The Cove

There's a lot to be said for word of mouth. It was, after all, how Mike Fraser and Lloyd Rooney discovered an under-utilised restaurant in an extraordinary location at just the right time. If anything was meant to be, this was surely it. The former farmers (via London) turned an almost 100-year-old building tucked on the side of the road at Waipu Cove into The Cove, a successful café and restaurant that attracts crowds with the lure of the beach and keeps them coming back with farm-fresh produce and an ever-changing menu.

The Cove is open 7 days during summer, and most days during winter. Lloyd remembers a time when winter was quiet, but these days, the restaurant is buzzing year round. Some credit may be given to chef Craig Estick's iconic seafood chowder (with locally sourced fish, of course), but it also comes down to their decision to cater for everyone – from the Auckland expats to the campers and the allweather local crowd.

While Lloyd is often found chatting to customers front of house, Mike is more often elbow deep in soil. In the footprint of an old orchid-growing business he set up the Vege Shack, a market garden that means, as restaurateurs, he and

Lloyd can offer a true paddock-to-plate menu.

The Vege Shack gives excess produce to the local Food for Life group run by Hari Krishna devotees, Buddhi and Suvarna. “Their mission is to provide and serve hot lunches to 1000 children across five schools within the Whangarei catchment.” The success of The Cove encouraged Mike and Lloyd to look at other possibilities to open eateries, finding locations that just need a bit of love and imagination, and they now also own and operate The Quay and Number 8 in Whangarei, and The Dune in Mangawhai. 910 Cove Road, Waipu.

(09) 432 0234, thecovecafe.co.nz

Mike Fraser and Lloyd Rooney