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:)

And the Business Awards

I put my hand up to the fact that I do give Oceans Resort Hotel in Tutukaka a wrap on this blog.  Of course I do, I work, live and breathe this place and I still wake up each morning loving the fact that I do get to live and work here.

A few months ago Steve and I sat down with the team to ask their permission to enter this year’s Westpac and Northland Chamber of Commerce Business Awards.  With their permission (it is a team effort here) we put ourselves forward into two categories; Business Coaching NZ Best Emerging Business Award and the More FM Customer Choice Award.   For those who are considering entering these awards next year I can not tell you enough times to do it.  Completing the entry forms really does allow you to do a focused health check on your business.  I will be doing another blog on Business in Northland soon as the support you get as a business here is over-whelming, it just sits there waiting till you call for it.

So we put our entry form in.  At the beginning it was scary stuff, not knowing what the judges were looking for or what layout should really be done, but then it dawns on you.  This isn’t high-school, they want to read about your business and they want a clear understanding of your business, your values, your goals, how your business ticks and what the underlying spirit of your business is.  When you realise this it becomes so simple.  As you can imagine our entry form was bright and crisp, a bit of fun and a little bit different……just like Oceans.  And with the support of Tony from Smart Energy Solutions who won last year we put our entry form in with our shoulders back.  No matter the outcome we had presented our business on paper as it was in reality.  Not perfect, not shinny, not with all the answers, it was as we are honest, fun and with an air of excitement. 





What a great looking venue for the night



The judges read our entry and then came out to Oceans.  That part is fun!  We got to show off a place that in all honesty is just a great place to claim as “ours”.  There are not enough hours in the day to share the excitement of that!

Then it was the night, we knew we were finalists for both categories and that alone was a fantastic feeling.  I want to say that I didn’t mind if we won or lost, as at the end of day we were winners for entering….but that would be a lie.



The speech for Business Coaching NZ
Best Emerging Business Award



Business Coaching NZ, Best Emerging Business was the first of our two to be called.   Again I want to say that I didn’t have my fingers crossed and wasn’t silently saying “oceans, oceans, oceans” but again that would be a lie.  But to hear Oceans Resort Hotel called out as the winners was a heart filling sound!!!  To be able to walk up on stage and accept the award of behalf of our team was a treasured moment.



More FM Customer Choice Award

The next one for the More FM Customer Choice award was after Dessert, and the meals were fantastic.  I could have eaten more of that!

Then it was the second of our categories, I will admit now that both Steve and I, despite our desire, had not considered being able to walk away with two awards.  The other finalists were fantastic businesses and I know they are because I shop at many of them!  Though I silently hoped, I didn’t have my fingers crossed and I wasn’t silently saying “oceans, oceans, oceans”.  So when it was Oceans Resort Hotel that was called it was a feeling of gleeful confusion.  An award that was given to us from our customers, it was an award that directly reflected the fantastic nature of our team, it was an award that was of such high honour to receive that I will admit when I got on stage there was a moment when I thought there would be a tear.  And as I said when it was given to us, “This is an award that belongs to our team, it is a reason to thank everyone who has smiled at us, encouraged us, supported us and hugged us” This was really the award of the people.  All people who have ever been a part of Oceans; customers, staff and suppliers.

So thank you to everyone!!!!



Collective Concepts created a great night, The Chamber of Commerce created a great business support base and encouragement and Salt 'n' light have the most amazing photo's from the night, the ones of this blog are just a few of the many that were taken. The night was one that will not be forgotten.  So come into Oceans and look up on the bar and see our awards, Oceans Blue glass (it was meant to beJ)