Man honours Lisa Carrington with her own road sign

A Papamoa man immensely proud of the success and efforts of Bay athletes at this year's Olympics has renamed a residential street after Lisa Carrington.

Papamoa's Carrington Drive now boasts a sign saying "Lisa" above the Tauranga City Council signage.

Carrington made New Zealand history at this year's games, being the first New Zealand woman to win two medals at an Olympics Games. She won gold in the K1 200m canoe sprint and bronze in the K1 500m canoe sprints.

Lisa Carrington thanks the crowd at the Rio Olympics after winning bronze. Photo/AP

Les Attwell said he had the signs especially made and had received positive feedback after attaching them to at least two Carrington Drive road signs.

Mr Attwell said the neighbours loved it.

"They thought it was a great idea. Especially as Lisa's a Bay girl.

''A few friends came around and we got talking about the Olympics ... we came up with the idea and it clicked. We are on Carrington Drive, let's call it Lisa Carrington Drive,'' he said.

Mr Attwell said he wanted to keep the momentum of the Olympics' success going.

''Just because the Olympics has finished, we don't need to finish,'' he said.

''There will be a lot of people out there starting training now for the Olympics in four years' time.''

Mr Attwell said the sign was as much for them as it was for this year's Olympic heroes.

Carrington had not been aware of the gesture until the Bay of Plenty Times contacted her yesterday.''It's very cool that someone would want to do that,'' she said.

''I didn't know there was a road that was called Carrington Drive in Papamoa. What a really nice guy to do that, to go out of his way and do that.

''You don't expect those kind of things.''

Carrington will not join other Bay of Plenty athletes at today's homecoming parade in Tauranga. She was in Auckland yesterday, preparing to head overseas.

On Wednesday Tauranga City Council shared a picture of the road sign on their Facebook page.

A council spokesman said: "It's been the most popular photo on our Facebook page for a long time. Way more popular than the rates reminder post. Can't think why."