AS VISITORS SEE IT

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 9, Issue 36, 4 January 1946, Page 5

AS VISITORS SEE IT

OHOPE'S GREAT POTENTIALITIES

SHOW BEACH OF DOMINION

••Don't you realise that in Ohope you have, one of the greatest assets that any community ever had, any r where•! Don't you realise th;it if this place of yours were only developed properly—roads tar-scaled, footpaths laid out, amenities installed, parks and picnic grounds kept in decent order and the crowds better regulated that you would have right at the town's backdoor the grandest show-beach in the Dominion !"

The above is typical of ihe remarks passed by many of the visitors to Ohope Beach Who as in the past have expressed their vigorous impatience at Ohope's limitations. These friendly expressions are more than constructive criticisms they arc advice from enthusiasts who see the beach at its best. They note the crowds on the camping areas the packed cottages and baches and the young army of children who invade the sandy beach daily. The same observations recurr year after year but in spite of all the good-inten-tioned advice little or nothing appears to be done towards Ohope's real development as a first class seaside resort.

The Dusl Curse As always first and foremost in the criticisms raised by dozens of visitors j is the dust nuisance, it is something of an indictment that the same unimproved road which was designed to serve the beach when it was first cut up, is still 'doing that service with practically no improvements whatsoever. The same stream-seared highway with its surface of fine sandy powder churned up in clouds by every passing vehicle is. still the only access to hundreds of not merely holiday makers but to permanent residents of the beach eager and willing to make it their, home for all time.

How long must .this state of affairs continue ? Apparently the only answer is the County Council's decision to await the announcement of the Main Highways Board as to which course the potential East Coast Main Highway is likely to take. If Ohope Beach is included then the State will undertake the tar-sealing and the construction of decent bridges over the intersecting streams, and the County will' be~ spared the expense. This is to say the least a long-winded and unpregressive liolicy and in the interests of public service alone the long dusty length of Pohutukawa. Avenue should be levelled and sealed.

Domain Board's Limitations

The only actual local body operating at Ohope, with any sympathetic understanding of the beach and ( i'Us requirements is the Domain Board, which as we have said before is dependant upon donations from County and Borough for its life blood. Should these fail, or decline in any way its operations meagre enough as they arc, would cease altogether. On the shoulders of the Board, falls the heavy burden of maintaining and the reserves along the foreshore —something like twenty acres in. all. When the cloud-burst scoured out the fords on the road way and made havoc of the seafront with kelp and logs, Ohope residents stared at the disfiguration for a solid year before the powers that be saw fit to remove the worst eyesores along the immediate roadway. Such apathy should not be allowed to recur. Ohope- definitely is a coming community, and as such its growth should be carefully and wisely controlled. Such control however is impossible under the present loose methods and until a firmer and more capable administration is created Ohope's prospects as a bright and progressive seaside resort, decently roaded and served, are not very bright in spite of the surprised observations of our summer visitors.