To apply the surcharge or Not

Interesting comment from a guest this morning about being charged a surchrge at a local eatery for having a meal on boxing day and having to pay a 15% surcharge as well as his bill. He found it strange that there was not a price that was charged all year round. He was not saying don't cover you costs - he was merely saying include your one off holiday pricing in your everyday prices and then you would not have two sets of prices and having to tell contented patrons that they have to pay a surcharge (this put a little downer on the meal even though it was very good) - I think he has a valid point.

It's more than a little odd that some areas of business charge a surcharge and others don't/can't. Imagine what would happen if hotelliers/ motelliers had to tell guests that on certain days they would be paying a room rate plus a surcharge - it would not happen as guests would vote with their feet and either book somewhere where there was no surcharge or come on a different day

To me it is simpler to ammertize the additional costs across everyday pricing and have one price with everything included and it presents a more positive approach to clients.

Imagine if supermarkets, convenience stores, liquor stores etc all had the same policy of charging a surcharge on a certain day - no one shop in their stores on that day unless they were desparate as no one in their right mind wants to pay any more than they need to.

May be we should be looking at this from the customer's perception as untimately he has the final say.

For more information on Waihi Beach Lodge packages www.waihibeachlodge.co.nz/specials.html 

waihibeachinfo face book page

Waihi Beach now has its own facebook page - check out the link below and like it, plus share it with your friends.

www.facebook.com/pages/Waihi-Beach-Info/117301105053743?ref=ts&sk=wall

Merry Xmas one and all.

Charlie - the Information Caravan

Great to see the new information centre for Waihi Beach taking shape - what a great addition to Waihi Beach.

 Charlie will add real value by providing visitors accurate information covering where to stay, what to see and do and where to eat plus much more.

Located in Wilson Rd just in front of the Police station Charlie will be easy to find.

Special thanks to those locals who have contributed their time or their services to get Charlie up and running and to the WBOPDC and the Community Board for funding the fit out.

To find more information about Waihi Beach http://www.waihibeachlodge.co.nz/

Xmas comes to Waihi Beach

                                               

          

All around Waihi Beach Pohutukawa trees are starting to blossom and their colour is stunning - both crimson and yellow- telling us Xmas is not too far away.

Also there are decorated Xmas trees everywhere and there are homes with lots of lights outside that shine and flicker at night - all to celebrate Xmas. Some are set up to depict a Xmas scene while others are just patterned lights - but beautiful all the same.

For more images of Wiahi Beach www.waihibeachlodge.co.nz/photos.html

Bird call

Kowhai tree in bloom

Does anyone out there know anything about bird calls and indentifying birds.

For about 2 weeks we have had this bird around our place making a call we think to try and attract a partner to no avail.The call is somewhat tui like but definetely not what you normally hear from a tui. The bird itself looks like a tui from a distance - not having been able to get close and it sits in all the known tui habitats - norfolk pines, banksias etc.

The bird call itself is quite long with 6 or 7 notes and it is almost as if the bird has lost its mate and is deperately looking for it - my interpretation here.

Any help or ideas would be appreciated.

Photography competition for Waihi Beach

image Peter Levshin

We have all heard the saying "pictures say 1000 words" and we all know that having good photography enhances whatever we are trying to sell or promote immensley.

Shortly we will telling you about a photo competition for Waihi Beach - showcasing our little piece of paradise though images and video. Here is the chance for locals and visitors alike to take their image and show the community how they see Waihi Beach through their "photographic eye"

Watch this space for more details.

For more images of Waihi Beach check out  www.waihibeachlodge.co.nz/photos.html