Dianne M

Not a happy camper

I recently visited the lovely Riverside Holiday Park with the intention of having a lovely few days away, but unfortunately this did not happen.

From the moment I erected my tent, a private resident decided that he did not want me in Whakatāne.

From across the back fence that afternoon, I was blasted with very loud music, which went on and on for quite some time.

Would have been okay if it was the sort of music that I liked. But no.

Then we had a little silence. Then it was time for the television to go up in volume for a couple of hours.

Then once again lovely silence, but at 10pm we had very loud music again until 11pm. Then all went quiet.

Bliss, I said, I can now get some sleep but oh no, that was not my luck.

The gentleman and his friend decided they would have a very loud conversation out on their patio until midnight. Then silence once again.

Lovely, at last some sleep, but oh no, that did not happen. I was past sleeping. Next day, lovely and quiet all day, but then what happened, 9pm came and we started all over again until 10.30pm.

Bliss. Silence. But again not my lucky night; 10 minutes later they decided they would have a very loud conversation out on their back patio area, where they also decided to play with the dog: thump, bang, thump, bang, once again until midnight.

If this is the way you like to treat visitors to your lovely town, then I will not be back in the near future.

If you do not want us to come back and spend money in your town, then I think you have a big problem.

To the gentleman concerned, I hope you read this and are proud of the treatment you dished out.

What you did was deliberate and to make it very uncomfortable for anyone staying at the park.

■ Whakatāne District Council manager properties and facilities assets Paul Check responds:

As a tourism destination, we recognise the importance of positive guest experiences and remain committed to providing a supportive environment for those staying at Riverside Holiday Park and exploring our district.

We were disappointed to learn that this guest did not have the experience she had hoped for during her time in Whakatāne. We understand her concerns related to noise from neighbouring private property rather than the holiday park itself.

Our teams responded by offering to relocate her to another site and to assist with moving her tent to ensure a more comfortable stay, and noise control contact details were provided, so concerns could be reported at the time.

A complaint was later received to noise control; however, it was made after the noise had ceased, which meant officers were unable to take further action. We regret that this situation impacted her visit and hope she may consider returning in the future to experience the warm welcome and hospitality our district is known for.