The Coastie is born!

By Dimitri Frost
Right, so here we are. The Coastie has become reality this week. Last week a small local Tutukaka Coast publication like the Coastie was still only an idea. Today I am finalizing the layout for issue two!

On the Tutukaka Coast we must be about 3-4000 people (if not more) living here permanently. During summer population numbers seem to grow significantly for a few weeks and Matapouri buzzes with holiday visitors and holiday home owning families.

The T-Coast is a bit of a home grown tourism secret as it's off the beaten track which follows the Highway 1 route through Whangarei to Cape Reinga. And so I still find people shaking their heads in disbelief when I say: "hey, if you are not visiting the Coast you are missing a true gem in NZ's treasure trove. Only the 2nd best most unspoiled coastline in the World ... with the LARGEST marine cave on the planet at the Poor Knight's Islands ... etc ... etc ...

Now about this Local Spirit

The Coastie (arguably New Zealand's smallest coastal printed newsletter) was conceived about 18 months ago - in my head and on my computer under a different name (we'll reveal that in due course, only if you ask nicely). And that's where it stayed - until someone else (hint: "roller disco" had a similar idea - as it so often happens, great minds think alike - I found an inkjet printed stripe of paper in my letterbox one day. There were some colourful adverts for local services on it, sorry I didn't keep it although I kept it in mind ... Nice idea, good try but no second edition (as far as I am aware of)

Now a couple of months ago Matt and I have a talk on the front lawn (yes, Matt does coastal lawn and garden care for local money) and this idea of a Tutukaka Coast newsletter comes up again. He had also seen the roller disco flyer in his letterbox. Both of us thought it would be great to give this idea some more oompf sometime.

That was just before Christmas 2011 and now it's January 2012 - Thanks to Jon, owner of Jonzone Creations Whangarei the first 950 Coastie Newsletters, issue #1 got printed and about 950 of them were distributed, at least 750 got into RD3 Tutukaka Coast letterboxes. The remainder went to the local shops and cafes.

Thanks to avid local Tutukaka Business enterpreneurs buying adverts, Issue #2 is going to print tomorrow (double the size) and is due out in Tutukaka Coast letterboxes mid next week. We are mail dropping to Glenbervie, Ngunguru, Tutukaka and Matapouri areas.

And ... we are doing it in  co l o u r !

Good luck to us T-Coast locals. Feedback about The Coastie #1 has been fabulous.
So let's hang in there for long enough to see this concept grow some wings and  F L Y !

To be continued ...

PS: Matt had The Coastie #1 delivered to his letterbox on Matapouri Rd on Thursday. The next morning at 8:10 a lady called him saying - "I got your details from The Coastie, would you be able to come do my lawns for me?" :-)

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