Join us in Whangamata for a weekend of wild women
Whangamata is the perfect festival town. It’s one of the reasons Beach Hop works so well. It’s flat, you can just about walk or ride anywhere. Over 60 per cent of homes are not resided in permanently so there’s plenty of accommodation.
Our standard of restaurants and small, intimate venues is outstanding for a town this size. And of course, there’s that big blue thing on our front doorstep — voted the best beach in New Zealand.
Thames Coromandel District Council estimates that every event goer that comes to Coromandel spends about $390 a night. It’s calculated from many things. For example, Repco Beach Hop generates for Coromandel over $10 million.
It’s a phenomenal amount and a vital lifeline for many businesses that’s sadly been missing the past two years.
While Wild Womens Weekend is nowhere in that league, it does bring to town more than 150 women. It’s also in the fringe season-may, where there’s much else going on.
Held at local venues like The
Whangamata Club, Ocean Sports and Smoky Pallet it’s a valuable push in these troubled times. Several women’s clothes shops such as Bettie Munroe and Mainly Casual said last year’s festival was their best weekend since Christmas.
So yes, the perfect festival town, we’ve just got to remind people about it and as locals it’s up to us to support events if we can so they can survive and grow.
If you’ve been out lately, you’ll notice that many of our venues are quiet. It’s almost like we must learn how to go out again and convincing women from here and afar to come and have a great weekend isn’t easy.
Hopefully, this weekend in May will help kick start our resurgence and if you can help out by attending even one event it might just make the difference on the festival’s survival.