Bay of Plenty Times
  • Bay of Plenty Times home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Sport

Locations

  • Coromandel & Hauraki
  • Katikati
  • Tauranga
  • Mount Maunganui
  • Pāpāmoa
  • Te Puke
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Thames
  • Tauranga
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Bay of Plenty Times

Editorial: Finding love in a small town

Alison Smith
By Alison Smith
Multimedia journalist·Bay of Plenty Times·
10 Feb, 2021 07:43 PM2 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

The Alderman Islands in the Coromandel are known for their abundance of marine life and incredible volcanic formations. Photo / The Coromandel

The Alderman Islands in the Coromandel are known for their abundance of marine life and incredible volcanic formations. Photo / The Coromandel

Where do Coromandel people go to find their valentine?

Online like everyone else.

Our small communities aren't the easiest of places to look for love.

What a disappointment, when we've got everything else we need from our lifestyle choice.

After following through on the big c word - commitment - and navigating hard times to experience the nurturing embrace of all that the Coromandel lifestyle has to offer, why should we up sticks and move to the city for love?

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

But as one singleton friend relates, finding love in a small town is no walk on Whangamata beach.

"You know everyone who's in the pool around here, probably too well, it might even be dangerous in the community to go out with any of them."

This friend thought about going to Auckland where there's dating nights, but hasn't got around to it because life's so busy.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

She has considered placing an advert in the HC Post.

Anonymity is a good thing at times, and putting your name to an advert is a scary prospect, she admits.

"Reinvent the singles column in a local sense - you guys should do it," she urged me as editor.

Getting out there and pushing your comfort zone by mingling with new people is surely going to give you a better chance of finding love than staying in the same circle, we decided.

The Coromandel has many clubs to join, and volunteering opportunities that can give us the chance to connect with likeminded others but before you go and purchase those new tramping boots, go in eyes open - they're not a speed dating service.

Is Valentine's a good thing to support just from a go-local perspective? Sure. One wise (single) romantic described it to me as "truly light at the end of the tunnel". "It is extending the gentle hand of friendship. The first step is always the toughest."

Connection is a basic human need, and if lockdown last year taught us anything, it's the importance of this.

So for singles out there: Happy Valentine's. Never give up on love, even in a small town.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

Bay of Plenty Times

Why Whakatāne's mayor is cautious about new homes in Matatā

03 Jun 05:00 AM
Bay of Plenty Times

'It could have been much worse': Beloved restaurant's staff take stock after fire

03 Jun 04:07 AM
Bay of Plenty Times

Upgrade plans: Tauranga toll road cameras to get major tech boost

03 Jun 12:54 AM

‘No regrets’ for Rotorua Retiree

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

Why Whakatāne's mayor is cautious about new homes in Matatā

Why Whakatāne's mayor is cautious about new homes in Matatā

03 Jun 05:00 AM

The council spent over $300,000 clearing debris from Matatā catch-pits.

'It could have been much worse': Beloved restaurant's staff take stock after fire

'It could have been much worse': Beloved restaurant's staff take stock after fire

03 Jun 04:07 AM
Upgrade plans: Tauranga toll road cameras to get major tech boost

Upgrade plans: Tauranga toll road cameras to get major tech boost

03 Jun 12:54 AM
'I'm very flattered': Mexted on King's Birthday Honour

'I'm very flattered': Mexted on King's Birthday Honour

03 Jun 12:02 AM
Why Cambridge is the new home of future-focused design
sponsored

Why Cambridge is the new home of future-focused design

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Bay of Plenty Times e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Bay of Plenty Times
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • What the Actual
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven CarGuide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP