Friday Shoot Out - My town's premier attraction

S 35°43.474 . E 174°19.599

When I enquired at the Tourist Information Centre what was this town's premier attraction, the general consensus was that it was the Town Basin. That surprised me, I had expected to hear "the beaches". But I'm happy enough to go along with those who should know.

So, come park your boat in the Town Basin Marina in Whangarie Harbour, it's handy to the city centre and right alongside some lovely quayside restaurants and cafes.

Revas, the closest restaurant to the boats, is something of a Whangarei icon and a destination in itself. The first Revas opened in 1976 and I seem to recall it was the first BYO (bring your own) restaurant in Whangarei in the late 70s. In 1995, when the Town Basin was developed, Revas was the first restaurant along the waterfront.

Now "See you at Reva's" is the farewell call of yachties across the Pacific.

There are other restaurants along the waterfront:

and several cafes where you can sit and enjoy a beer or coffee:

There are places where you can have a picnic:

and plenty of places to stroll with an icecream:

and boats:

lots of boats from all over the world:

Loiter awhile and you become aware of the sense of community amongst the yachties as they go about their daily chores:

and the characters among the boating community:

(sorry I cut the man's head off but I was concentrating on the dog)

She is obviously the queen of the Town Basin.

Thanks to Kent from Montana for this week's theme. I'm looking forward to visiting lots of towns worldwide to see their premier attractions. You can, too, by following the link under My Favourites on the side bar.

So that's the premier attraction according to the Tourist Centre but I still think if you come here in summer you will be visiting one of our many wonderful beaches. I noticed the first pohutukawa bloom this week, soon they will be an added feature to the coastline as they fringe many beaches.

I feel I just have to add a couple of beaches that are just a short drive from the Town Basin:

This one has boat access only but you can walk to it as well. It's called Smuggler's Cove - a beach with a past.

Ocean Beach can usually be relied upon for good surf. So long as the swell is not too rough there can also be good swimming and children can frolic in the little stream. Or you can walk for miles without seeing many people.

If I were showing a visitor around my area I could skip the Town Basin if we didn't have much time but I could never skip the beaches.