GREAT ENDEAVOURS
New ventures emerge as Ohakune punches above its weight when it comes to producing Kiwi goods, discovers
SCRATCH BENEATH OHAKUNE’S surface and you’ll discover a hive of highly entrepreneurial folk, plying their craft and fulfilling their dreams, after laying their roots in Ohakune to anchor their great endeavours.
A star specimen is Big Mountain Mead. I met up with the powerhouse behind the project, Greg Hickman, a Kiwi entrepreneur who has swapped Hong Kong for Ohakune to open a brewery, bar and cafe, alongside exporting ma¯nuka mead to Asia.
After buying the dilapidated century-old Kings Theatre building in Goldfinch St, the initial plan was to restore the building, but it was too far gone.
Currently taking shape is the striking new brewery and meadery on the old cinema site, which is due to fully open later this year.
Craft mead is trending — revitalising an ancient drink made of honey fermented in water. The mixture of pure mountain water, native herbs and ma¯nuka honey holds strong appeal to the Asian market where ma¯nuka is viewed as a medicine. Like gin, the botanicals are a core ingredient in the flavour profile.
Ruapehu Brewing owner Austin Hobson is a partner in the new venture, brewing 18 different craft beers in the new venue, after previously operating out of the Ohakune Railway Station building.
As head brewer, Austin will make beer and mead from the new building.
I had the pleasure of sampling the product on a sneak peek tour with Greg and Austin. I’m a huge fan of Ruapehu Brewing’s “Weedcore” IPA, while their pilsener is also particularly impressive. The sparkling Session Mead was surprisingly agreeable and very sessionable — not as sweet as I assumed.
Mead is considered healthier than beer and wine because it’s made with honey, which is easier for the body to metabolise, and you get the nutritional benefits of honey itself.
The canning operation will be housed on-site too, which is due to arrive from the US any day now.
From mid-March, on-site tours and tastings will begin, while the wider taproom complex, including a new cinema, will open later in the year.
When it comes to producing epic New Zealand goods, Ohakune punches well above its weight — and not just in the carrot and potato stakes.
Situated in the old railway station, Opus Fresh not only showcases our merino wool, but the garments and accessories are all made in New Zealand.
The magic starts at Opus Fresh HQ, a modest little workroom and shop where the designer and pattern makers are located.
My super-comfy merino pop top is what the great outdoors are all about, a sports active first layer with a stylish, designer cut.
Pop into Opus Fresh HQ to browse its full range of garments. Owner and designer Janelle Hinch is based here, as is the unofficial but unfailingly friendly Opus team mascot, Ivan the Samoyed.
Right across the road, an Ohakune landmark for 110 years, Kings Hotel, is
being proudly revitalised. I met up with its current custodian, Stu Robinson, who is executing his vision to reignite the old girl as a shining beacon of time-honoured hospitality.
Boasting a bar, restaurant and accommodation, it’s the dining repertoire that instantly impresses, with an expansive menu of Kiwi classics and contemporary twists, underpinned by the best local produce. Don’t miss the Kings Fried Chicken Burger.
The bar and restaurant’s atmospheric timbered interior is a knock-out, and the walls are festooned in fascinating memorabilia, charting the property’s colourful backstory since 1913. It’s a hymn to living history.
Smack bang in heart of town, I spent a night at Snowman Lodge & Spa. Titan and Thomas are at the helm of this inviting
roost, boasting a variety of accommodation options, an appetising Thai restaurant and supreme array of spa treatments.
I stayed in one of its new en-suite cabins, an artfully designed bijou space, thoughtfully appointed with all the frills and trimmings memorable stays are made of.
It’s a nest of comfort, privately fenced with complete outside deck. Bonus points go to the comprehensive tea selection, with loose-leaf tea encased in little glass jars, spanning all tea preferences.
If you’ve been hitting the slopes or rocking the trails, check your body in for some blissed-out pampering, with a comprehensive range of spa, sauna and massage packages to choose from.