THE Fren family of the award-winning Australian television show "Travel Guides", brought their fun-filled bickering and silly antics to Te Puia Springs at Kāwhia beach this week. PHOTO: ANDY CAMPBELL
STARS from the award-winning Australian TV show Travel Guides shared a day at the hot water Te Puia Springs on Kāwhia’s beach this week.
The arrival of the Fren family from the show, plus camera operators, sound people, and directors for each unit spurred a flurry of redevelopment of some of the hand-dug hot pools, allowing soaking occupants a little more neck support for a better view.
Featuring the hot springs on the popular Travel Guides show might put Kāwhia on the map and bring more visitors to the isolated coastal community, resident Davis Apiti said.
The community became involved in the event when the council was contacted by the show’s producers.
With Kāwhia councillor Kit Jeffries acting as liaison, the episode was organised with visits to the museum, and general store for spades and food.
Museum director John Thompson said afterwards that was the way tourists often found their way to the hot springs. They would ask at the museum, then obtain spades and a picnic and head off.
The show’s documentary-style filming followed the pattern showing viewers what would be involved, including the climb up the dunes.
Kāwhia school principal Leanne Apiti arranged for some “extras” to be at the beach in case the weather was wet, and Daisy Scott from the beach patrol offered a ride to an injured film crew member unable to make the trek over the dune.
Travel Guides follows the fortunes of an older couple, the boys, the Frens and other lifestylers in a documentary style where the producers say they mostly sit back and film what happens.
Te Puia Springs or hot water beach is a series of slightly sulphurous springs under the beach sand which are best accessed at low tide. A spade or shovel is the quickest way to dig a decent sized pool.
The Frens, Mark and Cathy, and their children, Victoria and Jonathon, are listed on the Nine Network website as endearing bargain hunters from Newcastle in New South Wales who are well equipped to cope with stressful family situations and can always find the funny side of any holiday disaster.
When they were brought onto the beach, they started digging their hot pool using plastic toy spades before an actual shovel was used. The show uses five cast groups of families/friends who appear in each episode as guides for the viewers and represent different demographics.
Producers from the show referred King Country News to Nine Network publicity in Sydney for comment, but the contact was on leave. A producer claimed confidentiality and asked people attending the event not to post pictures on Facebook until the show airs, possibly later in the year.
