Next Stop – Rotorua

We said goodbye to Welcome Bay and drove down Pyes  Pa Road down SH36, on the way to our next stop, Rotorua.  Lot's of ups and downs and  sharp corners as we drove through rural countryside.  This part of our trip in Rotorua is to celebrate our 40th Anniversary - way back then we had our honeymoon at Rotorua.  Goodness, where have all those years gone?  Where else to stay than the NZMCA Park at Ngongotaha.  

The  name is derived from a legend of Ihenga, the famous Māori explorer. It is said Īhenga met the Patu-paiarehe on Mount Ngongotahā and was offered a drink from a calabash. Ngongo means "to drink", and tahā means "calabash". Ngongotahā is often referred to by locals as the "Sunny side of the Mountain".

We arrived on Thursday, and the weather was sunny and warm, so warm that jumpers were divested, as were socks and shoes, in favour of sandals.  Once settled, we went to town to make a booking or two.  After all, this is our 40th Anniversary Trip and we plan to celebrate in style.  The I-Site Visitor Information Centre is housed in a wonderful building, opened in 1914 as a Post Office.  It consisted of two floors and a tower with rough cast cement plaster exterior and Tudor-style decorative timbering. The building incorporates a memorial town clock in honour of Premier Richard John Seddon, the longest-standing Prime Minister of New Zealand, who died in 1906. The clock still functions to this day.  While there, we booked an Anniversary Dinner for Sunday evening, more about that later.

Tudor style buildings, with the I-Site on the right

The rain came down overnight, and it rained heavily all day on Friday.  That meant a change of plans, much too wet to do anything outdoorsy.  So we  decided to go on a drive to Lake Rotoiti – rain or not.  Needless to say it rained, and rained, and we stopped at the end of the lake for some photos.

Lake Rotoiti

We spotted a black swan at the edge of the lake with her  brood of fluffy grey cygnets.  Mother was not at all pleased with this intrusion when we stopped to take a photo.

Mother and babies

Just a little further up the road was Hongi’s Track.  In 1823  the famous Ngapuhi warrior, Hongi, and his warriors hauled his canoes overland from Lake Rotoehu to Lake Rotoiti in order to perform a surprise raid on the Arawa people on Mokoia Island, Lake Rotorua.

Hongi Hika

There is also a plaque to Hinehopu’s tree.  When Hongi Hika and his warriors carried their war canoe past here, Hinetamairu and the young chieftainess Hinehopu, heard about the oncoming war party and hid within the tree. The tree that kept Hinehopu safe is now known as the Wishing Tree, and is still standing today. 

The story of Hinehopu’s Tree

Driving back to town through even more rain, we stopped for lunch at the Rotorua pub in my book, the Great Kiwi Pub Crawl.  Its been a while since we have checked out one of these pubs.

THis book travels with us in the caravan

The building was opened in 1940 and served as Rotorua’s Police Station until 1969.  with exterior walls 18 inches thick, it was constructed of concrete, reinforcing steel and covered with many thousands of bricks.    “Pig and Whistle”  has been around since 1993, and is a trendy bar and restaurant. There's the old police building behind that huge tree.

Pig and Whistle

We were welcomed by a friendly staff member when we stepped inside and shown to a table for lunch.  Mmm, what to have?  The weather was cold so I enjoyed Seafood Chowder, and Robin ordered pizza.  That was so big that half of it was packed up and came home with us.  The owner of the establishment signed my Pub Crawl book for me, that’s another one crossed off the list.

There was one more thing to do before e headed back to camp.  We spent our two week honeymoon here in Rotorua way back in 1983 at what was known as Post Office Cottages, in reality, a series of flats.  Robin worked at the Post Office at the time and this holiday accommodation was available to staff members at a very reasonable price.  He could remember what street they were in, but after driving up and down, we just couldn't find them.  Mind you, the flats weren't new 40 years ago, so we imagine they had been demolished and something else built on the site.  Never mind, it was worth a try.  Back at camp, the rain was still falling.  We do hope the weather clears up very soon. 

