| The sounds of the world What a pleasure it is to walk around town or sit in my office at the Warkworth Information Centre and hear so many different languages and accents back in town again. The tourists are coming back and they are shopping at a lot of the businesses in Warkworth. I had a lovely conversation this morning outside Mr Grind as I was waiting for my morning coffee with a group of American tourists who, when I asked what made them choose New Zealand to visit said, “lots of people in the US talk about how beautiful NZ is but more importantly how lovely the people are.” They had only been here a few days, but they still raved about how it was everything they expected. They loved what they called the vibe of Warkworth and how welcoming the local shops were. Hopefully, these friendly tourists are the first of many! Another thing that has made me feel good has been the following of the Black Ferns Women’s Rugby team by so many New Zealanders both male and female. I have thoroughly enjoyed watching their games and of course, there is a connection to our area through Ruhei Demant who went to Mahurangi College and is Co-Captain of the team. What a wonderful story she has! Christmas is just around the corner and not only is the Warkworth Santa Parade back, but folks have also started on their Christmas shopping! I had a conversation with Jim, one of our Warkworth Information Centre volunteers, we were talking about Shopping Local, and he made the comment that if you don’t shop local then there won’t be any more local. Something for us all to think about as we ramp up for our Christmas shopping this year. Shop local, support local, and love local this Christmas. We are stronger together and our love for this town makes it a place others from out of town want to visit and a community we can be proud of. Murray Chapman Manager, One Mahurangi Business Association murray@onemahurangi.co.nz www.onemahurangi.co.nz Support Local, Buy Local, Employ Local, Love Local! |
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