Part of the newly renovated surf lifesaving club building at Waihi Beach has been transformed into The Surf Club Bar.
"The huge deck overlooks the best beach in New Zealand, it's unique. This is the best outlook of any surf club in NZ as far as I'm aware," says bar manager
and Flat White Café proprietor Andy Kennedy. "You can see all the way up to the Mount and across to Mayor."
Members can sit on the rustic Blackdog furniture, enjoy a drink from as low as $5 a glass or a bar snack from the revolving blackboard menu such as roasted herb potatoes with aioli, scallop mornay or Thai beef curry.
Along with two hours of entertainment every night from 7pm, an old beach tradition, the quick fire raffle will be reintroduced.
Decorated with an old Juke Box along with surf club photos and memorabilia, the new club is for members and guests of members. With membership just $30, the key focus is to support the Surf Club financially through increased membership.
"This has been highly successful already," says Andy. "The spin-off to much needed revenue for a financially struggling club, is a higher profile with potentially more lifeguards coming through."
From just 72 paid members before the bar opened to 350 in the first month, Andy says the bar is doing what it was intended to do. "My goal is 1,000 members this season. The beach is the hub of the community but so many people have never been into the club before. This takes the club to the community."
The bar will be open from 4pm daily.
