One Mahurangi – Hidden in plain sight

When was the last time you really explored Warkworth? I recently got out from behind the desk and visited just about every corner, nook and cranny of town, checking addresses, confirming who is where and generally having a good look at what is actually happening around Warkworth. This has reinforced for me just how much is happening across Warkworth, often away from the places most of us see every day.

It reminded me how easy it is, even when you live locally, to fall into the habit of going to the same places and using the same businesses. We all have our regular routes, favourite shops and familiar stops and sometimes that means we overlook what is sitting just around the corner.

The Grange is a real hive of activity and probably the best example of somewhere many of us drive past without really stopping to see what is there. It has quietly developed into a thriving Warkworth food hub, with a great mix of traditional favourites and international flavours with a lot more happening there than you might think from the road.

Head out towards Kowhai Falls, which has quickly become a very different part of Warkworth’s business landscape. In a relatively short space of time, it has attracted a string of well-loved national names that bring a scale and range of retailing that we simply didn’t have in Warkworth a few years ago.

The town centre has a very different feel again. It is full of local retailers, boutique shops, cafés and owner-operated businesses that give Warkworth a character of its own. These are the places where you often find something a bit different – a product, a service or simply a level of personal service you would not necessarily get from a bigger chain.

And take a drive through the Woodcocks Road industrial area and you start to appreciate just how much goes on there – trades, services, manufacturers and specialist businesses that many of us probably only discover when we suddenly need one of them.

One of the things this exercise has really brought home is how constantly Warkworth is changing. Businesses move, new ones open and others are tucked away in places that can easily be missed unless you have a reason to go looking.

We talk a lot about supporting local businesses, but there is a surprising amount happening beyond the places we pass every day. For me, spending time in all these different corners of town has been a reminder that Warkworth isn’t just the businesses we see on our usual route. There is a whole layer of activity tucked away in side streets, industrial areas and newer developments.

So, this spring, explore Warkworth. Take a different turn, walk down a different street, visit a different part of town, grab a coffee somewhere different or stick your head into a shop you have never visited before. Challenge yourself to go into one business you have not been into before. You might be surprised by what you find.
Shop local. Buy local. Support Warkworth.