Editorial: Marathon puts us on big stage

Locals have a big part to play in making sure visitors leave with smiles on their faces.

The hotels and motels are full, the roads are getting more congested and the streets are filling up. It's nearly marathon day.

For nearly 9000 locals and visitors, tomorrow has been a long time coming.

Many won't sleep well tonight in anticipation of the big day. After hundreds of hours of training, will it be enough? Will they make it around the picturesque Lake Rotorua to claim their marathon medals?

Putting on a big event like this shows Rotorua truly at its best. We are experts at this kind of thing, and this weekend should be no different.

We as locals have a big part to play in making sure visitors leave with smiles on their faces.

There will be up to 30,000 extra people here and that's bound to cause some frustration on the roads, in shopping queues and at bars and restaurants.

New research released just yesterday from an insurance company showed May 2 is one of the riskiest days of the year for Kiwi drivers on our roads.

The figures, gathered by IAG New Zealand, show the highest number of collisions happen in May as the season is turning from autumn to winter and Fridays are the most common days for crashes.

So the message is to take your time and be patient. The roads will be chaotic enough with the extra people in town.

Cafes, bars, restaurants and retail outlets should be turning it on also, not only to leave a lasting good impression but to cash in on the extra visitors willing to spend money.

Remember our old catchphrase - Feel The Spirit, Manaakitanga. We are all hosts this weekend, let's make sure our visitors leave realising why we are the tourism capital of New Zealand.