Artificial grass, i-Site to be installed in Mount Maunganui urban space

A rendering of how the i-Site will look on the new green mat. Graphic / Supplied

Mugs: Gareth Wallis, council general manager of community services. Photo / File A_231219gn07bop.JPG

Kristin Dunne, chief executive of Tourism Bay of Plenty. Photo / File A_220517gn07bop.JPG

By Samantha Motion

A Mount Maunganui urban space, sometimes likened to a concrete jungle, is about to get a bit greener.

A 140sq m artificial grass mat will be installed in Te Papa O Ngā Manu Porotakataka this week as it becomes the new summer home of Tourism Bay of Plenty's satellite i-Site.

And if the community likes the turf idea, we could see more of it.

The "urban open space" - formerly known as the Phoenix carpark - opened in summer 2018/19 after a controversial $2.5 million Tauranga City Council redevelopment.

Some people who were expecting a much greener space for the high-profile site were outraged by the predominantly concrete landscaping, but an independent review found the council had not intended to mislead the community.

The space has been used for events and markets as well as by neighbouring businesses. It is also popular with skateboarders.

Te Papa O Ngā Manu Porotakataka in January 2019. Photo / File

Tomorrow, Tuesday, the council is due to start installing 140sq m - a similar footprint to that of an average New Zealand house - of artificial turf near the Maunganui Rd entrance to the space, between the garden beds and the water feature.

The i-Site pod, which usually sits outside the Port of Tauranga gates on Salisbury Wharf to greet cruise visitors, will be dropped in later this week and fitted out.

It is scheduled to open as a visitor information centre on December 28.

Bean bags, umbrellas and table tennis will be added to create a space for visitors and locals alike.

The i-Site would be open every day from 9am to 5pm until Valentines Day next year, with staff available to provide information about local tourism operators and natural features, as well as making bookings for accommodation and attractions.

It has been a tough year for the tourism sector as borders closed to international visitors, cutting short the usually lucrative cruise ship season earlier this year and cancelling it outright for the 2020/2021 season.

This summer, the businesses will be relying on Kiwi visitors to get them through, with promising reports already of fully booked campgrounds.

Domestic visitors were already the coastal Bay of Plenty's biggest visitor market, spending an estimated $870m in the region in the year to January and making up about 78 per cent of the total $1.1 billion visitor spend prior to the impact of Covid, according to Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment data.

Tourism Bay of Plenty chief executive Kristin Dunne said the centrally located i-Site would help visitors support the industry through the busiest tourism season.

Kristin Dunne, chief executive of Tourism Bay of Plenty. Photo / File

"So many of us are hosting family and friends during the summer and are wanting to show them the best of our beautiful region.

"If you're searching for things to do in Tauranga and the Coastal Bay of Plenty, pop by and chat with our i-SITE staff – they're our local experts," Dunne said.

Gareth Wallis, council general manager of community services, said the city would host thousands of visitors and several popular events this summer.

"We're creating a space for visitors and locals to interact and it's great to be using Te Papa o Ngā Manu Porotakataka for this purpose."

He said the turf would also act as a trial " as a means to address concerns raised by the community about the lack of green space and extent of concrete".

Gareth Wallis, council general manager of community services. Photo / File

Its principal purpose was associated with the i-Site, but it was also a small-scale trial to see what the community thought of this type of installation.

Asked if discouraging skateboarders was part of the motivation, Wallis said skateboarders would not be able to skate on the turf, but the majority of the park will still be skate-able.

"Staff are working with stakeholders in the area to monitor skateboarding activity and address issues that arise in terms of compatibility of skating in the park with other park users, and nearby businesses and residents," he said.

The final cost was not yet known but was expected to be less than $15,000.

The Mount Maunganui Business Association, a Mainstreet organisation, was also involved in the project.

And there is no word yet on the return of beloved surfer statue Mountie, which used to reside in the carpark but has been in storage since the redevelopment started.