Craig Cooper
The Town Basin.
Not the sexiest name when it comes to tourism attractions, and it doesn't really lend itself to slogans.
There used to be a car wash at the Town Basin, before it was turned into the world class area it is today.
"Come and wash up at the Basin" would have made a good slogan for the car wash.
Town Basin. It's a meat and potatoes name - perfectly serviceable, descriptive.
One can see how it arose - the basin was not initially an attractive area.
It was muddy and swampy, and did not provoke imagery that lent itself to names like "haven" or "retreat". We're probably lucky it's not called the Hatea Swamp.
Twenty years ago, the revamped Basin was about to open. And someone had a similar thought to mine. Not the sexiest name - let's change it.
The public was asked for ideas. One man alone submitted 67 names. He had been suffering from a cold, he explained, and had time on his hands.
He offered Resplendent Parade and Basin Exquisite among his suggestions.
Hatea Haven and Hatea Dock swirled about as options.
Riverview and Riverina floated to the top.
Ultimately though, the new suggestions disappeared down the plughole.
Quayside was okayed as the postal reference, but the majority of suggestions wanted, wait for it, the name to remain as Town Basin.
Reader Patricia Fenton wonders in today's letters, if Marina would be a more apt reference, to incorporate into a name.
I agree, and perhaps with the Basin's 20th birthday looming on September 30 (the official opening date) it's time to ask "what's in a name?" and consider changing it.
The group was nominated by Whangārei District Council's waste minimisation officer.