Popular cafe worried about road closure during busy time
The owner of a cafe in a bay north of Nelson is worried about the future of her burgeoning business after learning the road to the popular spot will close for several hours each day.
Cable Bay Cafe owners Annette Meyer and her partner Ed Briem were taken aback when they learned a kilometre-long stretch of Cable Bay Rd will close for several hours each day until June.
Road closures will begin on Monday and finish in June, with council contractors working weekdays from 9am - 12pm and 1pm - 3pm: “pretty much the cafe opening hours,” Meyer said.
It’s the couple’s second summer season in the eatery overlooking the picturesque bay, and they’re still working to establish their business, Meyer said.
While summer holidays are all but over for Kiwis, a significant number of tourists were still driving the winding route to Cable Bay.
“This is the season we make the money etc get through winter, we close in winter, or just open for the weekends,” Meyer said. “[The roadworks] will have a big impact.”
To stay afloat, the couple will launch a burger menu on Friday evenings, and plan to stay open as much as possible during weekends. Meyer hoped people would support the small business.
With severe weather events increasing, the couple knew the remote location was a risk before taking on the cafe. “[But] we love this location ... it’s one of the most unique cafes in the Nelson region,” Meyer said. “We hope we can keep going.”
Pepin Island Farm and Hut Stay tourism manager Danielle Parbery said the biggest concern was for guests with flights or ferries to catch, but staff planned to let visitors know about the closures before their arrival.
Cable Bay Holiday Park would follow a similar tack, manager Bert Wilkinson said.
“There might be the odd grumpy camper that comes in and has forgotten about it, but we will weather the storm.”
Nelson City Council’s infrastructure manager Alec Louverdis said the work, which involved building complex retaining structures on steep land, would protect the road against future weather events.
“We have a window of opportunity to complete this work before wet weather sets in over winter.”
Council had consulted with the Cable Bay community over the closures, pushing back work for two weeks and pausing work for a couple of upcoming events, Louverdis said. “We want to stress that Cable Bay Rd will not be permanently closed for the duration of work, and we encourage the wider Nelson community to still get out and support businesses in the area.”