Braced for holiday business

Tauranga's Harbourside Restaurant owner Peter Ward said Labour weekend was traditionally busier for Sunday night dinner and Monday lunch.

Bay restaurateurs and moteliers are happily bracing for a "chaotic" Labour Weekend at the end of an unusually busy October, while tourism operators anxiously watch the forecast.

The owner of central Mount Maunganui restaurants La Barca and Flour + Water, Mark McIntyre, said he and wife Bronwyn were expecting the same "busy to chaotic" Labour weekend they had seen at La Barca last year.

On a busy night at the Italian eatery, Mr McIntyre said the tables could turn over three times, with 40 to 60 diners in each rotation. Across the road at Flour + Water, which opened late last year, a busy night could attract up to 300 diners.

"Most of Labour weekend gets close to that," he said.

Mr McIntyre said winter had been quieter compared to last year but the warmer weather had seen things pick up, with this week's international cricket offering a welcome boost.

The owner of Tauranga's Harbourside Restaurant, Peter Ward, said Labour weekend was traditionally busier for Sunday night dinner and Monday lunch but otherwise he was expecting "normal" weekend numbers.

"People book last minute though so you never know, we can go from nothing to 100 in three hours."

Mr Ward said weekends had been going well over the last two months, with an average Saturday night attracting 120 diners and a further 20 or 30 being turned away.

"We've been achieving those numbers pretty easily," he said.

Things had picked up "marginally" since the arrival of daylight savings.

Tauranga Motel Association president Bruce Rutherford, who has owned Kaimai View Motel in Katikati for the past two-and-a-half years, said bookings were "normal to slightly below normal" and down on previous Labour weekends.

He suspected potential customers might be waiting until later in the year to go away. "(Maybe) they're just sorting their money out and taking it slow," he said.

Tauranga motelier Jim McManus, who owns Cobblestone Court in Bureta, felt differently though.

The annual Labour Weekend Bay Salsa Festival, based at Otumoetai Action Centre, had helped see his 12 units fully booked for Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights.

"We've been doing really well, it's been a really solid year. (We're) quite optimistic about the summer coming up," he told the Bay of Plenty Times Weekend.

Things were also going well at Omanu's Blue Wave Motel.

New owner David Jansen said the eight villas were booked out for the four days leading up to and at least two days beyond Labour weekend.

Tourism operators were watching the weather closely this week. Owner of Dolphin Seafaris, Cameron Fines, would take the boat out for the first time since closing for the winter and had a few bookings.

Five tasks for Labour weekend

*Clean the barbecue and fill up the gas bottle.
*Plant the vege garden.
*Get the boat serviced.
*Clean the pool.
*Stock up on sunscreen and check your togs still fit.