Turn of the tide in seaside gateway Orewa

By WAYNE THOMPSON

Orewa, once a sleepy seaside getaway beyond the bustle of Auckland, is out to reinvent itself as a chic beach resort and business centre.

It wants to be a new cafe hangout like Mission Bay and Devonport in Auckland, or possibly Cambridge, and maybe even the arts capital of northern New Zealand.

The impetus comes as State Highway 1 bypasses the town, meaning Orewa has to work harder to attract visitors, but it also offers the chance to reconnect with its origins as a seaside town, rather than being cut off from the sand by a roar of traffic.

The transition kicks off today when the first stage of a $3 million town centre revamp is approved by the Rodney District Council.

But the town's business leaders say it cannot wholly shake off its scruffy image - and trumpet its rarity as a shopping centre on a beach - while still plagued by State Highway 1 traffic.

The Northern Motorway extension reached the western Orewa hills in December, allowing cars to bypass the shopping centre by using a temporary link between the motorway terminus and State Highway 1.

But trucks are not permitted to use the link and continue to stream through town.

Former Mainstreet Orewa chairman Des Adams says years of planning have gone into putting the town back in touch with its main assets - the 3km beach of white sand and a broad blue bay with a backdrop of islands.

Free of traffic interference, the town centre could change its style to become a northern version of Mission Bay or Devonport, with boutique shops, cafes and bars facing the ocean.

Transit New Zealand engineers say the trucks should be gone by December 2003.

Transit last week received approval from the Environment Court to push on with the next 6.5km of the motorway to Puhoi.

Meanwhile, Mr Adams says the town must carry on with facelift plans that have been debated since the Orewa Vision idea was prepared two years ago.

The first stage is reshaping Hillary Square into a friendly outdoor oasis, with a bronze statue of Sir Edmund Hillary for company.

Submissions by Destination Orewa may result in $3 million to $4 million being spent on revitalisation over the next three years.

But Mr Adams says fancy paving stones and welcoming waves from Phoenix palms will not be enough.

A marketing campaign is needed to attract more visitors, and Orewa should pursue the idea of becoming the arts capital of New Zealand.

He says the council also has to change its planning rules, which are turning away promoters of restaurants, cafes and bars.

Part of the attraction for developers is that Orewa grew from a collection of baches and 3500 people in the mid-1960s to 27,000 people in 1996.

The Auckland regional growth strategy expects an additional 15,000 by 2050.

That growth will be fostered in the present town and developments on farmland overlooking Orewa at Silverdale North (9000 people) and Orewa West (4500).

Universal Homes is the first to announce a move on Silverdale North. Council consent is being sought to develop 290 sections off Jelas Rd, which is near the highway turnoff to the Whangaparaoa Peninsula.

In Orewa, long-standing developers Hopper and Cabra will between them offer nearly 500 sections east of the motorway over the next few years.

Hopper Developments is also seeking resource consent for a retirement village of serviced apartments and a nursing home.

The motorway extension bringing the Auckland Harbour Bridge within 18 minutes' drive has accelerated demand for homes.

Rick Martin, of the Cornerstone Group, which is building 40 apartments across the highway from the beach, hopes new subdivisions will bring families to Orewa.

He says 60 per cent of residents are aged over 55 and do not spend as much money in local businesses as do families.

One promising sign of a younger population is the rapid growth in the roll at Orewa College over the past five years.

Principal Kate Shevland says this year's intake of year nine pupils was 20 per cent higher than expected, and it could rise another 15 per cent next year.

Developer Graeme Hinton says Orewa's success in drawing developers' investment hinges on acceptance of medium-rise buildings in the town centre.

A fortnight ago, the council refused his bid to build a seven-storey mixed office and apartment block.

Developers are now watching keenly to see whether the council approves plans next month for a 12-storey mixed shopping mall and apartment building.