the winter of ‘22
Kia Ora Coasties,
Winter brought a number of challenges, mainly crazy weather which most of you also endured! We had 10-metre swells hammering our coastline, roads turned into beaches - covered in sand and rocks, floods, and simply, a large number of southerlies hammering us making it difficult to fish and get outdoors. But hey, we'd do it all again 'cause we get to do what we love, providing you with fresh, sustainable seafood from the ocean, and not a tank - mission complete!
We had a new addition to our team, Taine, who was looking for a bit more excitement in his career as an electrician, so joined us in Tora to crayfish with Troy and dive for pāua and kina! We're stoked the wild weather hasn't switched him off just yet, and he'll be joining us for the summer to get fresh kaimoana across the country. Cheers for your hard-work Taine, we couldn't have done it without ya.
We were lucky enough to make a trip up to Auckland to visit some of the masterful chefs that turn our produce into a seafood lover's dream! A special thanks to Zennon from Paris Butter, Makoto from Cocoro, Fraser & Shannon from Lillius for hosting us at your establishments, and allowing us to see the mahi that you put into our catch. It's hugely special to us to have the opportunity to taste the fruits of our labour by your hands, and your dedication to providing top quality and sustainable produce to your customers is outstanding, and a labour of love.
Although looking forward to a much-needed rest, we're amped to come back in spring, and have a few exciting events on the horizon!
Next week we have a long lunch at the Thistle Inn for WOAP. It's sold out (sorry!), but we hope to see some of you there!
In November we'll be the ones on the barbie cooking some of our kaimoana at this year's Toast Martinborough (do come and say kia ora!).
We have five spaces left for our 'Serving Up Tora' events held over summer, where you can come to Tora for a true coastal experience including a joy ride on Tākitimu to catch your kaimoana, a masterclass, and essentially, a wee party at our beautiful spot enjoying freshly caught seafood and local wines! See below for a sneak peek. If you're interested, click here.
All in all, we can't thank you enough for the support we've had from you. You're the reason we get to do what we love each day and we wouldn't change a thing! We hope you have a great couple of months and we'll be back in October to gather you a taste of fresh kaimoana for Labour Weekend.
Nga mihi nui, Claire & Troy,
Co-Owners & Fishers of Tora Collective.