Ted’s Bottle and Waimate

I was looking forward to our next stop after Dunedin -  Waimate, which was 159km up SH1. The first glimpse that we were getting closer was the yellow shed on the main road featuring a wallaby and  encouraging us to “Hop in for a Visit".   Wallabies? You may well ask, this is New Zealand, not Australia. Wallabies were released for hunting purposes near Waimate in 1874. Fifty years later, they were recognised as a pest, responsible for destroying pasture, native regeneration, damaging fences and displacing stock. Although tens of thousands have been shot, unfortunately it has  made little dent in the population.  They may be cute and furry, but they are an introduced species and are not welcome.

Hop in for a Visit

We stayed overnight at the Waimate NZMCA Park, a lovely camp which we had visited before.  It was nice to park up on grass, and water and rubbish facilities were available.

Waimate NZMCA Park

The reason I was so keen to stop at Waimate was to visit one of the pubs in my “Great Kiwi Pub Crawl” book, and check out the sad story of Ted’s Bottle at the Waihao Forks Hotel. 

Ted d’Auvergne was having a farewell drink or two with his mates at the pub, waiting for the train to take him to Burnham Military Camp for training before heading off to war.  Ted heard the train coming, and left an unopened bottle of beer on the bar, calling to the publican to “save it until I get back”.  Ted served for two years in the Middle East, was transferred to Greece, and was killed in May 1941 in the Battle of Crete.  The publican saved Ted’s bottle of Ballins XXXX beer, and it is now stored in a case above the bar, engraved with Ted’s battalion insignia.  Each April on Anzac Day, another poppy is placed inside the case, and the locals drink to Ted and all his fallen comrades.  There is a statue of Ted outside the pub, showing him waiting with his kit bag at the station.

At the Waihao Forks Hotel

We stopped to admire the Silo Art back in town.  Waimate artist Bill Scott painted murals on grain silos at Transport Waimate’s Queen Street yard.  The silos were built by hand in 1920 nd were the first of their kind in the country.  Hometown hero  WW11 soldier Eric Batchelor was twice awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal for conspicuous bravery when he served in Italy.  Beside him is Margaret Cruikshank, the first registered woman doctor in New Zealand.  She practiced in Waimate from 1897 until she fell victim to the 1918 influenza pandemic while treating patients. The artist then recreated a scene between New Zealand's 29th Prime Minister, Waimate born  Norman Kirk together with a child at Waitangi.

Silo art in Waimate

There is yet another thing Waimate is well known for and that is the White Horse monument high up on the hill at Centrewood Park overlooking the town and farmlands.  Retired farmer Norman Hayman returned home from an European holiday inspired by a Friesian Cow statue in Holland and decided the hard working Clydesdale horse deserved a tribute too.  It took Norman and his wife Betty three months to prepare the ground and lay 1220 concrete slabs, with a huge 2.5 ton precast head.  For a small town, Waimate certainly has a lot to offer visitors. 

Seen high on the hill from the camp

The Great Kiwi Pub Crawl–Pub no 7

The Sprig and Fern, Milton Street, Nelson, is certainly a pub with a difference.  In fact, it doesn’t look like a pub at all – the business is run from a converted villa amongst others of the same vintage in an older part of Nelson.   Small groups were chatting over a beer or two on the front verandah – it all looked very friendly.

Sprig and Fern Tavern

There are now six independently owned Sprig and Fern Taverns in the Nelson region, and another two in Wellington, so they must be on to a winning formula, selling their own craft beers and ciders.  None of the taverns have TV, pokie machines or pool tables.  Their aim is to offer a welcoming atmosphere, with plenty of areas to relax and unwind.

Owner Tracy Banner spent twelve years as head brewer at McCashin’s Brewery in Nelson, then two years as brewery manager at Speight’s Brewery, Dunedin.  Next, as head brewer of Sprig and Fern Brewery in Nelson, and Tracy and her husband became publicans at this lovely little pub in Milton Street.

One thing which makes this pub a little different is the “Shout Board” where customers can pay for a beer for a mate to collect later at their leisure.

