At the Sign of the Blue Chook

Running a pub in a sleepy seaside town wasn’t part of the plan for two city sisters. But a sentimental journey changed their minds.

Words: Polly Greeks  Photographs: Matthew Williams

WHEN WORD GOT OUT that two Wellington sisters were buying a pub in the tiny coastal town of Kawhia, the local rumour mill cranked into overtime. Why would a pair of divorced, cosmopolitan women in their 50s choose to pack up their lives and shift to a North Island backwater?

Why indeed? Barbara Cutler and Trisha Proudman admit that owning a rural bar had never previously featured in their life ambitions. “It happened almost by accident really,” Barbara says. While on holiday in 2003, the sisters made a sentimental journey to Kawhia to revisit the scene of their childhood summers. A For Sale sign in the pub window caught their eye. At first the idea of buying it seemed just a passing fantasy, “but the more we thought about it, the more we thought we could do this,” says Trisha.

Back in Wellington, the sisters found their conversation kept returning to the small seaside pub until eventually they asked themselves what they stood to lose if they bought it. Living by the adage “nothing ventured, nothing gained”, they put in an offer. Both gained their bar manager licences, Barbara put her house on the market and packed in her private midwifery practice and within seven months the two women were standing behind the bar on opening night. Kawhia’s Blue Chook Inn was born.

Considering they’d never pulled a pint in their lives, the transition from city slickers to rural publicans was surprisingly smooth. Apart from renaming the business and making a few minor changes, there was very little they needed to do to the bar.

The back of the century-old building required maintenance and the sisters now run a small motel from it. However, they stress that is a minor part of their business. The motel isn’t advertised and relies upon word of mouth for its customers. Right from their first night in business the pub has been well patronized by locals. “I think there was a certain amount of fascination to see if these city girls could do it,” says Barbara.

Trisha says they decided that if after 12 months they hated their lives, they would cross it off as the Year of the Blue Chook Disaster, pack up and move on. Eighteen months later they’ve proved that not only can they run a bar, they can do it with style.

It’s a quiet Tuesday evening when NZ Life & Leisure steps into the Blue Chook. Blue china plates decorate the walls and there’s a definite chook theme happening in the décor. A log fire’s burning but the real warmth comes from the group of locals who’ve congregated round the tables for a drink. Trisha and Barbara sit with them, laughing and bantering with an easy familiarity.

Sisters Trisha Proudman (left) and Barbara Cutler
had never pulled a pint in their lives when they
decided to take over Kawhia's country pub.

Although there’s another pub in Kawhia the sisters don’t see it as competition, saying it provides a different atmosphere to the Blue Chook’s. The drinking environment they’ve created has gone down well with both locals and out-of-towners. They’ve become known for their theme nights such as the oyster festival, pot-luck chilli dinner and Melbourne Cup celebration.

They also talk of evenings that have turned into spontaneous parties, when the guitar’s been lifted off the wall and everybody has joined in the songs. “There’s such an amazing spirit. Nights like that really make you realize why you’re here,” says Barbara.

Local fishing charter operator Pauline Pinny says the Blue Chook has brought an injection of life to the tiny town. “They’ve added another dimension to Kawhia.” Kawhia fire chief and camp-ground owner Nick Tautari agrees. “They’ve changed the drinking habits here and they’ve educated people. They’ve been very good for this community.” He says the sisters have set a new standard in drinking and he enjoys bringing campers in for a pint. “It’s intimate. It’s not a booze barn.”

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