Hastings Top 10 Holiday Park's new owners Svarn and Sharelle Creswell with their children Logan, 2, Scarlett, 4, and Carson, 6. Photo File
Opinion
Svarn and Sharelle Creswell took over the Hastings Top 10 Holiday Park in April and embarked on a quarter-of-a-million-dollar renovation programme.
Sharelle chats to Mark Story.
Tell us about the exciting new changes for your newly acquired holiday park.
We are putting 14 new bathrooms in our motel and ensuite units. Back
ablution block have been painted inside and out. Group cabin kitchen and ablution blocks freshly painted and updated with new mirrors and new partition walls. Modernise Kitchen and main ablution blocks by putting in false ceilings and new flooring and new lighting. We have also installed mains gas hot water into all motel units and the office laundry.
How does the Hastings accommodation trade/clientele differ from your holiday park in Mahia?
We have more international guests in Hastings and a lot more "through traffic" as guests make their way from bottom of the North Island to the top. We also have a small permanent resident area in Hastings and are looking at annual holiday sites in Mahia.
What was the spark behind shifting from farming to accommodation?
We wanted to diversify and operate a business that had better cash flow throughout year. Also to broaden our skill set and try something new.
With your young family how does the holiday park vocation work with kids?
It works well, the kids are loving living in town, close to swimming pools, parks, bmx tracks etc. Their schools are in a close vicinity and it means running the park fits into our family's schedule, so we maintain a healthy work /family balance.
