Motueka i-SITE information centre
Motueka i-SITE is the official tourist information centre for the Abel Tasman National Park and Tasman district, including Motueka, Marahau, Kaiteriteri, Mapua and the Moutere. Its main purpose is to provide information for tourists to our area, principally for accommodation and tourism activities and experiences, but also for Motueka people and, in particular, newcomers to the town.
i-SITE is located prominently in Wallace Street, just off High Street and beside the Decks Reserve carpark and field. There are many signs on the main streets into Motueka indicating its location with the usual "i" sign.
Contact us:
Email: www.motuekaisite.co.nz
Phone:
Information for Motueka people
Frequent requests for detailed information about Motueka by visitors planning to move and live there prompted Motueka i-SITE to develop an information package providing basic facts of life in the area.
A bumper year over the 2008-9 season, and the frequency of visits by locals seeking information, led senior consultant Hayden Wallace (pictured, right) to assemble the pack as a free handout that is also saving time for i-SITE staff who often have to field similar information requests many times over.
The pack Hayden assembled late last year includes some maps of the region and information about newcomers' networks, but most importantly it has an extensive list of contact details for vital services that newcomers really need, such as playschools, schools, doctors, dentists, churches, and lawyers.
"These are all the sorts of things you need to know to help you get sorted out when you're moving to a new town," says Hayden. "It's been delightful seeing the relief on the faces of some newcomers who are flat out trying to get things sorted out and they get this information all in one handful. And it makes it so much easier for us (the staff) to have it all available in one place."
Although i-SITE is commonly seen as a resource mainly for tourists, in fact about one in five people seen at the counter or phoning in is a local asking for information. "We've had some delightful queries. One person had lost a cake recipe and wanted to know what temperature to bake it at. Another wanted to know how to spell 'cicadas'," says Hayden. More often, though, it's been Motueka people asking for important phone numbers, or who want to know when and where the buses run.
i-SITE manager Lois Walker sees her company's role as fulfilling community needs as much as paying its way through tourism transactions.
"The more efficiently we can help tourists to have a problem-free stay, the better it is for the locals to accommodate and organise around them," she says. "For locals, we fill in all the information gaps as best we can. In some ways, we're the heart of the community."
i-SITE is now working with Keep Motueka Beautiful and some other community groups, which includes some financial support.
