Forever trendy

Waimarino Bulletin, Volume 6, Issue 232, 23 February 1988, Page 6

Forever trendy

It seems the silly season has begun earlier this year. Every winter a predictable group of new ventures sprout i n Ohakune with new names, trendier images and laudable ideals, all promising to do it bigger, better, brighter, stronger for longer than the last. Everyone welcomes enterprise and enthusiasm, unfortunately what is so often left are the dregs of unsightly, empty shells. These we live with till the next bout. Ohakune has been tolerant and business tides can be overlooked but as for

playing games with the soul identity, the very name of the wonderful Waimarino because it is, to some, " n o t catchy or eommercial enough" then that's quite a different matter! "Waimarino" o r "Serene water" is more than just a name, it is the descriptive spirit of the land. Since pre-European times this area has been so named and I suspect it came partly from the fact that the Tangata Whenua (people of the land) at that time were well known as the peaceful people who preserved peace above all else.

This preservation of a peaceful, serene attitude is true of the natural feeling of this region, the vibration of bush, river and mountain. In seven years I have hosted well over 100 foreign visitors in my home. without exception, their comments begin with how peaceful this area feels, even in the height of the winter influxes. The word Waimarino is beautiful, poetic and appropriate. How more apt a description for a snowfield than "serene water"? Waimarino is not only a name of beauty and strength it has also proved itself "trendy" over hundred and hundreds of years. Perhaps there is a word developers could play with ... try "Whakahihi." Vera Donnelly