Friday night with SCARPA

Well Friday nights are always good nights with Oceans Resort Hotel, it is our chance to let our hair down and enjoy each others company, say farewell to the week and welcome with open arms the weekend.  YAY.

The new wine rack in our restaurant, make your pick and let us serve you

Tonight was no different, BUT we were toasting and breaking in the new bar at Oceans and also welcoming the band SCARPA.  Where should we start?
The new bar says farewell to the round bar (a bone of contention since we arrived), it welcomes in a friendly and intimate place to dine, it welcomes a new wine selection and it welcomes a new bar area (sort of).  What hasn't changed is the friendly welcome, the fantastic food and smiles from our staff.  Tonight was the first night we got to see it in action.

The new light well that is a part of our new restaurant.  glowing:)

Again, we have to thank three people in particular for our new bar; Lew Price, who provided all of the glass and perspex with a speed that left whiplash!  Brian Keane, who did all our new electrical work with new lights and moving stuff around and then our favourite group of builders, Building Works with Brendan Lindsay.  If you need building work done around the coast or Whangarei then these are the guys, friendly and do a fabulous, detailed job and do exactly what they say they will but better than you would think or imagine.
I want to get some better pictures to show you all so will have to do another blog with those added.

The band SCARPA at Oceans = Awesome

Another thing that was new tonight was the band SCARPA.  Amazing band that we want back at Oceans as soon as possible!  For anyone looking at having a function, wedding, event where they are requiring a band, hand on heart you will not regret getting these guys.  WOW!!!  Everyone was up dancing and singing along,  We even took the photo's and loaded against youtube so you can judge for yourself.

There are of course heaps of people that make Oceans Resort Hotel such a special place to work, stay, eat, greet, meet and relax.  They are our locals who where out to support and have a look around the new bar/restaurant and of course our staff!  I have to say I am a very lucky manager to have such a fabulous team around me, it makes coming to work a joy.  So on a personal note to the team, thank you.  On a personal note to our guests, thank you.  On a personal note to the reader, thank you.  There wouldn't be one thank you without the others:)

Tutukaka has talent!

Our New Wine Select

Well it has been a while since putting fingers to keys, as always much has and much is happening here in Tutukaka and at Oceans Resort Hotel.  Quick run down on the facts.

We have new faces in the team!  As has been said before and will be said again, we are a small, happy and friendly team and welcoming new team members is always a warm experience.  Next time I will introduce you to some of them.



Our new light bar

We have a new Bar and Restaurant layout, with a comfortable Lounge Bar with Big Screen TV to watch the games (tonight is again another night of rugby), an intimate dinning area and a club bar.  In winter you could sit by the fire with a glass of red, in summer sit in the terraced bar and watch the boats coming and going.

We also have something else which is rather exciting, at the moment we are a week away from launching it but will give the readers a fair hint .......... Rumble.




The very talented Mr. Steve Moase

We are preparing for the first weddings of the season, (I still have a very romantic side that just loves our weddings and being apart of such a special day)





preparing for Tutukaka's got talent

Tomorrow we welcome back the youth of Tutukaka in the final of Tutukaka's got talent.  And boy oh boy do we have some talent in the young people around here.  If you have some time tomorrow pop on down around 3pm and watch the final.  We will be posting photo's up of the winners on our website.



Nikki at Tutukaka's got talent

Don't forget that at the end of the month, last Sunday of each month, is the Tutukaka Markets, hosted by Oceans Resort Hotel, rain or shine we sell local to you.






Steve and I look forward to welcoming you

Way to much to be reporting on really and slap on the hand to me for having not been doing so, your emails were read and apologies given.  Now I have the twitch to show off again about where I live and what I do so watch out, polish your glasses, rub the sleep from your eyes, book mark the page and prepare to read.  Fair warning that you may have a tinge of green every now and then whilst reading, this is perfectly normal and will settle down in time.  Jealously is the cause of this and if symptom persist, please see your travel agent or book your stay as soon as possible.:)  Though not contagious it can become debilitating if not seen to.

Sailing from Tutukaka - The Poor Knights

Heading out the Marina

I know that I do spend a lot of time blogging about Oceans Resort Hotel in Tutukaka, that is where I live and play so it is hard to really not write about something that is so awesome.  Regardless of this we do occasionally tend to look out and go and explore.  Yesterday was no exception.  We met up with some friends, packed up the boat and went sailing.

I won't lie the weather was perfect, though the air was cold.  On the way out we had a pod of dolphins jump past our boat, flying through the water.  It really was a beautiful sight to see and one that I can not imagine one ever being tired of seeing or experiencing.  Dolphins just seem to have a carefree look about them, maybe the smile they have?

Looking back towards Oceans Resort Hotel

We motored out past the Marina and did the friendly wave to the many other people that were on the water and on the rocks fishing (The friendly wave is a must, you are sharing a secret).  I was thrilled that the sails filled so quickly and as the motor was killed we were surrounded by bliss.  The slap of water against the hull, the filling of the sails as they were hoisted high, and the thrill you get as the boat picks up speed and starts to fly across the water, THAT is sailing.



