Exotic, maybe, but Papamoa residents say they're still just names

Santa Barbara Drive. Barbados Key. Palm Beach Boulevard.
They're not names of streets in exotic parts of Malibu or Miami, but part of Papamoa subdivision Royal Palm Beach.
But while Tauranga City Council last week vetoed the use of exotic street names with no relevance to the city's history, the residents who live at Royal Palm Beach are more than happy with their glamorous addresses.
Eleanor Mackinven, who has lived on Barbados Key for 12 years, said it was "just a name".
"I like it just the way it is. I don't care."
Mrs Mackinven said residents tended to refer to the area as Papamoa Beach rather than Royal Palm Beach.
"People used to raise their eyebrows slightly when we used to say Royal Palm Beach. We got past that, now you just say Papamoa Beach."
Sibyl Thorne loves her Santa Barbara Drive address.
"I've got no worries about it at all. We are quite happy with it. It's quite nice because people have heard of Santa Barbara, so they don't forget it. It's much easier than a name that no one can pronounce."
June Crabb said it was "rather lovely" living on a street called Santa Monica Drive.
"People often say 'that's nice over there, the beaches are lovely', which they are. We are very ordinary people - our house isn't big. It's nice being here because it's close to the beach and close to the shops."
Former property developer Jason Macdonald helped come up with the name Royal Palm Beach, and admits the exotic-sounding names were a "marketing ploy".
"It's definitely emotive for people. People are investing a lot of their assets into where they live, and there's a sense of pride.
"Everyone wants to hang out in Los Angeles and Hollywood and Palm Springs. There's a sense of affluence to it. When you write your address, or receive mail, it sounds glamorous. Those homes out-perform the local market."
But Mr Macdonald said times had moved on, and he was happy to see more culturally significant street names used in new developments. "That was 15 years ago. There's a lot more sensitivity to a sense of place (now).
"The developers set the name for a place that's there long after the developer is gone. There needs to be some consultation. Now there's more sensitivity of the true meanings of where you live."
Ellen Irvine is our new Papamoa and Mount Maunganui reporter. If you have a news story idea, contact her on 5777 770, extn 2919 or email ellen.irvine@bopp.co.nz