Atahuri opening
Last week I had the privilege of opening Atahuri, a fantastic new luxury lodge at Peka Peka beach.
It’s great to see new accommodation opening, aimed at attracting higher-end tourists and visitors to our region.
Latest figures from Statistics NZ show that guest nights across Kapiti and Horowhenua increased by 8% last year, compared to an overall national decline of 1.5%.
A recent competition by the AA for Aucklanders to win a weekend in Kapiti attracted 8,000 entries, the second highest number the AA has ever received for similar competitions. 2,500 people requested further information about what’s on offer in Kapiti which is a great sign.
I believe that we’ve only scratched the surface of our tourism potential.
We have one of the best lifestyles in New Zealand here with the ocean, the outdoors, and vibrant communities.
We have fantastic food and drink producers, such as the Ohau Gravels winery, Tuatara beer, Ruth Pretty cooking, and local farmers markets.
There is a world-renowned golf course at Paraparaumu, regional parks like QEII and Whareroa farm, Kapiti Island, tramping in the Tararuas, Foxton loop walk and river estuary, and some great shopping outlets.
And of course we have (generally) good weather and 46 kilometres of beaches, often with decent camping grounds nearby.
Importantly, we’ve developed much better transport links over the last few years.
We now have direct Air New Zealand flights to and from Auckland, providing a link to our biggest city and international gateway.
New, improved trains and services are running all the way to Waikanae.
Much improved roads are on the way, with the Kapiti Expressway and Transmission Gully both well on track. Eventually Levin will be just a one-hour drive from the Wellington CBD, which will make it much more attractive for people to come and spend time here.
We already have thousands of vehicles passing through every day. The challenge for us is to convince more people to turn off SH1 and spend more time here.
Having quality accommodation just an hour out of Wellington is a great boost.