It was half an idea that didn't quite take off – the proposed water taxi to Tauranga from the Omokoroa Peninsula.

The idea was the brainchild of local ferryman Glen Proctor.

'We kicked it around, but it didn't come to anything,” he says.

The proposed Omokoroa-to-Tauranga water taxi was seen as a possible solution to traffic congestion on State Highway 2.

'But since the Te Puna roundabout went in, the traffic has eased,” says Glen. 'It's flowing much better, so we didn't worry about a water taxi too much.”

Local residents were quite keen on the idea of a service between the Omokoroa Boat Club and The Strand until they found out how much it was going to cost.

'They decided it would be much better to sit in the traffic and wait like everyone else,” says Glen.

It also looked like there would be passengers some days and not others. That wouldn't have worked, according to Glen. 'We decided not to go there.”

Glen operates the barge to Matakana. 'We have more than enough work on the barge to keep us going – we are going seven days a week, so we don't need to go chasing more work with a water taxi. 'Everything is good.”

For now, at least, the idea of a water taxi from Omokoroa to Tauranga has slipped quietly beneath the waves.