{"id":193307,"date":"2025-12-20T11:28:06","date_gmt":"2025-12-20T11:28:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/193307\/"},"modified":"2025-12-20T11:28:06","modified_gmt":"2025-12-20T11:28:06","slug":"a-jewel-of-the-hauraki-gulf-aotea-great-barrier-island-is-in-a-world-of-its-own","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/193307\/","title":{"rendered":"A jewel of the Hauraki Gulf, Aotea Great Barrier Island is in a world of its own"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cBut any negatives don\u2019t nearly touch the positives about a close-knit community, you know? It\u2019s a magical place.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"SunsetSunset on Great Barrier Island, one of the most remote and sparsely populated islands in the Hauraki Gulf. Photo \/ Joanna Wane<\/p>\n

Even so, I\u2019m somewhat taken aback to be recognised after such a brief moment of fame when my husband and I stop by for a cold one at Aotea Brewing \u2013 still damp from a soak at the Kaitoke Hot Springs, where we\u2019d had the thermal water holes all to ourselves.<\/p>\n

Housed in a converted shipping container on a farm paddock across from Medlands Beach, the solar-powered brewery operates on a zero-waste philosophy, serving craft beer fresh from the tap.<\/p>\n

Since it opened for business in late 2019 (right on the cusp of Covid), more boutique enterprises have mushroomed at the Mason Rd Hub. <\/p>\n

In another refurbished container, Aotea Roast produces small-batch, artisan coffee beans and provides the espresso for Aotea Brewing\u2019s Daily Grind, a rich coffee stout. Argentinian couple Lucia Victoria and Santiago Valentin run the Good Neighbours Food Truck, where I bought my empanada.<\/p>\n

\"AA solar-powered brewery, Aotea Brewing serves craft beers on tap. Dogs and children welcome. Photo \/ Phil Taylor<\/p>\n

Outdoor tables overlook a wetland restoration project. The Motu Community Nursery, which opened this year, specialises in native plants and has a \u201cgarden bar\u201d in the middle of it, with a leaner table surrounded by seedlings.<\/p>\n

Apparently, there are plans to develop walkways and accommodation on the ridge. On summer afternoons, there\u2019s often live music. Children (and dogs) are welcome.<\/p>\n

\u201cWho\u2019d have thought we\u2019d sit in the swamp and have a really good feed,\u201d jokes a woman who\u2019s popped by for a drink after work. <\/p>\n

Behind the bar, the brewery\u2019s refillery manager, Barry \u201cBaz\u201d Illingworth, is rocking a bucket hat. He and his wife bought a bach on the Barrier, then moved over permanently a few years ago.<\/p>\n

\"AoteaAotea Brewing\u2019s refillery manager, Barry \u201cBaz\u201d Illingworth. Photo \/ Phil Taylor<\/p>\n

\u201cI love meeting new people,\u201d he says, pouring a glass of Aotea\u2019s signature Solar Charged American Pale Ale, as Auckland band the RVMES play on the stereo. <\/p>\n

\u201cTraditionally, long-time locals tend to be a bit gruff about tourists. But everybody relies on them, so it\u2019s kind of a bittersweet thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lucia and Santiago opened the food truck last summer, choosing the name Good Neighbours to celebrate the Barrier\u2019s community spirit.<\/p>\n

\u201cGood neighbours \u2013 I don\u2019t think anyone would survive here on the island without them,\u201d says Lucia, who also teaches yoga at the Claris Art Gallery. <\/p>\n

She and Santiago met on Waiheke Island, although they\u2019re both from Buenos Aires and discovered they once lived only a few blocks away from each other there. <\/p>\n

\"TheThe Barrier’s favourite watering hole \u2013 open every day except the day it isn’t. Photo \/ Joanna Wane<\/p>\n

Both the brewery and the food truck are open for extended summer hours but still close at 6pm to avoid competing with other venues, like the Irish pub, that do their business at night. And that\u2019s how good neighbours become good friends.<\/p>\n

The Currach is housed in a 120-year-old building in Tryphena that was one of the original homesteads for the Blackwell family, early pioneers who settled on Aotea in the 1860s and introduced beekeeping to the island. Former Black Fern and Blues lock, Eloise Blackwell, is among their descendants.<\/p>\n

The pub \u2013 \u201cOpen every day except the day we are closed which is Wednesday\u201d \u2013 is another great spot for good food and live music, including a Thursday open-mic night. On January 31, Op Shop\u2019s Jason Kerrison is playing an acoustic set.<\/p>\n

\"There'sThere’s no public transport on the island but plenty to explore. Photo \/ Joanna Wane<\/p>\n

There\u2019s no public transport on the island, which is deceptively large. Renting a car, we drive from Cape Barrier, on the southernmost tip, to beyond Port Fitzroy on the northwest coast. <\/p>\n

Sadly, we arrive too late for the \u201cfamous breakfast baps\u201d at Karaka Bay Lodge, where a waterfront cafe opens to the public on Saturday mornings. The kitchen closes at 11.30am.<\/p>\n

We break the return trip with a hike to Windy Canyon, a dramatic wind tunnel shaped into the rock. Above, there\u2019s a spectacular view from the lookout spot, on one of the highest stretches of the island. <\/p>\n

\"WindyWindy Canyon is only a 15-minute hike from the main road. Photo \/ Joanna Wane<\/p>\n

A certified Dark Sky Sanctuary, Aotea has no streetlights and at night, the sky is hooded with stars. <\/p>\n

Ask Lucia what she loves about life on the Barrier and the word she uses is freedom. \u201cAnd realising how small you are amongst all this nature.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joanna Wane is an award-winning senior lifestyle writer with a special interest in social issues and the arts.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cBut any negatives don\u2019t nearly touch the positives about a close-knit community, you know? It\u2019s a magical place.\u201d…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":193308,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[120099,20497,273,26095,16773,30699,51628,78,185,2514,302,74754,12858,13617,111,139,69,1118,5429,147,223,377,1959],"class_list":["post-193307","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-environment","tag-aotea","tag-barrier","tag-environment","tag-everyone","tag-great","tag-gulf","tag-hauraki","tag-in","tag-is","tag-island","tag-its","tag-jewel","tag-knows","tag-name","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-of","tag-own","tag-science","tag-the","tag-world","tag-your"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/193307","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=193307"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/193307\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/193308"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=193307"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=193307"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=193307"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}