Mount Maunganui beach was the first beach I ever visited in New Zealand.
When my Kiwi partner first brought me on holiday here I thought it was one of the best beaches I had ever been to - and I had been to a lot of great beaches before.
At
Editorial: Big tick for Bay is gold
By Annemarie Quill
Bay of Plenty Times·
2 mins to read
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We should never take our outstanding scenery and climate for granted.
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After our story in Thursday's paper, a letter arrived in our offices from Tauranga local Murray Watkins, who drives for one of the local shuttle companies, ferrying tourists between Tauranga and the Auckland Airport. A resident since 1995, Murray said he already knew how great this area is but he said that on his shuttle he hears visitors laud the scenery, the friendliness of the people, and the great variety of food available.
One lady, a first time visitor from Adelaide, even wanted to take our tap water back home.
Several visitors say they will return and some even consider coming here to retire.
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As Murray says, when visitors give these endorsements, and no doubt pass on their positive experiences to others back in their respective countries, that is marketing gold.
So is the result from TripAdvisor which is also an unbiased form of accolades being comprised of millions of holidaymakers' reviews.
The challenge now for Rhys Arrowsmith and his team will be to continue to harness all these positives and strengthen the message out there that we are number one.
We all have a part to play in this.
Being a proud Bay resident, and sharing this with everyone, really will pay.
