Floating Pizza
A maxim I was taught at an early age is, “never eat in a restaurant the revolves or floats”. This is generally sound advice. I’ve met a few people who have eaten at the Wrest Point revolving dining room that opened in Hobart in 1973, but am yet to hear a good report. There might be a few floating venues in Hong Kong that prove the theory wrong, but as a rule of thumb, its a good one. To expand the thinking a little, Melbourne’s Tramcar restaurant was reportedly quite good for a while, but the closure in 2018 indicates that the economics weren’t as good as the food. I’ve also heard of a survey which concluded that restaurants established in deconsecrated Churches had a higher than average failure rate, while those set up in old banks, were likely to flourish. God works in mysterious ways…
Wrest Point circa 1975
Anyway, back to the floating thing…When newly signed up SWS reader Jennifer Rouse sent in this story I was excited to see an as yet unheard of use for an old wooden boat (a pizzeria) but also slightly concerned given the track record of diners on the high seas…
Bay Belle on the Waitemata
New Zealand’s Northern Advocate takes up the story.
A kauri launch that ferried passengers and cargo around the Bay of Islands for 50 years is facing an exciting future as a floating pizzeria.
The Bay Belle caught the eye of Rakino Island resident and global adventurer Kate Farrant, when it appeared as a deceased estate sale on TradeMe last year.
Lured by the boat’s beauty, she instantly recognised its potential for rehoming a popular seasonal restaurant - Woody Bay Pizzeria - previously run on Rakino in the Hauraki Gulf, by a fellow resident Alf Newton who had agreed Farrant could take over it.
The dream, Farrant said, is to have Bay Belle back on the water in time for next summer.
Newton has been schooling her in the art of making pizzas and fellow Rakino Islanders have been happily sampling her wares, Farrant said.
While the vessel’s first excursions would be around the Hauraki Gulf nearest Auckland, Farrant also hoped Bay Belle can operate around Great Barrier and Kawau islands and in the vessel’s once-familiar Northland waters.
For now, however, there’s a lot of restoration work to be done on the boat, Farrant said.
The Bay Belle’s hull has been cleaned, plywood cladding that was widely added around the boat was being removed, old paint sanded away, and caulking replaced.