Family calls time on city life
A couple are settling in to their new life and pub career after swapping life in the Australian city of Perth, with its 1.6 million population, for a tiny Taranaki settlement of about 200 people.
Rows of gumboots at the door and a bar full of sock-shod customers are two of the sights Graeme Halatau and Monique Ross are enjoying about their new life running the Ka¯ karamea Hotel in South Taranaki.
Despite not coming from a pub background, they bought the hotel, on State Highway 3, between Hawera and Patea, late last year and have moved in with their son, Haelan, 7.
The couple were looking for a change of lifestyle, a break from their fast-paced city life and more time at home, Halatau said.
He had been working away much of the time, and both he and Ross were weary of the sunshine in the Australian city, where temperatures can reach 45 degrees Celsius.
‘‘We were looking for a new lifestyle, we were over the the grind. I was a welder and cable layer. Now, I’ve got dishwasher hands instead of calluses,’’ he said.
He is working his way into his new role.
‘‘It’s quite a change for us in lifestyle. The biggest surprise was the support we’ve received from the people.
‘‘We don’t know anything about farming, but we’re learning and everyone’s been really nice. We’re still finding our way around the ways of running a hotel.’’
The hotel is open four days a week, with meals from 5pm to 8pm.
They had made a few emergency trips to Ha¯ wera for supplies when guests proved hungrier than they’d expected, he said.
The warm welcome from the community had helped them settle in, even though their belongings were still in transit, Ross said.
‘‘I love it here, the locals have been awesome, very supportive. It’s exactly what we were looking for - a little community to be part of.’’
Halatau and Ross both grew up
Now, I’ve got dishwasher hands instead of calluses. Graeme Halatau
in Auckland and even went to the same high school, but met up in Perth.
‘‘Graeme was in Perth for 25 years and I’ve been there for 10,’’ she said.
Because she worked in IT, she was able to bring her work with her.
‘‘Graeme is the barman and chief pubber, I’m the assistant. I like my job and I was able to keep it because I can work remotely from anywhere in the world,’’ she said.
Bette Ross (Monique’s mother) has also moved to the tiny South Taranaki settlement, and Haelan was looking forward to starting school and making some new friends, she said.
The took over before Christmas and were keen to reopen the pub, which had been closed for a few weeks.
But they only got word that their temporary licences had been approved on the last business day before the Christmas shutdown, Ross said.
‘‘We drove into town to collect it and we realised the bar manager’s certificate wasn’t there, and it has to be displayed.
‘‘We rang the [South Taranaki District] council. ‘‘That was at 2pm and they were about to close at 3pm, but she emailed it to us and we opened at 4pm.’’