NEW HANDS ON DECK

The Kawau Boating Club has a new energy at the helm – and a floating pizzeria on the way with the impending arrival of Bay Belle.

Kate Farrant, the visionary behind the much- anticipated conversion of the 1960 ex-Fullers ferry Bay Belle into a floating pizzeria, has taken on the Kawau Boating Club Bar Bistro alongside a team of enthusiastic locals. The club aligns with her vision for the Bay Belle on many levels, and the two ventures will run in tandem, promising an exceptional boating season ahead.

Kate recently spent six months restoring the Bay Belle in Warkworth, where a lesson stayed with her. “It was never really about the boat. It was about who showed up.” That community spirit – bringing people together through boats, food and friendship – has driven everything since. Of taking on the club, she is characteristically straightforward: “I’m not walking in there trying to build something new. I just want to look after what’s already there, and give it the care it deserves.”

Club Chairman Brien Cree welcomed the change. “Kate and her team are committed to helping develop the club in line with our vision,” he says, noting that preserving the nostalgia so meaningful to members and visitors remains at the heart of their shared direction.

Kate also leads Destination Kawau Limited alongside a team with deep local roots. Patrick O’Connor is a local boatie, front-of-house lead Anthony Barnett grew up in Warkworth, and Head Chef Brendon Cunningham spent more than a decade leading the kitchen at the Bridgehouse Lodge.

The doors to the club reopened on Labour Weekend with the Spring Splash regatta. A rally of vessels left Westhaven on Friday, with the weekend programme including the new Matakana Market River Raid, the Round- the-Islands race, and a Waitemata Woody’s classic boat gathering. Meals, drinks and live music rippled across Bon Accord all weekend – it was, by all accounts, the place to be.

With that momentum established, more is to come: Christmas party bookings are open now, with New Year’s Eve celebrations, Anniversary Weekend racing, an Anzac Day service, quiz nights, and live music all on the horizon.

The menu retains the fish and chips and burgers the club is known for, alongside new lighter, vegetarian, and kid-friendly options. And later this year, the Bay Belle herself will arrive at her new home port with dockside pizza to follow.

Facebook: Destination Kawau | www.facebook.com/kawaubc