So we had our eyes set on getting to the Poor Knights and with the wind in our favour we were quickly making our way there.  YAY.  So after 4 hours we were there having stopped off at the southern point, Sugarloaf, first.  We sailed past the hole in rock and dropped our anchor in a perfect part of the world, protected from wind and the sun beaming down.  There is no way that I will EVER be able to explain or convey what was there, never would justice be given to explaining the Poor Knights, you must experience it and then like I search for a way to explain it to those less fortunate, like me you will come up shy of ever being close.   Let's just say that there is a part of your soul that is touched, the birds, the peace, the colour of the sea......something there will touch your soul and you are not left longing for something, you are left with a feeling of satisfaction. 

So Steve headed below decks and turned on the kettle and we sat on the deck, coffee and tea, sandwiches and biscuits and enjoyed the moment. 

Now what was and is impressive was the fish!!!  Being a Marine Reserve you can not help but be in awe of it and what is there.  It was too cold to go below the surface, (I am more of a spa and heated swimming pool kind of girl really, the sea will need to warm a little more for me to get in again)  But you can peer over the side of your boat, adjust your eyes to deapth and you will see flashes of silver, LARGE flashes of silver.  They come in around your boat and check you out as much as you are checking them out. 
After a while it was time to raise the anchor and head back to the Marina.  Again the wind served us well and with a final tack we were heading in through the Tutukaka heads, back to our Marina.  Pack down, locked up and sails stowed away again, we headed back to Oceans for dinner (SURPRISE!!!)

What wasn't so much a surprise was that Oceans was busy with other guests who had the same idea as us.  So we settled by fire, had a glass of wine, ordered our dinner (eye fillet for me) and warmed up, appreciating the day we had had and the days we are to have.  Bliss.  We know and many of you know, Oceans is just a building in paradise, what makes Oceans magic is its location and our team.  We love what we do and we love sharing it.  I can't think of anywhere I would rather be:)

The winner!

Alan with his winning card. Congratulations!!!

Friday night is always a great night at Oceans Resort Hotel, it is our TGIF night and a chance for us to turn the juke box up, play some pool, eat some food and share a drink.  For some it is the end of the working week and others the start of the real reason we have the working week.

Tonight was of course no exception to the rule, the only difference is we were making the draw for the BBQ to one lucky person.  8pm came around and the bell was rung, which was a lot louder than I anticipated and the juke box turned down.  With the assistance of Hazel we made the draw.  Now there were a lot of cards in there with many guests having drunk their Export Gold, had their card stamped and put into the box.

Craig and James working their magic

It was Alan that won!  YAY.  Alan use to live in an apartment at Oceans Resort Hotel and for a long time was my neighbour.  Then he did what is only natural in Tutukaka brought a boat and moved to the water.  Not to far away from our front door:)  We are very lucky to have locals like Alan and we know it, so to be able to say his name as the winner for the BBQ was a true joy.

Congratulations from the whole team Alan!

Eating in Sweden

So this week Oceans is taking our customers to Sweden, tasting the delights without the airfare, how neat is that!  Again our Chef's did their magic, and it was Craig Estick at the helm tonight.  So again I did my job, as any good manager would, I ordered my dish:)  Well I mean really you do have know your product to sell your product surely we all know that. 

Salmon Entree.  It didn't last long at all

This week there are two dishes from the country of Sweden.  First the entree of Salmon.  I think Craigs exact words to me were, "Did you actually taste that?"  I will admit it was gone pretty fast and it was fantastic!!  The answer was "OMG did I taste that!"

Swedish Meatball dish, oh the shame:)

Then second was the meatballs.  Now being a Mother of two I will have to say that I am pretty good at making spaghetti and meatballs, lets face it, kids love it and it is easy to make and there are no groans and arguments of how much they have to eat before they are able to excuse themselves from the table.  Now being the connoisseur that I am with this dish, I wasn't prepared to give an inch when it comes to the taste, (I have pride in my own work you know).  I can now say thank goodness my children didn't taste Craig's Meatballs!  If that is what they are meant to taste like then I have failed my children's paletts, if that isn't what they are meant to taste like then I would like to start the petition that they should.  Served with Potato and Creamy mustard sauce again there was little time to spend looking at the dish.

Yip we pull it off!  Pfft not even close!  But we are having fun:)

So working the floor and welcoming the guests that came to play and dine was myself and Brent.  Brent has been with Oceans now for about 3 months and is awesome, makes a great cup of coffee and is a valued member of our small team.  Needless to say we rocked the night and made sure we looked the part, the difference is we made the night look good.  I know many will argue that point:)  Our problem is when we googled (thank goodness for google!)  "What is Sweden famous for?" we were listed with many many links to porn sites.  Now keeping in mind that we are family restaurant that simply wasn't going to do, so Bianca (Our Event Manager) came up with the wigs as our tribute to the top 20 links and that was as much of a tribute as they were going to get!  Apart from that it was ABBA playing and some soft candle light instead of electric lighting.  (NEVER under estimate what soft candle light does for your skin!  I felt young again:))

Tomorrow night is the last of Sweden and then we are packing down and preparing to arrive in Italy.  I think (since Brent had to wear a girls wig tonight) ALL staff will have to wear moustaches.  If you agree feel free to email me anytime with your vote.  Also have a look through our game board for a dinner that will suit your taste buds, or do what many are doing and turning up for all of them on either a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday night.  Remember to collect your game cards and save them up to play a game of chance and go in the draw for the Tutukaka Chest at the end.

