As well as the hot pools, I’m yet to see Te Puia, Waimangu Volcanic Valley, Whakaari / White Island, Hobbiton, The Elms or the Agrodome.
They’re all things I really want to see but, the thing is, if I’m looking for something to do on a weekend at home, I want something that’s easy, free (or low cost), and takes little-to-no organisation and planning. Places such as parks, cafes, the Historic Village, or McLaren Falls.
One thing I used to do fairly regularly when I lived in Rotorua was to visit Hamurana Springs. Gorgeous place, with lovely walks, and the added fun of flipping a coin into the spring and watching it flutter into the depths. It was free, accessible, and pretty.
I remember taking my now husband there in 2016 and spending almost an entire day there, simply enjoying being in nature and breathing fresh air.
We haven’t been back since, though, because it now costs money to enter.
The decision to introduce an admission fee to see the springs was highly controversial at the time it was announced. The lands around the springs were returned to Ngāti Rangiwewehi in 2015 and fees of up to $18 per person were introduced in 2017, which a spokesman for the iwi said would contribute toward maintenance and upkeep.
And yeah, being charged money to visit a natural feature that has been free is going to be difficult for some people to accept. But, maybe – and I’m making a big assumption here – reducing the amount of foot traffic to the spring was a good idea, preservation-wise.
Charge the visitors money and get fewer visitors but those who do come pay for the damage their feet cause. I don’t like paying but, if that’s the reasoning, I can understand it.
And on that note, maybe using an admission fee as a deterrent is actually a useful tool that can be utilised in other situations. Say, the dangerous Ōmanawa Falls?
Yikes, I can feel the anger of some letter writers and social media commenters already. How dare I suggest introducing a fee for a public space, right?
But hear me out for a second.
People have died and been seriously injured in their attempts to access these falls. Because that’s how humanity works – we love a chance for bragging rights and if we know someone who’s done something fun, exciting and cool then we’re more likely to try it, too. Especially those of us in the midst of hormone-fuelled adolescence.
And it has become easier to find a new challenge to try our hands at with the proliferation of social media platforms such as Instagram and TikTok. All it takes is one person with a bit of a following to post one gorgeous photo of their gorgeous selves at the gorgeous falls, or a video of some ripped adrenalin junkie doing a perfectly-executed backflip into the pool, and others are going to try it, too.
But the issue is that access to Ōmanawa Falls is notoriously difficult and dangerous. It’s steep and requires rock climbing and gripping on to tree roots for dear life. There are signs all over the entrance warning potential visitors to stay away due to the risks.
Despite that, people still choose to keep visiting the falls, with up to 30 cars a day arriving at the site. That number was up to 70 cars a day before kaitiaki from a local hapū started basing themselves at the site and warning people of the dangers.
Tauranga City Council has decided to build safer access to the falls. So far, the council has finished some cliff stabilisation, new tracks are under construction, and two viewing platforms are nearing completion. The total budget for the project is $9.56 million, and that doesn’t include access to the base of the falls, which would have cost an extra $2.65m.
Is that going to stop people from swimming? Definitely not. Risk takers are going to take risks. And that means a heightened chance of injury will remain, albeit much improved.
So, I reckon we should charge an admission fee.
That in itself would probably be an effective deterrent. I mean, half the fun of doing these kinds of things is the badge of honour that comes with doing something a little naughty, and it’s hardly naughty if you’ve bought a ticket to do it.
Charge the people who will take the risks regardless of potential consequences. Use that money to pay for that base access and make it safer for the rest of us.
Make Ōmanawa Falls another attraction on my list of “things I haven’t got to yet because of money and effort”.
One day I’ll get through it. One day.
Sonya Bateson is a writer, reader, and crafter raising her family in Tauranga. She is a Millennial who enjoys eating avocado on toast, drinking lattes and defying stereotypes. As a sceptic, she reserves the right to change her mind when presented with new evidence.
