By Emma Jolliff
Navigation warnings remain in place in the Bay of Plenty, with 58 containers from the Rena unaccounted for.
But as summer approaches, business owners fear the Rena will mean holidaymakers will choose to go elsewhere.
Charter boat operator and keen fisherman Roly Bagshaw says the Rena has not affected the quality of the fishing around Mount Maunganui.
“Beautiful, that's just a wonderful snapper and that's exactly the sort of fish the guys have been catching, it's nice and clean, there's no oiling, nice fresh gills,” says Mr Bagshaw, looking at a freshly caught fish.
He says where he is fishing the water is clean and clear and there is no debris.
However people's fears about the Rena are affecting business.
Philip Lindsey, who owns 20 Pacific apartments, says he has had daily calls from people enquiring about whether to cancel their holidays. Bookings for early summer are down 30 percent.
“I worry about the deep seated fear that's not only within the community here, but also the Waikato and Auckland people about just what is going on with fishing,” says Mr Lindsey.
“Usually we see a lot of people come down before the school holidays, before the busy season, they're just not enquiring at the moment and not turning up.”
300,000 holidaymakers usually come to this area in December and January. Tourism is a $450 million industry here.
It looked like summer had arrived today. Surfing, jet skiing, or playing. The Rena clearly was not deterring people from getting in the water.
Glenn Ormsby of Bay of Plenty Tourism hopes people will still come to the Bay.
“The way the beaches are being cleaned up, we're having new beaches open all the time.”
Estelle Layshon owns a kayaking business and is optimistic about the summer.
“It was very busy over Labour Weekend, we were very booked up, so it's a good positive sign.”
There's a 100 square kilometre exclusion zone around the Rena but outside that operators are keen to point out, it is business as usual.
“The fishing down here's better than we've probably had in the last five years,” says Mr Bagshaw.
And the proof, of course, is in the eating.
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