Taupō and Tūrangi thumbs up and thumbs down

The people of Taupō and Tūrangi shared their thumbs ups and thumbs downs with us this week.

Thumbs up

Thumbs up to Michael Wakefield of Taupō for stopping to help an elderly man with dementia out of his burning retirement unit in December 2023. Michael, you’re the man!

A huge thank you to the rubbish and recycling guys, who do an amazing job throughout the year and especially now with so many visitors to the area - working extra long, hot hours with no overtime pay to keep up with all the extra demands on their services.

Congratulations to all you artists who have participated in One Hundred 2023 - Canvassing the Central Plateau. What a beautiful feast of affordable local art. Well worth a visit and a purchase. Thank you also to the museum team for co-ordinating it all. Looks great.

Thumbs up from the Awhina Trust team to the villagers who helped make families’ Christmases special this year: Ray White Taupō, Kinloch Fire Brigade, Epro, First Credit Union, Quilters, Algae Blooms, Ian Britten, Chef’s Compliments, Department of Conservation (DoC), Taupō Business Institute, Good Bitches, Empower, Wrightman with a Van and more.

Thumbs up to Willie from Penny Homes for answering my call on New Year’s Day and putting me onto a contractor to help with my predicament, and thumbs up to Chris from Todd Land Developments for providing a solution on New Year’s Day.

Thumbs down

Thumbs down to the “lady” who blatantly picked the beautiful roses from the garden of the Tūrangi cafe on Tuesday January 2 in full view of patrons while she waited for her order, then walked out with the stolen blooms which she packed into her car parked outside.

Thumbs down to the two different groups of people we encountered walking around Lake Rotopounamu with their dogs, one off-leash. It beggars belief and basic logic that some continue to place our fragile kiwi population in such jeopardy. Both incidents have been reported to DoC. Come on Kiwis, we can do so much better.

Thumbs down to the vandals throwing Beam scooters into the river off Control Gate Bridge. What a waste of money, both for the company and for council resources having to recover them from the water.

Thumbs down to the inconsiderate people who throw raw meat bones into the lake at Four Mile Bay. This must be a health risk to all lake swimmers!

Thumbs down to Uber for not turning up to collect me at the airport when they had agreed to a booking.

Thumbs down to the person/people who designed the through-way along Roberts Rd to take the cavalcade of vehicles and exhaust pipes past the tourists and locals trying to enjoy a meal out.

• Email your thumbs up/thumbs down to news@taupoturangiherald.co.nz, message Taupō & Tūrangi Herald on Facebook or drop into our office, upstairs at 4 Starlight Arcade, Taupō. Messages may be edited or abridged. Thumbs down that refer to easily identifiable people, businesses or private groups won’t be published.

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