Moeraki magic, sans Fleur

There but not there: Clouds hang over Moeraki’s Fleur’s Place, with its doors permanently closed.

Google Fleur’s Place and a stream of sites appear, highlighting this culinary pioneer’s extraordinary journey from childhood forager to restaurateur of global recognition. With a long-held desire to visit the South Island’s Moeraki, see its boulders and feast on Fleur’s famous food, Jo Ferris can only dream of what might have been.

Note to self. When making a wish list of “must dos”, don’t put them off. Time has a way of cancelling the opportunity. Make that a capital C – as in Covid.

Fleur’s Place had a stop-start time through 2020 and 2021, but with ongoing struggles to get staff, I assume the end was always in sight. Whether Covid and its pressures put the final nail in the coffin of Moeraki’s iconic restaurant, or whether age simply caught up with Fleur Sullivan, I have no idea. I didn’t have the heart to seek out this legendary woman, being startled to learn that she is in her late 80s – living quietly on the hilltop in Moeraki, probably looking down on the shadow of a place that drew throngs to feast on the rustic delights and fresh food that Fleur built her reputation on.

Moeraki is a magical place, steeped in the history of Māori legend and battles; of whalers and fishers, and initially considered as a major port for North Otago. Only the rusting wharf remains on the isthmus where Fleur’s Place stands in solitary confinement. Walking around this former whaling station is surreal. It is like the place is simply shut on a Monday, awaiting the next day’s fresh catch and designing a blackboard menu for the next rush after a hectic weekend.

Empty chairs and tables dot the grounds. The blackboard outside is blank; doors are closed. Yet everything inside remains — static – a museum in waiting. Crockery is in piles on a table, glasses sit in trays on the bar. Mementoes are everywhere. Walls and screens are crammed with hand-written names and messages as a memorial to the thousands who came, dined and left with lasting memories of their time at Fleur’s.

Fleur’s Place might have been the main magnet but the Moeraki Tavern and Fishwife fish and chip eateries serve their own speciality cuisine. Along with other fishing boats and charters, the Fishwife’s boat cruises out of the harbour before sunrise each day. Blue cod is the specialty most want to feast on later at lunch, chilling out at Fishwife’s unique waterfront café. But any fresh fish will do, thank you.

In the evening, the tavern is the place to dine and wine but be sure to be early. The kitchen closes at 7pm sharp. Choose wisely too – entrée size at Moeraki Tavern is more like a main course in the North Island. I was reminded that things are different down south.

With no stores to buy supplies – Hampden is the closest, a short drive up the main highway — Moeraki is a place to simply be, and let time pass by.

History documentation confirms Māori settlement early in the 18th century. European arrival established a whaling station on the northern side of the peninsula in 1836, now the site of the village. As the years passed, Moeraki remained an isolated community, but around 1854, thoughts arose of establishing a major port to rival Oamaru. By the 1860s, Moeraki was growing and work started on the long-awaited wharf. While Moeraki had the best natural harbour in North Otago, complications soon became apparent. Low tide was too shallow for larger ships, the wharf was too short and by the 1870s a new wharf was required. Complications arose yet again, both with the new wharf’s construction and the railway link that was vital for transport. Restricted access, together with the establishment of better facilities at Oamaru, became Moeraki’s demise as North Otago’s main port.

Yesterday’s history is Moeraki’s advantage today. Its sleepy mantra is what makes this village, with its famed boulders and nature, so special. This is despite Fleur’s Place now closed forever. One can only hope someone else might pick up the mantel.

Of all the places UK’s own reputed restaurateur Rick Stein wanted to visit in New Zealand, Fleur’s Place was it. I’m sure his signature will be somewhere among all the names. Sadly, mine won’t join them. Time will only tell what will happen to Fleur’s Place. I just hope it won’t slip into anonymity and be forgotten. Moeraki remains all the better for it.

Places to stay

Moeraki Beachfront Motel

Places to dine

Moeraki Tavern

Fishwife

Moeraki Boulders Cafe

Things to Do

Moeraki Boulders

Lighthouse walk to Kātiki Point

Millenium Walk