Butlers Reef always tuned to the right band-width
Could this be the place for the ultimate Kiwi bar experience, asks Stephanie Mitchell.
Butlers Reef in Oakura, Taranaki, is Ernie Walker’s favourite drinking hole. He’s there every day. He’s a coastal boy through and through, with wavy locks, faded tattoos and rosy cheeks from years without sunscreen. He has spent just as much time on the waves as he has at the bar.
‘‘He’s part of the furniture,’’ bar manager Leeana Hughes says.
He goes to every single one of the legendary gigs at the 153-year-old pub, in a village with a population of just more than 1000, but can’t pick a favourite.
‘‘There’s heaps of them, heaps of good bands, eh. I like all the local bands too. I just like bands. You ask the girls, I’m always dancing.’’
For years, Butlers Reef, affectionately known as ‘‘Butlers’’, has been the place to be for New Year’s Eve and over summer in Taranaki. It has seen thousands of patrons pack into its marquee for the likes of Jimmy Barnes, Shihad, Katchafire, Shapeshifter, Sons of Zion, The Feelers, and Six60.
Shapeshifter, who are regulars at the coastal pub, said ahead of their 2015 gig that it was hard to beat the crowds at Oakura.
‘‘When you get a crowd like a Butlers Reef crowd it makes our job so much fun. Our memories of Butlers Reef are of good people, good food, sunshine and great fans that know how to respect each other but mostly know how to have a good time and rock the party like no other place.’’
Walker says it was great to have a place like Butlers Reef in the village he has lived in for eight years.
‘‘I was down in Okato first, then they shut our pub down so I came here.’’
When he’s not at the bar or dancing front of stage, he can be found helping co-owner Todd Burkett build a new stage. People like Walker are the pub’s bread and butter.
Burkett and his partner Tracey Craig took over the pub 12 months ago. They’ve been busy ever since revamping the iconic venue.
Craig believed it was its proximity to the beach and the outdoor area that made Butlers Reef so popular.
‘‘The location to the beach gives it that surfy feel. When the mountain’s out we’ve got the best view and are the biggest beer garden in Taranaki.
‘‘People come out here and remark how relaxed it is and they have a really good time because of it. It is a very relaxed pub whereas the pubs in town, there’s just a different vibe to them.
‘‘They walk in and they instantly chill. New Year’s has always been really big out here because of that.’’
Unfortunately, Sons of Zion, who were scheduled to play New Year’s Eve this year, pulled out because they couldn’t get a backing band to Taranaki.
However they have played there multiple times before and Craig says they always ask if they can come back.
‘‘They love it. Everybody wants to play here, even the big bands want to play here because they draw huge crowds. The only other venue is The
‘‘We’ve always enjoyed playing at Butlers Reef. It’s become sort of a staple.’’
The Feelers’ Hamish Gee
Mayfair which can’t take more than 800 people but we can take 1800 so obviously that’s better for them [bands].
‘‘They’ve always done the big bands over Christmas and New Year’s but we’re in the process of trying to get more big ones through all of summer. We’ve got Drax Project on January 3 and The Feelers on January 5.’’
Sam Thomson of Drax Project hails from Taranaki and is excited to join the Butlers Reef legacy.
‘‘I’ve never played Butlers Reef. I’ve been there a couple of times but never been when there was a show on because I was always too young when I was living in New Plymouth.
‘‘I always just knew it as one of those places where there were really awesome gigs over summer. Oakura is a really nice place and I love being out there. That beach feel there is really cool.’’
Thomson says it will be nice to come home after the year they’ve had opening for Ed Sheeran on his sold-out New Zealand tour, and Camilla Cabello on her European tour.
‘‘It’s really cool because they’re both super lovely people. You never know when you see people on TV or hear them on the radio what they’re going to be like but it’s lovely to see that most people that are in those situations are also really nice people.
‘‘Ed was a massive show and probably the most people any of us have seen in one place at one time and it was cool for one of the shows my mum was right up the front.’’
For The Feelers they aren’t doing a summer tour but they’ve booked a one-off show at Butlers Reef in Oakura, Taranaki because the band love it there so much.
‘‘We’ve always done a summer tour and we’ve always played at Butlers Reef but this year it’s 25 years since The Feelers became a band so we did a 25-year anniversary tour over the winter,’’ drummer Hamish Gee says.
‘‘Because we did that tour in the winter it meant we wouldn’t do much over the summer but luckily there’s been popular demand in Taranaki which is lovely.
‘‘We’ve always enjoyed playing at Butlers Reef. It’s become sort of a staple.’’
Gee said Butlers is special because of the happy holiday makers who come along to the shows.
‘‘It’s such a festive scenario in the middle of summer having everyone there that hopefully knows all your songs. Also, being completely selfish as well, you can get a lot of people in there which makes our day.’’
The Feelers would have played at Butlers every year for the last 20 years, Gee recalls.
At first it was a struggle to string a set list together.
‘‘It was like bloody hell we’ve only got one 43-minute album we better throw in some covers.’’
Tickets for Drax Project and The Feelers at Butlers Reef can be bought through Eventfinda.