In the last few years Taupo's growth appears to have been accelerating - embracing as it has the expanding light industrial area, new housing around Wharewaka, the Tongariro Street transformation and the significant new landscaping around the lakefront.
Change is inevitable - a bit like death and taxes - but there is some deep truth to the quote by Sydney Harris that “Our dilemma is that we hate change and love it at the same time, what we really want is for things to remain the same but get better”. To the extent that almost every second Taupo resident one talks to has had a long association with the town - either due to always living here or having spent idyllic holidays here in earlier years - many Taupo residents have memories of 'old Taupo' or Taupo 'as it was'. I suspect this makes it more delicate for the Council, for commercial developers, for individual retail outlets to introduce change which is warmly and broadly embraced...given the sentiment captured by the quote above.
So if change is to be visited upon us....it's important those doing so get it right. Everyone will have a view on whether that is achieved but - at least from my perspective - I take my hat off to those risking the town’s affections by undertaking various modernisations and improvements.
Just a few of the 'new arrivals' (from big to small) which are giving the town more appeal - or will do once fully completed - include:
The new airport terminal: first impressions matter, and the old airport terminal looked what it was (tired). The new terminal (well advanced…but still a work in progress) talks to a vibrant Taupo…one looking to its future more than to its past and will, once complete, I think give a great first impression to those arriving in Taupo by air.
Whilst it’s a bit hard, typically, to get excited about supermarkets - who amongst us make supermarkets the point of conversation when one gathers with friends - but the new 'Countdown' looks appealing, inviting and well landscaped and is, again, a statement of confidence in the town.
The most evident standard bearer for a Taupo which is continuing to invest in ‘its soul’ is the new foreshore development around Lake Terrace - which is going to be a stunning revitalized area for locals and visitors alike. One can already see its charms emerging and those will only become more evident as the work - and its associated sculptures/artworks - is completed. A very visible, and valuable, 'addition' to Taupo (with due credit here to the central Government which has provided funding for this).
At the micro end of great additions to Taupo, I’m not sure how many will have noticed the new development out front of ‘The Bay’ restaurant and bar in Acacia Bay. Josh the owner has invested in new decking and surrounded that with an appealing gabion fence and added a very solid protective awning. What used to be a rather utilitarian car park area, this addition has softened the area and made a disproportionately positive impact on this small area of Acacia Bay.
Cumulatively these developments are important for the town. Infrastructure assets overtime become tired, stressed and unattractive and, left to drift, it does not take long for that to translate into something negative for a town, it’s reputation and the sense of pride locals have in their location. Taupo is fortunate, very fortunate, that that is not its current fate.
That said, with growth will come a community debate about how far and how fast it wants that growth to be. Tricky.
Credit: Rupert Holborow.
