The restaurant in its brief life as a tourism venture. Photo / Martin Sykes
The scene of Suzanne Paul's failed Maori cabaret venture is set for a new lease of life as an upmarket functions centre.
The former Fisherman's Wharf Restaurant at Northcote Pt is being relaunched this month as "The Wharf" by events management company the Orange Group.
It will cater
for private and corporate functions as well as weddings.
"Basically it's a complete rebuild of the space - we've sort of ripped the building apart and started again," said Stuart Robertson of the Orange Group.
He said the building, originally completed in the 1960s when "they had slightly different ideas in building and construction", would feature four spaces which could be kept separate or combined.
A landmark with panoramic views over the Waitemata Harbour and Auckland's CBD, it was the site of Ms Paul's Rawaka Maori culture tourism venture which folded in July 2004.
Rawaka went into voluntary liquidation owing $1.1 million.
Liquidators said Ms Paul was $355,000 out of pocket and the company owed $482,000 to workers and $326,500 in loans.
Before Ms Paul's venture, the Phoenix Club, run by Gerard Smith, was at the premises from October 2002 until January 2003.
