The magic of Mangatainoka

The tiny village of Mangatainoka, just a few miles south of Woodville, is a mecca for good keen Kiwi blokes who enjoy a beer or two.  Robin, Peter, and Geoff were over the moon at the prospect of a tour through the Tui Brewery factory with the promise of a tasting or two while we were staying in the area,    We drove in to the world famous (in New Zealand anyway) Tui Headquarters to join in with the afternoon tour.  There is a new sign on the hill looking down on the factory.  We were now in Tuiwood.

Robin went to purchase our tour tickets while I looked around the gift shop.  There was a good range of branded merchandise for sale, from clothing, beer glasses, tea towels, nick nacks and for the out doorsy people, how about a new pair of gum boots decorated with the Tui beer logo to keep your feet dry?

Robin buying the tour tickets

Now we have the tickets, we were all ready to go.

The afternoon tour group gathered and we were all issued with a bright yellow vest to wear, for safety reasons.  The tour guide gave us all a potted history of how it all started, and how the business has changed over the years.

Ready for the tour

Henry Wagstaff opened the Tui brewery at Mangatainoka in 1889.  Legend tells that he stopped and made a cup of tea on the banks of the Mangatainoka River, and found that the water made the best cuppa he had ever tasted.  This was the ideal place to start his brewery, he decided.  The aim was to supply export quality brews to beer drinkers around the colony.  In 1903 he sold it to Henry Cowan, who developed the prize-winning East India Pale Ale. As the factory expanded, a seven-storey brew tower was built in 1931, so brewers could use gravity to turn malt into beer. For some reason, the builders forgot to put in any stairs and a lift on the outside later rectified the problem.  This tower is the icon of Tui beer and Mangatainoka.

The Tui tower

Our tour guide led the way into the factory and explained each process to us.  Three master brewers work at this busy factory.  Our guide told us that they have the best jobs in the world, as they taste beer all day!  We were not allowed to take photos at the start of the tour, but she gave me permission, before the rest of the group arrived, to take a quick snap of this sign.  Guess I didn’t look too much like an industrial spy, and to tell the truth, I’m not even a beer drinker.

The Tui car, featuring the distinctive orange paint job, is used for promotional appearances.  There is nothing that says “ a kiwi bloke’s car” more than a station-wagon from this era.

The Tui Beer car

Once through into the bottling plant we climbed up onto the walkway over the pasteurising machine.  Cameras were allowed in this part of the factory and the flashlights were going off as we looked over the never ending conveyor belt of bottles.  Peter remarked that the heady smell of hops and warm beer was almost too much for him!

 
Cartons of beer were placed on pallets and shrink wrapped, and two forklifts darted quickly about moving stock to the correct places.  Friday was a good day to take the tour, we were told, as this is the day the bottling is done.

After the tour we assembled in the bar and the men cashed in their tickets for a free glass of beer.  Robin said he would be ashamed to ask at the bar if I could use my ticket for a cup of coffee, so I compromised and had a shandy instead.  The brewery is named after our native tui, and this beautiful painting hangs in the cafe/bar area.