Within 3 weeks of the first section of the reef installed, there were all kinds of marine life living on and around it. However the reef cost almost double over there, and the quality of the waves was not a grade 5. Perhaps for a few days every six months the waves were good. However the beach was good to and not so crowded.

I also went to Taranaki where there is another reef by ASR, but it was still being built when I left.

Good luck to them, I am living in the New Forest now and if the reef works out ok, I will buy a house down there!

There are only three alternatives, they will, they sort of did and they didn’t.

I am sure it will not be number one as utopia as a part of euphoria.

Euphoria which has a lot to do with driving these things is rarely connected with a perfect outcome. So the reality of the other two is what has to be accepted now.

The designers have warned already that people should lower their expectations to what can be expected. The reef “does not make waves” nor do they the good weather and visibility circumstances that are needed for a wave that can be ridden to be “as promised”.

In Mt Manganui the photographs from a successful combination of those circumstances on a day or so has been used as the basis for claiming success.

The reality is that the backlash should be anticipated – but that may not matter so much as the rebirth of some self confidence and self esteem of the folk in that area may alone have been enough to justify the exercise.

Time will tell if a wave generating machine off the reef will be required in the summer months. The builders have already hinted in that direction by saying the reef “does not make waves. ”

If they are as astute and aware as they would have us believe they have in their sights a wave generating machine being developed on a secret lake in Switzerland that will “make waves”.

It could be that another three million pounds will more than justify itself to “make waves”. If the momentum can be sustained by this it will be a mater of straight cost/benefit that they may also have to supply on a cost/wave generated basis.

I hope the governance have got their pencils sharp as to make money one must spend. The amount spent so far seems to been well justified in the benefits the area has already seen. Now the issue of the reef “not making waves ” should be recognized as the biggest weakness and threat in the sustaining and further growth of those benefits.

Some of the civilized amongst us hope that the Opanake and Manganui experience is not suffered by any one else as we would not even wish that upon our worst enemies.

Break the piggy banks and best of kiwi luck