Al fresco dining urged for Tauranga's Wharf St

Mike Challis wants cars removed from Wharf St and replaced by a giant table. Photo/Andrew Warner

Strong public support has emerged to retain Wharf St's main retail block as a relaxed al fresco dining area.

A chance for people to have their say about the future of the street saw almost everyone opting to retain the current pedestrian-friendly environment of one-way traffic or turning it into a full pedestrian mall.

Councillors canvassed options to revitalise the area at a recent display set up outside Bikaji Plaza restaurant.

It was the last in a series of public consultation sessions for the part of the Heart of the City programme that focused on revitalising Durham St and Durham Lane, Wharf St east, Elizabeth St east, the Strand extension to the railway bridge and Aspen Reserve. Durham Lane ran parallel to Durham St between Cameron Rd and Durham St.

Welcome Bay resident Mike Challis' vision for Wharf St east was to turn it into a mall and run a huge dining table from one end to the other.

Mr Challis drew on his overseas travels to plug for the shared-table concept in which people sat down with others whom they had never met before. "Everyone goes away feeling a little bit wiser, and a little bit more loved."

He liked the idea of the street having a South Pacific theme with flaming torches and barbecue areas at either end. People on the big table could enjoy restaurant sample plates at prices they could afford.

Mr Challis believed the idea would boost quiet nights. "Word would get out, and people from everywhere would come to Wharf St."

He said Tauranga was trying to be like Auckland whereas it needed to slow down and become more community based where everyone helped each other and people took the time to relax.

David Baker of Focus on Property backed a substantial upgrade in which Wharf St east was fully pedestrianised, and al fresco diners would not have to put up with car fumes.
"Make it a more attractive place for people to be."

Property consultant Simon Boroughs also backed taking vehicles out of the street to make it purely eating and pedestrians. "With a little bit of love it would hum even more . . . it's worth trying."

He favoured restaurants using fast-growing Japanese box hedging to separate their dining areas.

The Tauranga City Council's communication adviser for Heart of the City, Amanda Weatherley, said a lot of people saw the potential for Wharf St east, saying that if the council was to do something, it should do it well.

She said no decisions had been made and the council was genuinely seeking feedback, including whether to continue as a one-way shared space or as a pedestrian-only mall. Wharf St could potentially reconnect to a new Town Wharf.