Tourism Hotspot for Auckland and Especially Southern Auckland?
The financials around this project will earn the ire as noted in an earlier post about the Manukau Water Rafting facility:
White Water Rafting Will Always be a Bad Decision
But Manukau as a Tourism spot? I can see that happening
I am of two minds on the Stuff article that mentions the White Water Rafting facility, and the tourism potential the Manukau and Manukau City Centre area.
I still hold the same views and hostilities towards Auckland Council granting the money ($32 million) towards a venture that private enterprise should have done on its own (if it is viable as the messages from the Mayor’s Office are true). That $32 million should have been either returned in rates savings to the ratepayer, or if to be spent divided up between the Local Boards for their own (and often needed) projects. As I have said before if the White Water Rafting venture is that viable then why can’t private enterprise embark on the venture on its own like Rainbows End. The answer most likely will be that it can not without ratepayers subsides for most likely a decade if not more.
As for Manukau increasingly becoming a tourist destination within Auckland? Well entertainment capital as the Mayor said maybe not but as a prime entertainment and tourist destination – that is something Manukau can definitely do
….
Source: White Water Rafting Will Always be a Bad Decision.
But as a tourist and educational destination the Wero project as it is known by it should garner the patronage towards it both nationally and internationally if this One News piece clip is anything to go by: http://tvnz.co.nz/othersports-news/40-million-white-water-rafting-course-already-attracting-attention-video-6191497
The Wero project website is here: http://wero.org.nz/
My thoughts on the project now and the potential it can have for Manukau and Southern Auckland as a whole:
Apologies it is in two parts today. The Command in Chief rang while I was recording the first one and it causes the phone to auto save before I can take the call. I can not resume a recording from such an auto save and I was not inclined to do it again. Again my apologies.
Talking Southern Auckland 