Boulders installed in place of six car parks as part of an Ōpōtiki town centre revitalisation project are on the move after years of complaints.

Now reinstated, the parking spaces had been well-used since their return to Church St on Tuesday, Ōpōtiki Four Square owner Lance Paltridge said.

“Since they put the parking spaces in, all the time I have been there, the parks have been utilised.

“It just goes to show that they were needed. It’s good to see that the council have listened to people.”

The new parking spaces were intended to be for 15 minutes only.

Ōpōtiki District Council removed the parking spaces two years ago as part of a town centre revitalisation project.

The Church St improvements included a raised hump with a paving stone surface to slow traffic.

Ten large boulders were placed where six parking spaces had been, to act as bollards.

While some people appreciated the safer, more accessible and aesthetically pleasing town centre, the boulders have been the subject of much complaint in the community, including from shop owners whose customers use the parks.

Paltridge commented that several people were parking on the footpaths rather than using the carpark behind the shops, just a minute or two away, particularly during wet weather.

The council has now removed the rocks from the eastern side of the road.

They will be repurposed for the jetty extension project, where bollards are needed to prevent vehicles from driving onto the wharf.

The five rocks on the other side of the road, in front of the public toilets, are being repositioned to create more parking space.

New 15-minute parking signs have replaced the large boulders on Church St. Photo / Rufus Dempsey

The council said the boulders were designed to be removable.

“While some have come to appreciate the Church St boulders for both their appearance and their purpose, they were intentionally not permanently fixed in place so their effectiveness and community feedback could be assessed over time.

“Council continues to welcome feedback as we turn our attention to future town revitalisation work through the upcoming Long-Term Plan. Once we hit the consultation phase in early 2027, we will share the details of that with the community.”

Mayor David Moore said Ōpōtiki did not have an issue with a lack of parking. However, in the long term, it needed more mobility parking.

“Especially outside the toilets and for people who are genuinely wanting to just access the money machines.

“There is a lot more mobility parking already than a lot of people realise, but more is always better.”

LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.