Cafe at Whanganui’s Rotokawau Virginia Lake reopens under new management

Bizen Miyake (in cap) with cafe staff Caitlyn Crawford (left), Charlotte Osborn, Tania Möller, Marsalles Walsh and Kyra Garrett. Photo / Mike Tweed

The cafe at Whanganui’s Rotokawau Virginia Lake is back up and running, with a familiar face at the helm.

Bizen Miyake, owner of the Momiji restaurant on Victoria Ave, is the new lessee.

He said the kitchen at the Virginia Lake Cafe was still being set up, but there was coffee, cabinet food and sushi on-site, and a cart for burgers and chips.

“We are working on the dining area and, of course, there will be a breakfast menu,” Miyake said.

“When that is all set up, we’ll announce longer opening hours for dinnertime.”

Miyake, who previously owned a restaurant in Kyoto, said he had loved the lake setting since arriving in Whanganui.

“Being from Japan, we were living in a metropolitan area.

“When we saw it, we just went ‘Wow’. It’s very beautiful here.

“The property came up on a list so we thought we would give it a try.”

He also operates Momiji Grab n’ Go on Maria Place.

The site at Virginia Lake is owned by Whanganui District Council.

In a statement, chief strategy officer Sarah O’Hagan said it was wonderful to see a new chapter beginning for the cafe.

“Virginia Lake is a special and important place for both locals and visitors,” she said.

“We’re really pleased to support this next step and look forward to seeing the cafe become a well-loved part of the lake experience once again.”

Previously, the cafe was run by Dave Hill as the Funky Duck.

Hill’s lease expired in March.

Miyake said he planned to continue the Funky Duck’s tradition of selling duck food.

“Our staff are also local and they suggested that to me,” he said.

“It’s a great idea. They [ducks] have their food and we have our food.

“We want to make everyone happy.”

To start with, the Virginia Lake Cafe will be open every day from 8.30am to 3.30pm.

Mike Tweed is a multimedia journalist at the Whanganui Chronicle. Since starting in March 2020, he has dabbled in everything from sport to music. At present his focus is local government, primarily the Whanganui District Council.