PUBLIC OPINION

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume LII, Issue 8631, 11 July 1924, Page 5

PUBLIC OPINION

ATTRACTIVE TAT.'KANG A. (To the Editor.) Si] 1 , —Perhaps after a visit of one day to your town one may be met with the criticism that the time was far too short to form any sound views on the subject, hut. Sir, may I be permitted to Aery briefly relate what X saw in one day and to ask why Tauranga is alleged to be poor. I saw the most Avonderful harbour, Avith miles and miles of ideal bathing beaches. I saw hundreds of ideal camping sites. Heard of Avonderful fishing, of shooting of boating, and other diversions, not to mention the wonderful climate, Avhieh was certainly not in evidence last Saturday, though the beauties of the place refused to he hidden by blinding rain and lasbing wind. I also saaa' a small toAA’n looking' a bit shabby and hard-up and giving no indication at all of the kind-hearted cordiality of its inhabitants. All this means there is something seriously Avrong somewhere. Tauranga has all the natural facilities for an. ideal holiday and should he one of the foremost playgrounds in ting Dominion. In addition it is within 12 hours of the biggest city in New Zealand and within easy reach of seweral big inland towns. There are hundreds of places _in the world not nearly so attractive which live in comfort all the year round on the money made olf the summer tourist and holiday traffic. A little imagination and n, little energy and yon eonld attract enough summer visitors to feed you and clothe you all the year round and ha Am enough left over to play with besides. Several schemes occur to me, but, however it was worked, if you got 1000 people for four months in the year, living in tents on the beaches, etc., that would mean not less than £IO,OOO direct gain to the community,Assuming, that an average of £1 a week would he spent in and about the town, which* is. I think, a moderate estimate. Why not form a Progress Committee of Citizens, and g° into the Question of ways and means of ‘‘boosting” the idaee and making it what it should he ‘ —the foremost holiday resort in the Dominion. —I am. etc.. VISITOR. Auckland. July T, 1924.