Yes we can . . . welcome Obama
The most premium of Kiwi hospitality – as well as the down-to-earth local watering hole – are ready and waiting for the rockstar ex-president. Simon Maude reports.
Fresh oysters, pipi, snapper – and Jack Daniels – could be on offer for former US President Barack Obama when he finally gets to kick back in New Zealand.
Obama, who expressed interest in visiting New Zealand during his two terms in office but never managed to, is scheduled to arrive.
He is being brought over by the US-NZ Council, and will speak to 1000 invited guests at a function on Thursday night, before moving on to Sydney the next day.
But some of Obama’s time here is his own, and former Prime Minister John Key has arranged him a couple of rounds of golf in Northland, where two of the country’s top private courses are located.
Some Northlanders are tipping him to stay at The Landing, a secluded luxury resort on Purerua Peninsula in the Bay of Islands which has previously hosted the royal family.
Noel Bonney, whose wife’s iwi calls Purerua Peninsula home, was taken by surprise at the possibility Obama could be staying next door at The Landing.
Bonney and whanau used to cross the property to get to a wharf on the headland, before it was gated-off to become ‘‘the millionaire’s place’’. Now, VIP guests fish off the jetty. ‘‘The fishing’s beautiful, you get pipi, oysters and snapper,’’ Bonney said.
The resort is owned by Richlister Peter Cooper, who now lives in California.
The Northland-born property developer, estimated by
NBR to be worth $810 million, is the founder of Cooper and Company, which is behind the Britomart development in Auckland and a 160,000 sqm town centre development in Southlake, Texas.
Cooper spent 11 years as a lawyer, including a stint as a partner at embattled law firm Russell McVeagh. He was formerly director of beer giant Lion Nathan.
The businessman has built a cluster of four luxury lodges on a 400-hectare parcel of land he bought in 1999.
Much of the land has been used for conservation purposes (extensive wetlands have been established and more than a million native trees planted) or given over to preserving heritage and archaeological sites. There is also a working vineyard.
The pick of the accommodation is the $14,500-per-night Cooper Residence, a five-bedroom house with attached stone tower which houses a wine cellar. If Obama is staying there, he will be able to take in a 360-degree view of the ocean and farmland while a personal chef custom-designs menus for his meals.
If the former president is in the mood for an after-dinner stroll, the odds are good that he will see our national icon, as the peninsula is known to have the greatest concentration of brown kiwi in New Zealand.
Members of both Tara Iti and Kauri Cliffs golf courses are hoping to be graced by Obama’s presence and 13-handicap while in Northland. Both courses are considered world-class.
Matauri Bay resident Billy Pawa, who tends bar up the road at Matauri Cafe and Bar, said Obama would be dazzled by Kauri Cliffs’ ‘‘ocean views on every hole’’.
If Obama ventures past Kauri Cliffs’ swanky 19th hole, Pawa will be happy to serve the ex-pres, provided he gets a photo with him.
‘‘Obama looks like a Jack Daniels man.’’
Obama looks like a Jack Daniels man. Billy Pawa Bartender, Matauri Cafe and Bar