Mr and Mrs Beiboer, who took over the holiday park in May last year, have loved their first year in the Waitaki Valley town.
"[It’s] just the kindness of most people, especially if they’re regular people, just the kindness and everyone’s willing to help," Mr Beiboer said.
Since taking over the holiday park, which can cater for 500 people, they have started to make their mark.
At present, they were upgrading the park’s playground, as the previous one was about 40 years old, and a new fence was being installed, Mr Beiboer said.
Originally from the Netherlands, Mr Beiboer studied tourism and has a background in the industry, having worked at a 6000-person holiday park in his homeland.
In 2016, he moved to New Zealand, after previously doing a tourism internship in Australia, and worked at hostels in Mount Maunganui and Tauranga.
When he met his future wife, she was finishing an arts degree in Hamilton and working as a swimming teacher. Later, they moved to Matamata, where she worked as a police officer.
Wanting to be closer to Mrs Beiboer’s family, who live in Alexandra, the couple saw the Omarama Top 10 Holiday Park as a good investment.
Their customers ranged from families and cyclists using the Alps 2 Ocean Cycle Trail, to boaties and fishermen, Mr Beiboer said.
He had always loved interacting and talking to people — and that had not changed at the holiday park.
"We are both loving our new home in Omarama," he said.
"Coming from the Waikato, where everything’s wet and cold and icy, and humid in the summer, everything here is nice and dry.
"We both love it over here. It’s a small community and we love the weather," he said.
