Taupō & Tūrangi Weekender's thumbs up and thumbs down, March 3

Every week, Taupō & Tūrangi Weekender readers submit their thumbs-ups and thumbs-downs. Photo / Getty Images

THUMBS UP

■ To those who are going out to our cafes, restaurants and bars on a regular basis to support them and help keep them open.

■ To Dave at D.A.M Automotive. Thank you for fitting me in and fixing my noisy car at short notice, you were run off your feet doing everything on your own from reception to mechanic and still gave pleasant service at that. Much appreciated.

■ To the wonderful staff at the Shoe Clinic who helped me choose shoes and sandals for my brother, who has dementia. Your kindness and empathy were so appreciated.

■ Massive thumbs up to the Taupō nui-a-tia Board of Trustees for the kindness they have shown all staff this week. Every staff member thanks you for your appreciation of the challenges they face daily. The students' education and success is always foremost in their minds, and it's great to be acknowledged for that commitment and consistency. Kia Kaha.

■ To the staff at Westpac Taupō branch, in particular Cam and Sima. Heartful gratitude for going out of your way to repin my locked credit card, enabling me to immediately use my card to purchase essentials. From Lucy, an appreciative customer.

■ To Dave and Jess Nesbitt who, despite battling the effects of Covid-19 on tourism, still see fit to support the Greenlea Rescue Helicopter by giving away a family ticket on Kindred Spirit in the draw to be held at Central Taupō Market on March 13.

■ A huge thumbs up to the team at Taupō Landscapes Supplies. They give great, cheerful service and even hook up and undo the trailer. So friendly and helpful too.

■ To Maggie Dawson for all you have done for the monarch butterfly population. We've noticed so many more in the garden this year. You're the monarch queen.

■ To the girls in the blue car who gently lifted a dead cat from the road and onto the grass verge, saving it from being squashed flat by cars. It was very thoughtful. The owners and neighbours loved that cat so much, we thank you girls from the bottom of your hearts.

■ Thumbs up and a huge thank you to all those wonderful people who donated blankets in all forms to the Taupo¯ Red Cross for the Civil Defence Emergency Management Team. These will be used in the event of a disaster and/or an emergency. We greatly appreciated your contributions.

THUMBS DOWN

■ To all the parents who still stop on the yellow lines every day to drop off their children at Hilltop School. Those lines are there to protect children while using the pedestrian crossing, you obstruct the view and it's only a matter of time until you are the reason someone else's child is hit. Usually, there are parks further down so why is it an issue? If you are late or lazy that is not an excuse to risk a child's life, your child is not more important than ours. They are all precious and irreplaceable.

■ To the stores that allow smaller stores to buy items in bulk at a time when the shelves are already low on stock. There are already empty shelves without letting whole boxes of items go to one customer. A store was up to $1800 and the checkout operator was only halfway through the customer's trolleys. They should be purchased through wholesale suppliers.

Do you have a compliment or a gripe? Email your thumbs up/thumbs down to us at news@taupoweekender.co.nz, message Taupō Weekender on Facebook or drop them into our office upstairs at 4 Starlight Arcade, Taupō. Thumbs up/thumbs down may be edited or abridged. Personal attacks or thumbs down that refer to easily-identifiable people, businesses or groups won't be published.