Rave number two: The Bay Hopper Bus Service :) Jan 28 2010

What a fantastic service this is for the Tauranga region; bus routes all over Tauranga, the Mount and Papamoa, reasonable fares, friendly and helpful drivers- these bright yellow buses all over town make me smile whenever I see them :)

www.baylinebus.co.nz/buses.html

Rave number one for 2010: Rialto Cinema :) Jan 27 2010

Now this is a place that Tauranga can be proud of! A stylish, well designed movie theater with fantastic movies, comfy seats, friendly staff, delicious coffee's and icecreams, and a huge variety of screening times to suit everyone. A while ago I rang and was able to book tickets without even paying for them until I get there to pick them up- now that's a great service!

www.rialtotauranga.co.nz/now-playing

Rant Number two 2010: shop assistants on their computers :( Jan 27 2010

I am getting rather sick of walking into shops and not even getting a hello as the sales assistants tap away on their computers, heads down, not even looking up when I walk into the shop. A simple greeting is all I ask! This is not the case of all shops in Tauranga but it certainly happens a lot more than I would like. Why some people go into retail is beyond me!

Rant number one for 2010: Creative Tauranga's Window Displays :( Jan 27 2010

Has anyone else noticed the utterly boring and unimaginative window displays at "Creative Tauranga" on Willow St? This is meant to be a place of creativity for the Tauranga region- in fact on their website they state that they are "inspiring creativity in Tauranga Moana" and that their purpose is "to empower and encourage participation in creativity; be that as an artist or audience."

Every time I walk past I think 'surely one day there will be an interesting/ inspiring/ creative/ artistic display to look at'. I mean, their long term aim (from their website) is to

"build a vibrant, diverse, healthy and unique community by providing the essential creative input into the planning and infrastructure of our city and environment"

They are situated on a reasonably busy corner in Tauranga city with 6 huge windows for displays/advertising. Well, guess what is in their windows at present..

Window number one..... some Wall Planners...yes wall planners!! admittedly they are fundraising ones but still.....do they really need to use a whole window to display them...wall planners rolled up and stapled on the display wall with assorted rubber bands dropped on the floor underneath the window. If the people working there cannot even be bothered picking up the rubber bands of their dreary display then I would hardly rely on them to provide any creative input for any idea or project of mine!!

Window number two is an advertising display for the Cargo Shed Creative Market-a great market close to the city but advertised by Creative Tauranga using a boring sign surrounded by eight of exactly the same flyers. There is a shelf at the bottom crying out for something- I mean has no-one thought of putting a few of the craft products from the market to showcase what can be found there???!!!! If I had seen it for the first time today I would have just thought that they hadn't finished but no, that seems to be the limit of creativity for that window display...!

The other four windows are a variety of more boring flyers- this one for a photography course which sounds fantastic but surely could have had a bit more imagination for the display than this...!!!!

yes that is the display..in that huge window....three flyers with exactly the same information stapled up.....

One window does have a red backdrop and a couple of props though (they must have really pushed the boat out that day) and the other 2 are mildly interesting but still for Tauranga's creative hub I would really expect something better than this.

PS: I walked in there twice today and found it an absolutely soulless place, no staff on the counter, one staff member tapping away on a computer through a window partition behind the counter, no greeting or an offer of help.... the computer was obviously far more important than someone wanting to find out about what Creative Tauranga actually does for our community...

I am a huge fan of the arts community in Tauranga and this post is not an attack on the actual Creative Tauranga Trust, just a feeling of disappointment that a place occupying such a prominent position in Tauranga could be so utterly boring and the complete opposite of creative!

Rants and raves for Tauranga 2010 begins!

As a local for a few years now there are quite a few things about Tauranga that really get me raving and there are others that get me.....yep, ranting about! So I thought I'd start a bit of an online journal describing my experiences with shops, restaurants, service providers and all manner of other things in and around Tauranga and Mount Maunganui. Already there are a few places that come straight to mind when I think of great places to shop, eat and relax and there are others where I just shake my head and wonder......

so keep checking in to see where I've been!