and other officials, it was keen to listen to their proposal.
Although it welcomed discussions about operating a more commuter-focused service through the main trunk line, Kiwirail said significant government funding would be needed.
It also said current demand indicated there was not enough of a market for a passenger service.
Kirton said there was vast potential for domestic rail tourism that needed to be explored.
“There has been a groundswell of support during the past year and of course Covid has changed the nature of tourism during that time.”
When he was elected Horizons Regional Council’s Ruapehu representative in October 2019, Kirton told his constituents in Taumarunui he would fight to have the train stop in their town.
The town of Taumarunui became famous in the late 1950s when balladeer Peter Cape sang about it being a popular stop on the main trunk line.
When Cape wrote his song, the overnight train provided low-cost travel for up to 300 passengers travelling between Wellington and Auckland.
Coincidentally, Kirton delivered his petition to Parliament on the anniversary of the date that the first NIMT express left Auckland for Wellington on February 14, 1909.
The advent of commercial air travel and private car ownership may have diminished the demand for rail travel but Kirton said he was hopeful that the need to reduce carbon emissions, combined with the enjoyment of travelling by rail, would increase demand and get Taumarunui back on the schedule.
Whanganui’s sewage outfall pipe at South Beach creates a great artificial surf break — but some surfers and the Whanganui District Council are at odds about the wastewater being discharged.
South Beach is a favourite place for surfers, with up to 50 a day using the area near the outfall and some going 1km from shore to get the best waves, surfer Allan Wrigglesworth said.
Mike Lamb, who also surfs there, said he sometimes sees brown particles in the water.
Wrigglesworth was a member of three previous wastewater working parties.
He said wastewater is less dense than seawater, so it floats on top and can get pushed onshore by big incoming tides and light to moderate onshore winds.
The predominant current at the beach moves water south, taking the wastewater toward Ka¯ piti but when there are southerly winds it can be pushed north as far as the Castlecliff Surf Club.
“I was out there . . . surfing among this stuff and I’m not very happy at all,” Wrigglesworth said.
“I want to know why the scheme isn’t being operated as promised. The [ultraviolet] lights are meant to kill any remaining bacteria. If the water is too murky with suspended solids they will not be working.”
But the surfers should not be too close to the outfall, a council spokeswoman said.
“Surfers and other recreational users are advised to stay outside the exclusion zone around the outfall. Warning signs are posted at the entrance to South Beach off Landguard Rd and also at the South Beach carpark advising this, as required under our discharge consent.”
The UV process at the wastewater treatment plant was working, she said.
“We would be happy to have Mike Lamb, Allan Wrigglesworth and other beach users visit the plant, so they can be assured it is functioning as it should.”
Lamb remembers a day in February 2014 when the waves were good and he went to South Beach to surf and found the road closed.
“I get down there and there was diggers, bulldozers, trucks for Africa.”
They were scraping a substance off the beach and taking it away, just days before a big surfcasting competition. The substance was piled up between South Mole and the Kaitoke Stream, about 500m.
“We were out surfing looking at toilet paper and faecal matter that looked like it had been through a sieve, but it had a chemical smell to it as well,” he said.
The Chronicle was told at the time the substance taken away in trucks was not sewage.
But current Whanganui District Council senior wastewater engineer Tony Hooper has now confirmed that it was.
Whanganui’s wastewater treatment plant had failed, and screened — but not otherwise treated — sewage was being pumped out to sea.
“In 2014 the presence of wastewater material would have been completely expected as at this time all wastewater was screened at the Beach Rd pumping station — there was no wastewater treatment plant and our shortterm consent with Horizons allowed for wastewater to be pumped out to sea,” Hooper said.
Lamb said the situation had improved a lot since then. He still sometimes saw traces of wastewater out near the outfall, but said it probably doesn’t reach the beach.
Hooper said these days, discharges of screened but not otherwise treated waste only happened at times when very heavy rain overwhelmed the wastewater treatment plant.
“During these times we discharge partially treated wastewater, screened to remove solids. This is allowed by Horizons Regional Council, in line with our consent to divert screened wastewater directly to sea once flows to the plant reach 1120 litres per second.”
Dry weather flows vary from 200-500 litres per second. Wet weather can increase the flows fourfold.
The level of enterococci in bathing water at South Beach exceeded limits set by Horizons three times last summer.
The limit breaches happened in January, February and March, Horizons regulatory manager Greg Bevin said.
A level eight times the limit reported by RNZ was a mistake, related to a misreading of data from the Whanganui District Council. Last summer’s breaches were not eight times the limit of 104cfu/ 100ml, Bevin said.
The samples were taken by the Whanganui District Council and ranged from 110cfu to 330cfu/100ml. for
Horizons was considering whether this was a moderate or a significant noncompliance.
Most of the time enterococci levels at the beach are well below the 35cfu median limit set by Horizons — and hugely below the 890,000 to 4,800,000 cfu/ 100ml of raw sewage as it arrives at the wastewater treatment plant. In fact the annual median result was 4cfu/100ml.
The LAWA website says the beach has been 100 per cent suitable for swimming this summer. For the previous five years it was 98 per cent suitable, with the highest enterococci reading of 360cfu/100ml.
The council takes weekly water samples at six sites, as required.
Sampling, done by Horizons during the swim season, has shown no risk to swimmers.
However, the high levels the district council found last summer should have been notified to Horizons within 10 days, and were not. That condition was important because the regional council was not there most of the time, Bevin said.
“We have picked up that they haven’t done that, and gone back to them on that.”
Enterococci are organisms found in human and animal faeces, and can indicate the presence of other organisms that can cause disease. They can survive in saltwater.
Whanganui District Council chief executive Kym Fell has said the enterococci level was raised last summer by onshore winds pushing wastewater into the coast.
Bevin said there could have been other factors too, such as additions from water drifting down the coast from the Whanganui River.
Wastewater from the outfall is sampled as it leaves the Whanganui wastewater treatment plant after disinfection by ultraviolet lights.
From there it goes into the pipe that takes it to the outfall 1.8km off South Beach.
It gets diluted as it disperses into the sea from the end of the pipe.
The ultraviolet lights will only work to kill bacteria if the water is reasonably clear, Bevin said.
“The UV light blasts the bugs. If the water is turbid the bugs hide behind fine sediment particles.”
At February’s infrastructure committee meeting Whanganui district councillors were told UV disinfection had been causing issues.
However, the equipment supplier had returned to the site to train staff and a local contractor who would be able to fix future problems.
It was unclear whether the high levels of chromium at the treatment plant, from Tasman Tanning’s wastewater, were causing the high enterococci levels but Fell has previously said high levels of chromium in the wastewater stream could create bacteria die-off within the treatment process.
"We were out surfing looking at toilet paper and faecal matter that looked like it had been through a sieve, but it had a chemical smell to it as well."
Mike Lamb (above)