Tairua, on the Coromandel Peninsula. Photo: Leonard Powell
A week on from the Coromandel Peninsula's State Highway 25A reopening, business is booming in Tairua.
After slips washed away parts of SH25A earlier this year, many travellers bypassed the coastal town as they took different routes to other peninsula hotspots like Whitianga and Whangamatā.
But now that the key road is open again, people driving through are stopping at the local businesses.
Owner of Get It On Funky Fashion Maree Smith said she had to bring in extra staff today and recruit her husband.
"The town is pumping. It's phenomenal and it's life changing. All the eateries are full. There's no parking anywhere and we're not complaining about that. It's obvious the change that it's made. It's great."
She said she was making the most of people coming to town.
"We're doing extended hours. We were down here at 8 o'clock this morning and I'm hoping we'll get out of here around 6 o'clock tonight, but if the town's still busy, I will remain open.
Smith said today was the busiest day so far and she could not describe how it felt to see every business open again.
"The eateries are recording heavy bookings. In fact, if you want to come to town and eat out, phone ahead, which is exciting.
"We haven't seen anything like this all year, even with the school holidays and other public holidays.
"From the day that the road opened, we saw a big increase of traffic coming to town. People that I haven't seen in town since the beginning of the year. So literally people were hanging out for the 20th and started coming down."
Tairua Business Association co-chairperson Peter Hunt said people were back to stopping on their way through to Whitianga, Hahei and Cooks Beach.
"It's back to normal if not a little bit more than normal, actually, so it's very encouraging. I think this is just the start because it really starts to build up towards New Year where it gets crazy, but businesses love crazy, so that's all good news."
Both Hunt and Smith hoped the momentum continued.
Smith said: "I think the way Christmas has fallen this year, with people only having to take three days leave to get 11 days, they're going to make the most of it. So New Year's Eve is going to go off with a bang with our fireworks. There's some fishing competitions, there's golf competitions, and everybody's heading here to have some fun."
Hunt said people came from all around to go to the Tairua-Pauanui fireworks on New Year's Eve.
"We're looking forward to it with welcome mats out. We're hoping lots come and get back to the way that we were."
He said the SH25A reopening was a "wonderful Christmas present, so I feel incredibly blessed as the whole of Tairua does".
