Colville Road is open while work progresses on Tapu-Coroglen
Published on 14 March 2023
Photo: The damage to Tapu-Coroglen Road means it's closed at that point. See an update on work so far to reopen the road below.
Colville Road is now open to all traffic along its entire length but be mindful of traffic management still in place while work to clear remaining slips and hazards is carried out.
This means that the many campgrounds and lodges in this part of our district are once again easily accessible via State Highway 25 along the Thames Coast to Coromandel Town and then north on Colville Rd.
Here are some, from south to north:
Tapu-Coroglen Road
A slip has closed the Tapu-Coroglen Rd at approximately 10km from Tapu, but the businesses on either side of the slip continue to operate.
The road is bookended by two famous taverns, Tapu’s Royal Oak Hotel and the Coroglen Tavern. In between, there is:
West of the slip
East of the slip
February spending data reflects dire economic impact of Cyclone Gabrielle
There was a 39.9 per cent decline in visitor spending for the month of February, compared to the same time last year, revealing the significant impact the extreme weather has had to the Coromandel
This is sobering stuff as February is normally one of the months where we experience the highest spending, largely due to visitors to the district.
Breaking it down by areas that are covered by our Destination Management Organisation, Destination Hauraki-Coromandel, the spots that saw the worst decline in visitor spend were Tairua (48.2 per cent decline), Whitianga (47.7 per cent decline), Northern Mercury Bay (Kūaotunu, Matarangi, Whangapoua) (47.6 per cent decline) and Coromandel-Colville (46.3 per cent decline).
The bad weather meant the Coromandel didn’t even make the top 10 visitor destinations for the month of February, which is unprecedented.
“This data is no surprise, but gives us some real evidence of how hard the weather has impacted our local businesses,” says our Mayor Len Salt. “While we are processing applications to our Business Assistance Fund, we know there will be a need for ongoing financial assistance to some sectors as we move into the winter season, which is when our visitor numbers historically decline.”
Spending data is collected by an independent consumer spending strategy company MarketView, using transactions records of debit and credit cards (with all personal information removed).