The problem was, when people outside of the peninsula heard that the road to the Coromandel was closed, they thought that meant the road to Coromandel town too, says Jan.”We had all manner of people cancelling bookings for accommodation, whereas in fact, the town was open and traffic was being diverted through the town to get to the east coast.”Jan would like to see greater differentiation between the Coromandel peninsula and Coromandel town. We were left with no one coming into town.”The absence of the ferry service from downtown Auckland has also had a huge impact on Coromandel town, she says. “We were the gateway to the east coast.”Ferry company Fullers 360 suspended its Coromandel service in the summer of 2020 due to the effects of Covid-19. The company is eager to get the ferry service back up and running, but there is no quick fix for the skills shortage, he says. One of the reasons the business group was started was to advocate for the return of the ferry service, says Jen.

Source: Stuff January 06, 2024 17:53 UTC