There is potential seen for employment with the development of the tourism sector on both large and small scales.
“There’s two or three new lodges, with people from overseas coming to stay and all. So that’s a plus.”
“The big opportunities in this area are for tourism. It’s phenomenal. It’s being harnessed, and there’s just more and more coming online with the Timber Trail, so for people who have accommodation options, hire bikes, e-bikes or have shuttles. The Whanganui Journey is just the same, where you can go down the river on a canoe. Then you’ve got the Tongariro Crossing which is thousands and thousands of people a year. […] We’re not playing catch up but we’re running as fast as we can. Plus we’ve got the ski industry and the gondola, the sky walker which extends the ski seasons. And for young people that’s exciting, it’s the one area where there is growth and there’s lots and lots of opportunity.”
“Six months into our Airbnb we are just starting to realise, just starting to harness the potential of what’s there. And something we were just going to twiddle around with, is going to outstrip anything we were going to do on our farm. There’s a future there.”
We are halfway between Wellington and Auckland and as the other trails are getting worn and expensive, people are looking for more authentic experiences. We’ve got these amazing rivers.”