Eating in Japan

Life is good at Oceans Resort Hotel, yummy!

Well Oceans Restaurant and Bar has landed for the final night in Japan.  Well our round the world at Oceans meal game has finished for Japan.  The real hard part of being a General Manager with such a wonderful Restaurant is that you have to taste the food.  It is just one of those parts of the job that has to be done, regardless.

So with a sigh (oh please note the sarcasm I am dripping on my sentences here) I ordered from James our Japanese dish.  Marx, one of our newest staff members then brought to my office what I can only say was a delight of the senses.
Smoked Salmon Sushi, Vegetable Sushi, pickled ginger, wasabi (shaped as a leaf) soy sauce, Chicken teriyaki and Beef teriyaki served with chilli aioli.  Prawn Tempura, Scallop tempura and broccoli tempura served with a crisp vegetable salad.  Tuna Sashimi with an avocado and wasbi mousse AND miso soup!  WOW.

James our Chef preparing for the taste-buds

I didn't get my playing card like the rest of our customers as it will be a bit unfair when it comes to going in the draw for the cash win and playing the game of chance.  I think I can live with that.

So as we close our restaurant for the evening and our customers get back in their cars and head home, or for the lucky ones take an elevator ride to their rooms we will say farewell to Japan.  We will however start to get ready for our next port of call which is Sweden, landing Monday evening the 7th May.

So you may have missed out on coming to Japan with us, there were of course many of you that didn't miss out and actually came twice.  However we are in Sweden next week and I look forward to handing out even more game cards.  I will start preparing myself for that job of tasting the food. 

Can I also add that as of tomorrow we have our new Menu starting.  We are cooling down here in Tutukaka, (not as much as the rest of country), so our menu will start reflecting that.  You can check out the new menu here, as of tomorrow, being Friday 4th May.  I suppose I better start getting ready to taste that too, oh the things you do, the things you do.  Might have to start doing a few more runs out to the lighthouse and back, but it will be soooooo worth it:)

It has been busy

I have to apologise, I have been rather slack in the blog side of Oceans Resort Hotel for sometime.  I could come up with excuses, but really what I should do is just load up heaps of photos.  It has been a silence filled with lots of changes and excitement!

The front of Oceans Resort Hotel has finally had a little lift.  There wouldn't be one person out there who didn't think that this was needed and long overdue.  With great delight we are now able to eat, drink, celebrate and relax under HUGE yellow umbrellas and be protected by safety glass walls, no loss of views but loss of wind, oh dear how sad.  Oceans would like to thank Lew Price for the glass and getting it in for us!  Would have lost a heck of a lot more if we had let Steve play around with it to much.:)

We also need to thanks Buildingworks for all of their work.  The outside bar, bar leaners, walls and pot plants were all done by these guys.  And when you come out and have a look and walk across our new bridge entrance, take a look at the detail that these guys put into it.  LOVE IT!
Lighting is about to be finished off for the area so finally when you drive past at night you will be able to tell that Oceans is still open:)
Heads up though there are still changes coming.  So just when you think you know Oceans we do plan to change things even more.  Change is as good as a holiday they say, so what on earth would that mean when there is change when you are on holiday!!!!  AWESOME Double holiday:)

It hasn't been quiet at Oceans, though the Blog contradicts that I know.  Our team have been very busy and loving every moment of it.  We had some amazing weddings during this season and have been able to welcome and meet many many guests.

I think what is unique about Oceans is that we do know our customers.  There are not many of you that will get through our doors without at least one conversation with a member of the Oceans team.  It is our guests that really make our day so we do try to get to meet you on a personal level too!

So what I have decided to do with this Blog is to start introducing you to some of our team.  We are a small team and we love what we do.  The question is who to start with and which one of the team will put there hand up to having their mug on here with a short little brief.  You will have to check back with me on that one.

Another thing that you might want to know about is our new game that Oceans will be playing with our guests.  Eat your way around the world.
This starts on 30th April, 2012 and goes for 20 weeks!.  Our Chefs will take you to a new country every week, (well your tastebuds anyway), we will remain in that country from Monday - Thursday before we start preparing for our next port of call.
Each time you come and have a World Meal you will collect a game card.  When you have 5 game cards you can play a game of chance and go in the draw for the Tutukaka Chest, a cash win for one lucky player!

Contact our team or the Resort if you want to know more, you can also check out our website for more information.  SEE YOU THERE!  Will blog about our travels also for those who are reading from afar.