Where’s the village entryway?

The largest tourism money spinner in the district still has no official entranceway, the Waitomo District Council has been told.

For more than a century Waitomo Caves Village has been the primary reason for visiting the district, and in spite of plans paid for by the villagers, there has been no support from the council.

“As a community and village, we were the first village or township to submit a structure plan to the council,” Kyle Barnes said in support of the Tere Waitomo Trust Committee annual plan submission.  

The village entrance was central to the award-winning plan prepared by engineering consultants Beca that was initiated and largely funded by the community, Kyle said.

The village wanted a gateway befitting the attraction people had come to see. Landscaping and traffic calming would be the key objectives and outcomes in the design of a Village Gateway.

“For an iconic tourism destination, the present approach as a first impression is pretty depressing and may unfairly reflect on the district,” he said.

The lack of entranceway also highlighted a lost opportunity for the rest of the district, Kyle said.

“Many of our guests are leaving Waitomo to travel to Rotorua. The village and its environs would provide the perfect opportunity to encourage travellers to head south at Hangatiki and discover the attractions and services the Waitomo district offers.”

The committee wants the council to explore opportunities to leverage off the visitation that Waitomo Village has for the benefit of the district with its many communities.

“We recommend that consultation with our committee on this should be added to the annual plan,” he said.

Kyle also pointed out there was nothing in the draft plan to even reference the issue of the village’s water and wastewater.

“For nearly 20 years we have been in discussions about solutions for the water and wastewater in our village. “There have been budget allocations previously in 10-year plans to address or at least look at solutions.”

In her submission for the Waitomo Cave Museum, Bridget Mosley said if the council did not increase spending on wastewater and road repairs for the village, the whole district would be affected.

“If tourists cannot access the village, the loss of income is felt within Waitomo Caves Village and throughout the Waitomo district as there is less reason to stop and eat, shop and re-fuel,” she said.

“Roading repairs are central to maintaining access. The supply of water and treatment of wastewater in Waitomo Caves Village is currently paid for by the residents.”

The privately run wastewater treatment plant was not a sustainable long-term solution, and would require spending beyond the current non-existent level of council service.

“We’d like to see funding for this – which was included in previous plans  – get under way,” Bridget said.