A popular Rotorua event that's grown to attract up to 6000 competitors and supporters is thinking outside the square to find enough beds to ensure visitors stay locally.
A "tent city" will be erected at this year's Whaka 100 mountain bike event to create a "pop-up hotel" that willsee hundreds of visitors staying at the Waipa site, south of Rotorua.
It's being tipped as potentially the first of many events that could see pre-pitched tents set up to ensure Rotorua is able to cater for its expected visitors during peak periods, such as Labour Weekend when many hotels and motels in the city were booked out.
A pop-up hotel in the form of a tent city will be pitched in Rotorua to house hundreds expected to flood to the city. Photo / Supplied
Bookatent - which provided all the pop-up tents for Gisborne's Rhythm and Vines event - would supply about 100 canvas tents that could accommodate up to four people, stretchers and air beds, at an empty site provided by Red Stag adjacent to the race's start line.
There would also be spots open for those wanting to bring their own tents and campervans.
Whaka 100 was the largest mass participation mountain bike event in the Southern Hemisphere and this year would see more than 3000 participants - who would bring at least 3000 supporters with them - the biggest attendance in the event's 14-year history.
Each competitor brings supporters and other spectators. Photo / Supplied
Event race director Tim Farmer said the Whaka 100 was held at Labour Weekend, which traditionally saw accommodation booked out with visitors.
This year, the shortage was compounded by the fact three Rotorua hotels have quarantine guests and by the fact, according to the latest figures, there were about 400 households staying in more than 40 Rotorua motels under the emergency housing scheme.
Farmer said there had always been accommodation shortages for the event in the past; people had stayed in Taupō, Tauranga and Hamilton and travelled each day of the event to Rotorua.
"Our idea is how can we have you here, how can we keep you here and how can we make this awesome."
Farmer said rather than have competitors and supporters stay out of Rotorua, the event had partnered with Bookatent to keep as many in Rotorua as possible.
Bookatent part-owner Andrew Witters said the company had supplied tents for Rhythm and Vines for the past 18 years.
The tents had been used at recent music festivals including Splore, Soundsplash and 121 Festival.
He said they had more than 2500 nylon tents and their aim was to remove the need for people to buy a cheap tent for a festival and leave them behind, which was not good for the environment.
More than 3000 Whaka100 competitors are expected. Photo / Supplied
With the 300 canvas tents, they were wanting to expand to other sports events, like the Whaka 100.
"Once people experience it, it'll be something we can grow. I think it will definitely facilitate around those peak weekends when accommodation is hard to come by."
Witters said for the Whaka 100 event, there would be 100 pre-pitched canvas tents available for up to 300 guests as well as space for other campers.
He said bathroom and showering facilities would be provided on-site and food would be sold from food carts and on-site premises Secret Spot and Trail Kitchen from early in the morning until late at night.
Camping options would range between $30 and $60 per person a night.
Farmer said it opened up another option for people who might not have been able to afford a motel or a hotel.
"It's bringing more people to the region who wouldn't necessarily travel here."
He said people volunteering to run the event would also be offered the pop-up hotel tents.
Rotorua Economic Development chief executive officer Andrew Wilson. Photo / NZME
Rotorua Economic Development chief executive officer Andrew Wilson said there were about 3000 motel and hotel beds available in Rotorua.
"The reality is we will never have enough beds locally ever for those long weekends."
Wilson said whether Rotorua had enough beds was about the consistency of the demand. The April occupancy figures showed Rotorua was running about 48 per cent full for the month.
"So there's plenty of capacity when you look at it that way. As much as we get people saying there's not enough room, it's only at certain times and you can't run a sustainable business on 'we are full one weekend a month', it doesn't work. There has to be a balance there."
He said he commended Farmer and Witters for coming up with this idea.
"This is a fantastic solution, presuming it works and there's no reason it shouldn't, there will be other big eventing weekends when this kind of solution will make a lot of sense."
The Whaka 100 has grown in popularity because of its inconic nature. Photo / Supplied
