Events
November 19
Pauanui Launch and Wine Trail
Being nosy – and tipsy – on the Pauanui Waterways
November 23, 2011, 1:52 pm Yahoo! New Zealand
If I was 25 years older and had a couple of extra zeroes on the end of my salary, I might just have blended in to the bunch of people spending an afternoon wine-tasting on the Pauanui Waterways.
Not that I was complaining.
The sun was shining, the conversation flowed as freely as the wine, and the tour ahead promised the chance to satisfy my curiosity and take a peek inside four multi-million dollar properties at what has been dubbed the 'Playground for the Rich'.
The Pauanui Launch and Wine Trail was held for the first time on November 19 as part of the Coromandel Peninsula's Pohutukawa Festival.
Pauanui Business Association chairman Paul Schrader came up with the clever idea after seeing an opportunity to use properties for sale, a Hawke's Bay family vineyard with strong ties to the town, and locals' generosity to raise money for the Pauanui Preschool.
It had the potential to be a logistical nightmare – transporting four groups of people to four holiday homes where they'd taste 16 wines over four hours – but the execution was flawless, and the preschool is now $10,000 better off.
They'd even thought of the mandatory disclaimer we all signed before embarking on our tasting mission, which basically said if we injured ourselves over the course of the tour through intoxication or general clumsiness, we only had ourselves to blame. It's pretty hard to argue with that.
Our group had the good fortune of starting with the food and wine matching workshop run by Sileni senior wine maker Rachel Garnham. We began with Sileni's cellar selection sauv blanc and tasted it with a slice of apple, and some feta, to see how the acidity of the apple and the creaminess of the feta influenced the taste of the wine. For the record, it works great with the feta – not so much with the acidic old Granny Smith.
The canapes used to demonstrate the art of wine and food matching. Photos: Melanie Verran
At the $2m mansion we also tried a pinot gris with crab cakes and lemon fraiche, a pinot noir with parmesan risotto cakes and smoked salmon, and finished up with a late harvest semillon dessert wine which went down an absolute treat with some blue cheese and crackers.
The first of four luxury launches then picked us up at the private jetty and took us to house number two – a three-beddy waterways showhome with a pricetag around the $1.45m mark. There, former weightlifting champion and now Sileni's business development manager Nigel Avery explained the differences between three different pinot noirs, ranging from the cellar selection table wine to the "exceptional vintage".
With guests able to pick a full glass of their favourite after each tasting, the volume level was starting to pick up as we cruised to the third stop – another showhome, but this time a modern villa.
Four different launches skippered by generous Pauanui locals were used to transport the four groups.
Nigel's brother Simon, who owns the Pauanui surf shop Outback, was on hand to talk us through Sileni's various merlots, as well as a drop of sparkling rose. Friendly banter about gardening, architecture, and days of old ensued as everyone enjoyed glass number three or four in the courtyard by the canal, with canapés to soak up a little of the booze.
Merlot tasting with Simon Avery, left, at the villa showhome
With the wind picking up, lippy wearing off and wine undoubtedly having a slight dizzying effect, we arrived at the last house in fine form. Sileni owners Graeme and Gaby Avery served up four tasty sauvignon blancs from Marlborough and Hawke's Bay at an enormous six-bedroom pad on a corner section of the waterways. Rumour has it, it's owned by former Sovereign Yachts owner Bill Lloyd and has been on the market for two years. It'd take a cool $4.5m to take it off his hands, we're told, and I got a bit lost as I checked out the different wings, and found myself in The Biggest Bathroom I Have Ever Seen.
Leaving the sprawling six-bedroom holiday home owned by Bill Lloyd
The tour ended with a tiki tour around the waterways, where various "Hopper houses" owned by the family that developed Pauanui were pointed out, and people oohed and ahhed over some places and turned their noses up at others.
And when our launch returned us to house number one, it was time to say goodbye – unless you were among the group who was going to the Sileni Winemaker's Dinner that evening (which I hear was a blast).
While some of the women were gobsmacked to hear I was staying in a motel for the evening – you would have thought I said garden shed – the four-star Pauanui Pines had all the necessary comforts and Barry was a very hospitable host. Definitely a good and affordable option for your next visit.
Fish & Chips from the local takeaways shop enjoyed on the beach as the sun went down was the perfect end to a day of indulgence.
