Fine dining with a kick
An adrenaline rush from table to trigger, as Rory O’Sullivan samples haute cuisine and fires off a Beretta shotgun on a unique Auckland day-trip.
Where and what is it?
A product of two friends’ passion for the finer things in life, Beretta at Bracu brings together haute cuisine and a high-end adrenaline rush into one place.
Concealed in the Bombay Hills 40km south of Auckland, the Bracu restaurant at the Simunovich Olive Estate teamed up with renowned Italian gun manufacturer Beretta in 2014 to combine clay-pigeon shooting with a fine dining experience.
Beretta NZ managing director Martyn Coe and estate director Peter Simunovich formed the partnership by virtue of their mutual fondness for shooting, fine food and socialising.
And now business groups, friends, stag dos and hen parties can share in their appreciation of refined country pursuits.
As the flagship of the venture’s offering, guests can get their hands on Beretta’s authentic under-and-over shotguns at one of three clay-pigeon shooting sites hidden among the sprawling olive groves that make up the 98-hectare estate.
Around the newly-built lake house overlooking the duck pond, guests can also sample knifethrowing and archery as well as trying their hand at the pistol and rifle ranges.
Back at the ranch, lunch or dinner is taken at the kauri-style villa where Head Chef Mikey Newlands and his team serve up locally-sourced, seasonal dishes in an elegantly rustic, yet informal, setting.
Why go?
Beretta at Bracu is a hidden gem within the Auckland day-tripping scene.
Having been around longer than Europeans have been settled in New Zealand, the iconic Beretta brand represents almost 500 years of gun-making history.
Firing off a few rounds with one of these exquisitely-engineered and beautifully-crafted shotguns is the envy of many a shooting aficionado.
You’ll feel like Home County gentry after your first shout of ‘‘pull!’’, and combining the experience with the Bracu dining offering provides an unforgettable day getaway within easy reach of both Auckland and Hamilton.
What’s more, with novices making up over 80 per cent of the clientele, rookies are adequately catered for.
Expert and on-hand coaching is provided for those who have either never held live ammunition or who simply need some gentle encouragement lifting butt to shoulder for the first time.
Insider tip
There may be around 35,000 olive trees populating the surrounding hillocks and valleys, but a major feature of the Beretta at Bracu experience is surprisingly easy to overlook.
Naturally, lunch and dinner are introduced with a selection of their finest olives.
However, you need to go beyond enjoying a mere appetiser to fully appreciate the estate’s founding interest.
You will pass through countless groves while being escorted back and forth between the shooting sites and the restaurant.
Take in the sheer scale of one of New Zealand’s largest privatelyowned olive-producing establishments and see what it all amounts to by asking to call in at the olive processing plant.
This is where the Simunovich family’s award-winning extra virgin olive oil is produced, along with being the starting point for a range of other products such as their hand-cream moisturiser and energising face wash.
On the way/nearby
If immersing yourself in the horticultural beauty of the Simunovich Olive Estate isn’t enough, call in to the Auckland Botanic Gardens in Manurewa on your way home.
The Camellia Garden and the African Plants Garden dazzle in colour during the autumn and winter months and are a pleasant way to walk off lunch.
And if you’ve been inspired by the emphasis on local produce at Bracu then take a wander around the edible garden - where traditional Kiwi vegetables as well as more unusual global offerings will give you food for thought for your next home-cooked meal.
How much?
While you shouldn’t expect a refined country experience such as clay-pigeon shooting to come cheap, signing up to a Beretta at Bracu package does represent value.
The cheapest clay-pigeon shooting package, which includes four rounds, pistol shooting and knife-throwing, costs $59 per person as part of a minimum group of four.
That inflates to $89 for 10 rounds, but with the addition of archery and rifle-range shooting.
An all-in package of 25 claypigeon-rounds is the most expensive but best-value offering at $109 per person.
Lunch and dinner options range from $59 for two courses or $79 for three courses, while two snack courses are available for $19 per person.
Best time to go
Like anything outdoors in New Zealand, you’re likely to get the most out of the Beretta at Bracu experience during the summer months.
The shooting, archery, rifle and pistol ranges won’t be as fulfilling - or even possible - in heavy rain, so a dry day is pivotal to enjoying both the activities and the surroundings.
December to April can be pretty busy, however, so if you are prepared to gamble on an offseason visit then you may be rewarded.