Luke Kirkness: why Greerton will soon be the beating heart of Tauranga

Members of the public attend the Greerton Village Cherry Blossom Festival in 2019. Photo / George Novak

OPINION

Greerton is the place to be — though I didn't always think that.

I never even knew it existed when I moved to Tauranga two months ago.

I'm a massive fan of second-hand clothing so I was in luck when a workmate suggest I try a walk down Chadwick Rd.

Heading there from Pāpāmoa I remember thinking to myself: 'This is not the Tauranga I know'.

I fobbed it off disapprovingly as somewhere I wouldn't like to live but now I've moved just down the road and absolutely love it.

Greerton and the sandy shores of Pāpāmoa seem worlds apart — not just because of the travel time — but the suburbs look completely different.

The houses, the gardens, the main street, the people, everything was new to me.

I was quickly distracted, though, but the number of charity stores planted on either side of Chadwick Rd or nearby was mind-numbing.

We went into six that first time we visited, five of which were located within a couple of hundred metres of each other, with another on Greerton Rd not far away either.

And while the charity stores were and are still terrific, I've come to realise there's so much more to it than what meets the eye.

Dotted between the charity stores are a cluster of cafes, takeaways, fast food and bakery stores that run along the main drag and around the corner onto Cameron Rd.

There are a few clothing and alteration stores, a furniture retailer, a school, a library, and much more.

The diversity of stores along Chadwick Rd is matched by the people. It appears to be home to a raft of people of different ages, sizes, shapes and skin colours.

But not everyone is a local, with people telling me they had come from all over the city to visit — all drawn to Greerton's village feel.

Chadwick Rd is known for its op shops but it boasts so much more. Photo / George Novak

And it's easy to pick up. Each time I visited I'm met with a warm welcome by those I speak to.

Greerton reminds me of small-town Otago, where I grew up.

There is certainly a lot more diversity up this way, with the latest census in 2018 providing a breakdown in ethnicities.

• 77.5 per cent of Greerton was Pākehā;
• 20.2 per cent Māori;
• 11 per cent Asian;
• 3.3 per cent Pacific;
• And 1.8 per cent other ethnicities.

And it's clearly a popular part of town, with plenty of foot traffic — and motorists — in the suburb too. It's a stark difference from Tauranga's CBD.

It's people-friendly, with several pedestrian crossings, a great village square and a number of bench seats in prime spots for soaking up the sun.

As the city grows outwards, I can't help but think Greerton will become a key suburb within Tauranga.

Businesses along its main drag are clearly basking in plenty of visitors and I only counted a couple of buildings without retailers in them - again a departure from the CBD.

Greerton also has the second-lowest median value of house prices within the city, and being central-ish it doesn't take long to get anywhere.

The Crossing shopping mall is a stone's throw away, the CBD is just down the road, and the main thoroughfares of State Highway 29A runs right past.

It's a hidden gem that will soon be the beating heart of the city.