And if you have a weekend free between now and December 4, head to the Coromandel to take advantage of the various activities on offer as part of the Pohutukawa Festival.
Tickets for the wine and launch trail were $95 - great value considering all the inclusions - so fingers crossed it'll be repeated next year.
- Melanie Verran was a guest of the Pauanui Business Association and Pauanui Pines.
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November 11 - 13
Great Barrier Rendezvous
Another fabulous turn out to the Great Barrier Rendezvous.
Sunday April 24
Easter Brunch 2011
Pauanui Easter Event held at the Hammerhead site was a fun filled family affair enjoyed by residents of the waterways.
Bunny costumes were order of the day.
The tradional chocolate easter eggs and treats added to the occasion.
April 1 ~ 3 2011
Barrier Rendezvous
A flotilla of 14 boats gathered at Great Barrier Island’s Smokehouse Bay on the evening of April 1, 2011 at the invitation of Hopper Developments Ltd.
Some had arrived from fishing expeditions in the far North and one from as far South as Timaru. The trip out was so beautifully calm and pods of dolphins accompanied some of the boats during their journey. As is usual for these Hopper Rendezvous’ most boats chose to join the “raft up” in conditions which were absolutely ideal for maximizing the social opportunity.
Floatila at Barrier
There was much laughter echoing across the bay as tales of “my fish is bigger than yours” and “you should have seen the one that got away” were recited. Saturday dawned a perfect day. Breakfast was quickly dispatched before the flotilla broke up and everyone went hunting for the “prize” catch.
By late afternoon there were radio reports of mixed success, with the boys from Timaru landing a mako shark. The rest of us settled for snapper. Saturday evening saw a repeat of the raft up and people quenching their thirst with a fine selection of beverages. Again, the blokes from the “mainland” led the charge and would have won first prize if downing alcoholic beverages ever became a national sport. To be fair, they were in good company and some of us would easily qualify for the “runner-up” prizes. Leigh Hopper and Paul Shanahan went ashore to cut firewood for the morning breakfast on Smokehouse Bay beach. After a lot of hacking and sawing we had a good supply ready for the morning.
Dawn at Barrier
Sunday was unbelievably calm and beautiful. The Hopper crew went ashore, to discover some interlopers from another boat had staged a late night party, which consumed all the firewood we had prepared. The boat was called N-Dulge. The Buggers! Anyway, we busied ourselves again, lit the fire and cooked up a big breakfast for anyone who cared to join us. Champagne flowed, energies were restored and after a leisurely clean up we all departed for another day’s fishing, with most returning home Sunday evening. To those who missed out, we missed you too, but will make it easy for next time. Put this date on your calendar, because providing we have a favourable weather report, the next Rendezvous will take place on November 11, 12 & 13 this year. You are invited to come along, raft up and join in the party.
Contact Paul Shanahan. paul@hoppers.co.nz
Dolpins at Barrier
Breakfast on the beach
Keith's Whopper
Labour Saturday - October 23 2010
Pauanui Waterwyas Food and Music Festival...
The day could not have been better; blue sky, almost no breeze and the canals sparkled in the sunlight. There was a real carnival atmosphere as cars, helicopters and people arrived for what may be the first of a number of outdoor concerts at Pauanui Waterways. The festival location offered views straight up the recently completed stage 3 canal to Mount Paku in the distance. There was much to look at including cars from Ferrari to Porsche, Mercedes Benz and a selection of classic American muscle cars and of course, lots of interesting people. Some party goers dressed for the occasion in fashions that have been long forgotten; women in mini skirts, hot pants, high boots and others wearing tie died and brightly coloured clothing from the hippy era. Music performances were almost non-stop from the all female covers group, Trinity to old time rockers such as Ray Wolf, and Larry Morris. Larry had the final slot in the program and enjoyed support from a hard core of loyal fans who remembered him well from his hey day as an iconic New Zealand rock star. The crowd was never huge, given the size of the site and the event had much competition from other activities around the peninsula. Not withstanding that, it was a good sized crowd which was well behaved. The hosts, Pauanui Waterways reported strong interest in two waterfront sites which hopefully will be able to claim “sold” status before long. There were five sections available at a reduced price of $590,000 (down from $750,000) so before soon it should be down to only three.
Classic cars on display
Costumes on display
Live music
Relaxing in the Sun
Fun in the Sun
Ray Woolf!