Shout Board – buy your mate a beer

We were there in mid afternoon – just in time for a coffee for me.  Robin tried an East Coast IPA craft beer, and was rather pleased with his choice.  We sat outside on the deck, watching the world go by.

Out on the deck

Milton Street - the view from the deck

I’m sure the neighbours don’t really mind this little pub in their midst.  There was no noisy boozy talking amongst the groups of men, all the customers were chatting quietly amongst themselves.  People were coming and going, drinking beer, and eating snacks, and it was all very civilized indeed.  It was rather like sitting on your own deck at home with friends, I thought.

The Great Kiwi Pub Crawl – Pub no 6

Today we visited the most northern pub in the South Island, as featured in our book, “The Great Kiwi Pub Crawl”.   The sign, attached to an old tree truck, showed us the way to the carpark.

Mussel Inn at Onekaka, Golden Bay, is not an old pub, by any means, and was built in 1992.    But it has an older, almost hippy feel to it.  Perhaps it is the fact that this timber built pub has a large verandah.  Timber plays a big part in this pub, as all the table tops, large and small,  have been created from a single tree.  Surrounded by native bush, and shaded by colorful sails, the outside seating area was very inviting indeed on a hot sunny day.  And would be rather nice on sultry evenings when the musicians come to perform, I would imagine.

Inside was more timber and rustic decorations.  The pub was built by Andrew and Jane Dixon, who after building wooden cabins for sale, decided to have a career change and build their own pub.  It is said than on the opening day back in 1992, there was a queue of locals waiting at the door, and business is still booming.  There are a row of hooks above the bar for the local’s beer mugs.  Apparently, this number is finite, and the only way for a new comer to get his own beer mug hanging is to be left one in a will from a friend or family member!

We were there for lunch, and a steady stream of customers had the same idea.  Robin chose a beef and black beer pie, and I tried the mussel chowder (with garlic bread).  Yes, I know I’ve confessed that I’m not really a fan of mussels, but dining at a place with a name like the Mussel Inn, I decided to try the chowder – very tasty as it turned out.  The pub brews it’s own beer, cider, lemonade and ginger beer.  Robin ordered a Pale Whale, and I had a glass of lemonade.  Finishing up with coffee and carrot cake, so yummy.

Beef and black beer pie, and mussel chowder

The bathrooms are different too, with composting toilets and the inside walls covered with colourful posters, and on one side, rows and rows of their own beer stickers.  I didn’t think you really needed to see the toilet, but the walls are worth admiring.

Inside the loo

It seems the owners have a bit of a thing about cell phones.  Perhaps they don’t like the sort of customers who talk loudly on their phones when they should be having a quiet beer with their friends.  There is a big pole festooned with cell phones – perhaps warning those who can’t live without them that they could be snatched away and dealt with? 

.

And for those repeat offenders, there are some more cell phones nailed above the door

Owner Jane Dixon came to chat with us, and kindly wrote a message in our book.  This was a lovely, warm, friendly pub, with great food, and we are so pleased we called.

The Great Kiwi Pub Crawl–Pub No 5

Another day, another pub in our book to visit.  The Wedderburn Tavern was on our route from Omakau to Ranfurly, so the driver was persuaded to stop and call in for a coffee.  It would be rude not to call in, don’t you think, especially as it was right on our way.

Wedderburn Tavern

Previously called the Crown Hotel, it served as a coaching stop for travelers, and served liquor to the local farm workers, coal miners and gold prospectors.   The exterior of the hotel has now been taken back to the original local schist, and the interior glows with the patina of aged timber.    

                                                                            

Formerly the Crown Hotel

The railway came to town in 1890, carrying logs, sheep and coal, and became the lifeblood of the area.  But it wasn’t to last with passenger services ending in 1976, and the goods trains finally stopping in 1990.  But the opening of the Otago Central Rail Trail in 2000 now brings in about 10,000 people a year through Wedderburn and other local pubs,  with many of them calling in for coffee, meals and accommodation,keeping them all in business.  A group having lunch told us that they were riding their horses along part of the rail trail, so that sounded like fun.  Although the shingle track was rather hard on the horses' hooves, they remarked.

