Marlborough Express - Weekend Express
What’s the scoop?
Scoopy’s is an icecream parlour like the good old days.
An oasis by the sea where, on a scorching hot day, generouslyportioned scoops of frozen dairy goodness are yours for a few gold coins.
Parked up at the Waikawa Bay foreshore, close to Picton, the colourful pink and red striped caravan has been trading for just a few weeks.
With a Marilyn Monroe and Elvis cutout inside, if a duke box could fit in the corner, you’d be transported back to a simpler time before hashtags and MMP.
Owner/operator Lisa Lee says it’s all about bringing refreshments back to Waikaka Bay for the summer.
‘‘There was a need for this in Waikawa Bay, after having years of the local shop close down,’’ she says.
‘‘It’s a wonderful thing for the kids to come out to Waikawa Bay to have a swim and an icecream or a hot dog.’’
The hot dogs are your classic frank in a bun with onions, ketchup and mustard, and a double scoop is just $4.
Lee says the idea of having an icecream truck of her own has been years in the making and it was only after one fortuitous day nearly four years ago that she stumbled upon her caravan.
‘‘I drove around Waikawa Bay and saw an old holiday park,’’ Lee says. ‘‘I went in, asked around and the person there offered me one for a few grand. Well, I didn’t have the money at the time.
‘‘I was about to leave and he said, ‘‘I have one, but it’s a real doer upper, and you can have it’.’’
The caravan looks and feels like one of those summer sanctuaries from the good old days, that you could park up beside at a campsite on the family holiday.
Since then, Lee and her partner have managed to spruce it up and bring it back to its former glory.
Scoopy’s is operating on public holidays, weekends, and on hot days after school. Just keep an eye out for announcements on the Scoopy’s Ice Cream Parlour Facebook page.
For Lee, it’s all about believing in her dreams of bringing icecream back to Waikawa Bay.
‘‘That’s how I believe things work. Never giving up. Never giving up.’’