A tasteof the Netherlands
When the Reymer sisters heard their great-grandfather’s farmhouse in Holland was going to be torn down, their first thought was to ship it to the Waikato.
But then they got real. They’re going to recreate it instead.
Christina Reymer, Teresa Bowe-Reymer, and Monique Reymer have sourced the original blueprints of their greatgrandfather’s farmhouse and are building a cafe and venue which celebrates their Dutch culture.
The cafe and venue will be called Zenders, derived from the colloquial name for Zevenaar, which is where their great- grandfather’s farmhouse was in the Netherlands.
It will be about 760 square metres and cost $5 million.
After World War II, New Zealand experienced an influx of Dutch immigrants, many of them seeking land and opportunity to pursue the farming lifestyle that was their heritage in the Netherlands, Christina said.
‘‘Our parents Betsy Muller and John Reymer departed on the SS Waterman in October 1952,’’ Christina said. ‘‘The SS Waterman carried thousands of young Dutch migrants to New Zealand in the early 1950s.
‘‘They came by the boatload and blended so well into New Zealand lifestyle and culture that they came to be known as the invisible migrants.’’
The sisters are determined to create a legacy that tells the story of their family as Dutch migrants to New Zealand and their contribution to dairying in the Waikato and to New Zealand in general.
‘‘There are a great number of people living in New Zealand who claim Dutch heritage or connections who would identify with our story.
‘‘We plan to create a cafe and venue that celebrates Dutch culture and seeks to extend Dutch hospitality to the wider community.’’
The cafe will offer quality European-style food such as their oma’s Dutch apple tart, speculaas, kroketten, poffertjes and bitterballen.
There are to be two function rooms, seating 180 and 80 people, which will be suitable for weddings, anniversaries, birthdays and corporate functions.
The sisters are also looking into hosting community events, including monthly markets, tulip festivals, St Nicholas’ Day and Oktoberfest.
Both the cafe and venue will be fully licensed to allow a sampling of local and European beers and local wine to complement New Zealand-produced Dutch cheese.
The Dutch farmhouse-themed cafe and venue will be located on Ruakura Road in Hamilton and is due to open in 2018.