Adventures happen

I still have adventures, mostly small, and I usually talk about them here. Sometimes, however, I simply forget. Last Friday was one of those times.

Last Friday I met up with my mother-in-law, sister-in-law, and cousin-in-law for lunch at a place none of us had been to. I shared the photos on social media—Instagram, my personal Facebook, and also as my first post on Threads (as an Instagram share). But I forgot to share it here, something I only realised today when I was looking at my photos and saw the one above. I’m going to fix that now.

The place we went to is called Saints Public House in an area northwest of Hamilton called Te Kowhai, which is a ten minute (or so) drive from my house over country roads. The building is a repurposed church from 1906 that had originally stood in central Hamilton. It was closed due to earthquake risk, and was eventually moved to Te Kowhai where it was refurbished and made earthquake safe.

The fact the place used to be a church amused me, and I joked, “You can tell the building was deconsecrated: I didn’t burst into flames when I walked in.” Of course I don’t think that’s a real thing that can actually happen, but as a now secular heathen preacher’s kid, it was funny to me—and others, of course.

The place had a really nice feel to it—welcoming, cosy, and fun, all in one. I liked being able to see the original construction details, including the iron rods used to tie the exterior side walls together, something that was often done in churches of that era so they could have large, open roof spaces without rafters. The organ pipes at the front appear to be from the church, too. There was a book of photos for customer to look at, and it showed that before it was closed the ceiling was painted. There were no antique photos of the inside to show if the ceiling was originally just wood, as it is now, but natural wood was quite commonly used in New Zealand churches during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. To me, one of the most spectacular examples of that is Old St Paul's in Wellington, formerly an Anglican “provisional cathedral” and now a government-owned facility and tourist attraction.

Free phone charging station.

The food and coffee at the cafe was very nice. I had the Crispy Chicken Waffle, which was great. The good food, friendly service, and nice vibe led me to say on my social media post, “I’m definitely planning on going back,” because I am. In fact, I may even take myself there on a lunch date.

As I was sitting there, I couldn’t help but think about how Nigel would’ve liked the place: We had similar reactions to public spaces like cafés, and we both appreciated the sort of vibe this place had. I also know he’d have noticed the phone charging station—the first one like that I’ve seen anywhere. And, of course, I know he’d have liked the food. These are the sorts of thoughts I have whenever I go somewhere new like that; I imagine I always will.

It was a good time, with good food, good company, in a place with a good vibe. And yet, I forgot to mention it here at all. That’s a shame because part of the reason I share such things here is so I can go into more detail than I do in social media posts, and to provide relevant links. But this blog is also where I chronicle this new life journey I’m on, and I think it’s very important that I also share details of the good experiences I’m having, the fun times when my mini-adventures happen. But I’ll probably continue to forget to share some of them. That happens, too.

Important Note: I used the name of the café for purposes of description and clarity. No company or entity provided any support or payment for this blog post, and the meal and coffee I had were purchased by me at normal consumer prices. So, the opinions I expressed are my own genuinely held opinions, and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the owners, operators, or any known human being, alive or dead, real or corporate. Just so we’re clear.