The friendly staff member made our coffees, signed our book, and then invited us to stand behind the bar to have our photo taken. 

The big green goods shed just along the road is just as famous as the pub as it features in one of Grahame Sydney’s paintings.

The Wedderburn Station is the only remaining example of a Vogel Period Class 5 Station, clad in weatherboards with a corrugated iron roof.  As one of the last built, Wedderburn Railway Station is of architectural importance, a simple building to serve as the country’s smallest staffed station.

Another lovely old pub ticked off our list, with the added bonus of the famous good shed and little station.

The Great Kiwi Pub Crawl - Pub No 4

The Vulcan Hotel, built in 1882,  is the jewel in the crown in tiny little St Bathans.  We visited on a hot Central Otago day to find customers sitting comfortably outside the hotel as they sipped their drinks.  And there were even more across the road sitting at picnic tables on the grassy “Beer Garden”.

The Vulcan Hotel

Although we had visited the old pub about six years ago, a return visit was necessary, this time clutching our “Great Kiwi Pub Crawl” book.   With refreshments ordered (beer for him and Devonshire coffee for her) owner Jude Kavangh happily signed the book.  The bar is tiny, at about only 6ft deep, so just as well there were only a couple of us waiting to be served.

The tiny bar with our book on the counter

Bar seating and Pool Table

Taking our refreshments into the dining room, we chatted to a young Mum and her daughter who had traveled up from the family crib (bach) at Arrowtown to give her daughter a taste of St Bathans.  The walls of the dining room, like the bar, were covered in old photos and paintings.

Photos and paintings cover the walls.

Room 1 at The Vulcan is said to be haunted by the spirit of a young woman  known as Rose, who was strangled to death in the hotel in the 1880s, and allegedly still  appears from time to time.   Over the years, Rose has been seen and felt by staff members and guests alike at the hotel.  Luckily we saw no sign of Rose on our visit.

Afternoon Tea in the Vulcan Hotel

The Vulcan Hotel is a real Kiwi icon, and the last surviving pub of about twelve pubs which flourished here in the heady days of the local gold rush.

The Great Kiwi Pub Crawl – Pub No 3

Another town – and another pub from our book to visit.

The book lists one pub in Invercargill – the Northern Tavern.  A newish pub at only six years old, it is not like the other old pubs with interesting stories to tell which feature in the book.  But it replaces an earlier pub, one of those huge booze barn type of places with huge car parks which seemed to encourage heavy drinking, served bad food  and was rather uncouth.  Invercargill is one of a handful of places in the country still under the control of the Liquor Licensing Trust.  In 2008 the Trust decided to update  the aging bars, and with  four million dollar makeover a new pub emerged in it’s place.

The Northerner, Invercargill

We had lunch in the bar -  very tasty with great service.  There was a family with young children at another table, and I bet they wouldn't have brought their littlies into the bar in the bad old days.  There is also a restaurant, called the Saucy Chef, but sadly was not open on New Years Day for lunch. Just as well really, as the menu boasts duck, hare, wallaby, goat, beefalo (beef/bison) and with all those interesting choices I wouldn’t be able to make up my mind!

The assistant manager happily came out to sign our book, and told me she had already seen 10 of them in the bar.  So it seems that there may well be quite a crowd of people doing a pub crawl too carrying the book under their arm.  And a couple of the locals knew all about the book too, and told me that one of the regulars pictured had only just left the bar.

Locals and the barman wishing us well on our travels

The Invercargill Licensing Trust operates 24 businesses in the hospitality industry in Invercargill, including hotels, motels, restaurants, bars and retail liquor outlets.  One of the objectives of the Trust is to contribute to the community, and they provide donations and sponsorships of approximately $8 million annually to nearly 500 organizations. 

The Great Kiwi Pub Crawl – Pub No 2

Down in Port Chalmers we came across another pub featured in our book, the Great Kiwi Pub Crawl, written by Bartlett and Corfe.  It was the Portsider, built in 1880, “composed of Port Chalmers bluestone foundation, with brick and cement upper works”, I read.  We had just driven back from Aramoana and were looking for somewhere to have lunch.

