Owners in no rush to reopen cafe
“We want to have all our ducks in row before we open something official, rather than half open something.”
Shannon Huntley
“If you’re going to do something, do it right” is an age-old and often-used mantra, and one that certainly rings true for the new managers of Te Hoiere Pelorus Bridge Cafe and Campground.
Shannon Huntley and his wife, Sarah, along with their two young tamariki, have been running the campsite on behalf of Ngāti Kuia since mid-December and, after a “full-on busy summer”, said they were “really enjoying it”.
Huntley said he was aware of the public’s desire to see the cafe reopened but said they didn’t want to rush into it and open things “half-heartedly”.
“We want to have all our ducks in row before we open something official, rather than half-open something,” he said.
“We’ve been busy enough with all the maintenance we’ve had to do around the camp and the concession ground, obviously with it being vacant for a number of months there was quite a lot of work to do, so that’s been our priority.
“We don’t want to put a date on it [cafe opening] because we don’t want to disappoint people, but we can reassure the public that we are going through the motions, and we’ve started that process.”
Huntley said they had been busy buying the assets needed to run the food services at the cafe and were planning to coincide the opening alongside Ngāti Kuia’s native nursery with the date “yet to be confirmed”.
“We’ll definitely have something up and running before the next busy season,” he said.
In the meantime, Huntley said there was a food truck on site from Friday to Monday each week selling coffees and snacks.
He said he and his whānau had moved across from Picton to manage the cafe and campground and said they were “absolutely loving the lifestyle change”.
“I work in collaboration with other Te Hoiere Project partners as Kaitiaki Mō Te Hoiere Awa co-ordinator, which translates to the guardian of Pelorus River,” he said.
“So, when my employer Ngāti Kuia was successful in their bid for the campground concession, it made complete sense for me to move to Te Hoiere and be based on the awa.”
Huntley said he and Sarah had been “overwhelmed” at the “outpouring” of support they had received from the community since they took over the management of the campground. “Seeing so many people come in daily to wish us well and offer encouragement has been heartwarming,” he said.
“In addition to the kind words and well-wishes, we have also had local businesses reach out to us with offers of partnership and support.
“It is amazing to see how invested the community is in our success.”
Huntley said he and his whānau had been warmly welcomed and well looked after since their move. “Even dairy farmers from nearby farms have brought in homecooked meals for us, which is a testament to the generosity and spirit of community that we have experienced since arriving,” he said.
“The general consensus from people is that they are excited to see change and look forward to when we are fully up and running.”