Chill out at Kune
Kune Cafe & Bar is the perfect place to hang out in a relaxed atmosphere
Hanging out under trees with the sun shining and enjoying a craft beer is what makes Carys Clafferty happy.
So she thought if it makes her happy, maybe it would make other people happy — she was right.
Kune Cafe & Bar is the perfect place to hang out and try a variety of different craft beers in a relaxed, friendly atmosphere.
“I loved going to Wellington and seeing all the cool things people were doing with beer. It made me think about how I would love to do something to showcase these beers. So the idea of a craft bar starting forming in my head.
“When I first mentioned it to my husband Kevin he was not that thrilled about it — but here we are.
“He’s very relaxed about it now.”
Kune is situated on their three acres property 10 minutes from “everywhere really, Waipawa, the main road, Tikokino”.
The couple did all the building themselves including some of the furniture.
Carys does the cooking — bar food such as burgers, chips and pizza — “food that goes with beer”.
“I’ve also done a lot of intense research into craft beer,” she laughed.
“I have to test taste everything before it makes it to Kune.
“It’s so much fun tasting craft beer. “I think, ‘that’s out of it’ or ‘this has that flavour or this flavour’ but the bottom line is if I like it it goes on our list.”
She says starting up the craft beer bar and cafe was a “bit random”.
“My husband is a fencer and I have been a hairdresser forever but beer has always been a passion of mine and I love the fact that people can come here, try something different and have a good time.”
While they were building they pondered often on a name. “We have a pet kunekune pig and we would watch her wallowing in the dam while we were working. So we decided to name it after her. She’s quite the celebrity now — people love watching her antics.”
There is a nice outdoor area for people to sit and relax that looks out over “the mountains and the dam”.
“We sometimes have live music, more so in the summer. It’s laidback country music so you can chillax with your family and friends. It’s also the perfect opportunity to try a craft beer that might be a little weird without having to buy half a dozen”
There are 20 craft beers on the list. “We do change them and tend to go for the darker beers in the winter and sours in summer,” she says.
They also offer a range of wines.
Carys says that some people thought they were a bit mad starting a craft bar but a year on “we are so glad we did it. It’s a nice place to hang out and enjoy the country.”