The Portsider, Port Chalmers

In the bad old days, there was a multitude of pubs for visiting sailors arriving in port to frequent.  Including this one, which was originally called the Marine Hotel, and  it appeared have be in the centre of trouble right from the beginning.  There are records of the publican appearing in court to answer charges of permitting disorderly content, selling liquor out of hours, and supplying alcohol to intoxicated persons.  And occasionally the publican appeared in court as a victim of theft and assault.

After years of liquor fuelled trouble the people of Port Chalmers voted for the area to go dry in 1902, and the visiting sailors headed straight through to the bright lights of Dunedin for their drunken pleasures.  This was reversed in 1905, with the Marine Hotel being one which had survived the several years of reduced earnings  for several years.  Although the publican’s wife at the time, Cecilia Furk, used to bolster the takings by selling grog without a license.  All that came to an end when she was charged with selling beer and whiskey to a couple of undercover policemen!

Our friend Colin told tales of coming to this pub in his younger working life.  Back then it was a very popular and busy watering hole, packed to the gunnels with blokes looking for a cold beer after a busy day’s work.  The Portsider was bought in 2013 by Pip Honeychurch and Hanz Dekker, who gave the old place a good facelift.  With Hanz being an accomplished chef from Amsterdam, our meals were very tasty indeed.  Our choices ranged from fish, beef burger, seared beef salad, and vegetarian risotto, all cooked and served with flair.

Mine Hosts, Hanz and Pip

So we have now visited our second pub from the list of 50 in our Great Kiwi Pub Crawl book.  I know that there are many more down here in the South Island, so perhaps we be the right area to call in to another one or two as we travel around.

The Great Kiwi Pub Crawl – Pub No 1

Some time ago we purchased the book “The Great Kiwi Pub Crawl” and thought it would be just the thing to add to my reference books in the caravan.  This book tells the story of 50 iconic kiwi pubs which all have interesting stories to tell.

We are staying in Riverhead, Auckland, for the weekend, and remembered that the local pub was featured in our book.  So this is the first story relating to our own personal pub crawl – “The Riverhead”.

At 153 years old, The Riverhead is thought to be New Zealand’s oldest riverside tavern and holds New Zealand’s second oldest liquor license and remains fully New Zealand owned. Nestled on the shores of the upper Waitemata, The Riverhead is steeped in local history and played a part in the development of early New Zealand, with thousands using the wharf and hotel as the gateway to lands in the north prior to the completion of roads and railway.  Built in about 1870 by Thomas and Eliza Deacon, it was well known as a haven for weary travelers as they rested before continuing on their journeys.  It was also a meeting place for gum diggers and traders.

There are many stories – such as a man falling off the wharf many years ago and being sucked into the mud below, what a terrible way to end your life.  But that ooey gooey mud had other uses too, as once upon a time it was used to hide barrels of booze from the excise man.  Attempted murders, a suicide, and even a supposed ghost of a former publican who wanders the pub, there is history galore in this old building.

Current owners Paula and Stephen Pepperell bought the run down pub from the Head Hunters Motorcycle Club.  During this time it was a forbidding place to enter, full of violence,  and was regularly raided by the police.  But hard work and refurbishment over the next few years have turned in into such a trendy establishment that the former Head Hunter cliental would not want to step back over the threshold.  A sign at the door reminds patrons to remove their dirty boots.  The public bar is blokey and masculine with large pool tables, bar stools, stories of local heros on the walls and bits of rusty old tools as decoration.

Public Bar

We walked through to  “The Landing” bar and restaurant and settled down to enjoy a drink looking out over the muddy Waitemata.  Later a walk through the doors took us down onto a large deck surrounded by 100 year oak trees.  It was such a lovely peaceful setting.

View from the deck

We asked if it was possible to speak to the owner Paula about their pub being in our book, and were delighted when she came to meet us.  She was interested to learn that this was the first pub from the book we had visited, and graciously signed our book, “Great to see you here, best of luck with your travels”.

Paula writing a message in our book

So that’s one pub ticked off on our pub crawl, and forty nine to go.  And I’m not even a beer drinker – it’s lucky that Robin is.