OUR VIEW: Unique tourist options needed | Bay of Plenty News | Local News in Bay of Plenty

The first of the season's cruise ships arrived at the Port of Tauranga this week and a sudden influx of tourists could be seen on our streets, enjoying the fine weather, wandering the beautiful beaches and waterfront, and strolling around the shopping centres of Tauranga and Mount Maunganui.

Our city has much to offer visitors but one aspect is not immediately accessible to our guests: A sense of the rich history and culture of the place. What will they experience in Tauranga that is unique and memorable?

For an understanding of the Maori culture which makes New Zealand unique, most will travel to Rotorua where that tourism niche is well developed.

In Tauranga, we do not even offer a museum in which our past can be explored. This means a tourist's appreciation of our city and our region is likely to be limited to the entirely superficial: Sea, sand and shops. All very attractive but with little to distinguish it from other pretty seaside towns the world over.

Suggestions that the new Mount Hot Pools complex could include a cultural visitor centre, in conjunction with local iwi, have enormous potential to bridge part of that huge gap in our tourism offering.

So does the proposed project we reveal on page one today - a truly indigenous visitor experience in which guests will hear the legends and stories of the land, be guided around an archaeological site and take in stunning views together with commentary that will bring the place to life for them.

Travelling the world, it is this type of experience which leaves an indelible memory - a feeling that one has understood and appreciated a little of somebody else's country.

The opportunity for meaningful jobs and Maori economic development is exciting.

Let's hope that those with the vision for this project will be able to see it through to success.

Then all the city will need will be a museum.

- Laura Franklin, editor