180713bf5 New first aid equipment is now available at Mountain Bike Rotorua (MBR), Waipa. Pictured are MBR director Tak Mutu and Barbara Jenks, who helped get the equipment. 18 July 2013 Rotorua
This week's Newsmaker is Takarua Mutu. He is the event director for Crankworx Rotorua, the world's largest mountain biking festival which will be held from March 25 to 29 next year, and is the owner of Mountain Bike Rotorua.
Tell us about yourself?
I was born and bred in Rotorua and
have lived here all my life, but I have also travelled around quite a bit. I went through the Kaupapa Maori system and came up through Rotorua Lakes High School and Waiariki Institute of Technology before getting into tourism. I started off as a raft guide before getting into the multi-day adventure stuff, buying my own business and here I am today.
What do you think the future holds for adventure tourism in Rotorua?
I think we are really paving the way nationally, taking the lead in portraying cultural and social aspects. Those are things that you really miss when you go to the big operators; you almost feel like you are being packed into a meat market when you are squeezed in with 100 other people on a boat or as part of a packaged tour. Rotorua does an exceptional job of making people feel like individuals, and a lot of that comes from that cultural aspect. A lot of operators do it well, and take adventure tourism to another level.
What do you love about your job?
I love that I work with my family, my brothers, my cousins, my mates from high school - everyone that I work with I have known since high school or have come across in my time as a student and tutor at Waiariki Institute of Technology.
What motivated you to get into the industry?
I suppose I have had quite a few opportunities in front of me. I was a self confessed geek at school so I did quite well. I saw adventure tourism and thought it looked quite fun and was something I could give a nudge at. It felt like a good idea at the time and has been worth it.
