Montville & Mapleton
Dennis McKenna
How long have you lived in Mapleton for?
I have lived here coming up to a year now.
How did you come to live in Mapleton?
I moved to Mapleton because my work is at one of the hospitals here, so I wanted to live closer to my work.
What do you love about living in Mapleton?
I’m originally from out West. So I find it really green here, it’s cool, there’s an air current always coming through because you’re higher up – so you don’t have the humidity. And because I’m a country boy, it’s a country town (besides when tourists are here!)
What’s your favourite spot or hidden gem in Mapleton?
I can’t say I have one, I love it all, I just love the hinterland, not so much the coastal strip, but the country area.
Is there anything that you’d change about the area?
I would like to see better opening hours for our local businesses.
Often a lot of locals will be walking around town trying to find businesses that are open during the week. I’ve even had people coming up to me asking why there aren’t more businesses open in town.
Businesses here seem to close down on a Monday after the busy weekends. But I completely understand that businesses owners need time off too.
However, I think the local council could incentivise businesses to extend their opening hours, but not at an extra cost to the businesses.
What’s something that outsiders should, but may not know, about Mapleton?
Tourists should respect the locals that live here, just because you’re on holidays, you can’t let
go of your own standards, and to be more considerate to people.
