Mangakino Bus Stop Cafe to be closed

Owner of the Bus Stop Cafe in Mangakino Garry Gradwell is pondering his future as a result of planned changes to the Mangakiono Lakefront Reserve. Photo / Dan Hutchinson

The popular, purple Bus Stop Cafe is an early casualty of plans to refresh the Mangakino Lakefront Reserve.

Taupō District Council is inviting members of the Mangakino community to speak up on their thoughts about redevelopment of its lakefront at public meetings on February 4 and 7.

However, some key aspects of the redevelopment have already been decided, including a new toilet and shower block which will come close to where the Bus Stop Cafe is located.

Owner Garry Gradwell said he had been told by the council that his bus and shelter will have to go after 18 years to make way for the new facilities.

He has been offered first right of refusal on a smaller site but it is only big enough for a caravan. Instead, after Easter, he plans to dismantle everything, quit the cafe, sell the bus and look for a “real job”, probably driving trucks.

Owner of the Bus Stop Cafe in Mangakino Garry Gradwell is pondering his future as a result of planned changes to the Mangakiono Lakefront Reserve. Photo / Dan Hutchinson

A council spokesperson said an interim site has been offered, on a “similar basis to the previous lease agreement”, while the lakefront redevelopment consultation occurs and until the final plan is implemented.

Garry said dismantling his shelter and moving to the new, smaller site is impractical, so he had decided to simply shut up shop.

That leaves the future of his two cats Wally and Tabby with nowhere to live. They have only ever called the reserve home, it would be pointless trying to rehome them to his residential address in Mangakino and they don’t socialise with humans other than himself, Gradwell said.

“Putting them to sleep might be the kind thing to do.”

The Bus Stop Cafe serves coffee and food to swimmers, boaties and motorhome campers, and those doing the Waikato River Trail.

He said the cafe was a popular place for people from the township to meet up.

“There are quite a few people in town that are pissed off. A lot of older people come down here just to talk. For lots of people it’s just an afternoon out.”

Mangakino has been through something of a transformation in the last 20 years and is now a popular holiday spot. The town showed the highest upward movement in capital value in the council’s recent revaluations for the Taupō District - up 90 per cent on 2019 valuations.

“Rich people want what they have got in Auckland or Tauranga. They buy because they like the way it is, build a big flash house and then want to change it.”

When the Taupō and Tūrangi Herald made an unannounced visit this week there were three regular customers chatting under the shelter attached to the bus.

Keith Strode-Penny decided to call Mangakino home for the first Covid-19 lockdown of 2020 and has never left, opting for remote working in his job as a project manager for the rail sector.

He’s a keen swimmer all year round and likes nothing better than a hot chocolate and a coffee-chaser after getting out of the water.

“I dump my swimming gear here, catch up with people. This has been a social hub for the town for years and years and years.”

Builder Terry Johns spends a lot of time in Mangakino and said the loss of the bus will be the loss of a landmark.

“People know the bus. It’s advertised in all the tourist books.”

Mangakino resident Garry Vloet comes down to the cafe every day, sometimes twice a day.

“The only time I don’t come down is when I’m not in town.”

He was sceptical of the council’s consultation and believed they had already made up their minds about what they were going to do. He was also worried that there was no provision for the powerboats that use Lake Maraetai regularly for their competitions.

Gradwell said he had accepted that his operation doesn’t fit in with plans for the reserve so had already made the decision to dismantle it all after Easter. So, like the swallows that nest in the roof of The Bus Stop Cafe each year, he will have to adapt.

Swallows that use the Bus Stop Cafe on the Mangakino Lakefront Reserve will have to find a new place to nest next year. Photo / Dan Hutchinson

Taupō District Council District Parks Manager Greg Hadley said they were open to any and all ideas that the community might bring.

“We’re equally interested in hearing everyone’s ideas. We have always wanted this project to be as collaborative as possible, so come along and join the discussion.”

Some aspects of the development have already been consulted on and budgeted for, including the renewal of the toilet block, jetty and boat ramp, as well as grading the road to the boat ramp.

These projects have been delayed in part due to Covid-19 issues, but will still be undertaken with works expected to begin in the first half of this year.

However, shaping of the Long-Term Plan 2024 is up for debate. The council is seeking all views, with a particular focus on the locations of the playground, car parks, camping area and boat trailer parking.

It also wants feedback on support for a second boat ramp, as well as the types of camping allowed, and concession sites and numbers.

The draft plan contains proposed changes including replacing the toilet block with a larger one, and offering an interim new site to the Bus Stop Cafe.

A move to bring the playground away from the current boat trailer parking is also suggested, alongside possible concession sites for food trucks, retail or activity operators.

Once the community consultation stage is complete, the final lakefront plan will be compiled and debated within the Council.

After this, funding will be allocated in stages over a 10-year period.

Taupō District Council said that the plan is being developed with the growing activity levels at the lakefront in mind, with use increasing from locals and visitors alike.

Northern Taupō District community engagement advisor Gillian Smith said that residents’ and ratepayers’ views were especially valuable.

“It is important that these changes are driven by what local people need and want,”

“Now is the time for the community to articulate what it means to be a unique and beautiful lakeside town and describe how this might look and feel in the future.”

The two Mangakino lakefront community engagement events will take place on Saturday February 4, 10-11am and Tuesday February 7, 6-7pm at St John Mangakino Ambulance Station.