Celebrate Central Otago’s Sense of Place at the Great Glenorchy Getaway Day
Getaway with the family to Glenorchy on Saturday, 19th August
GLENORCHY, NEW ZEALAND, 8 August 2017 – This month’s Great Glenorchy Getaway Day tempts visitors and residents of Central Otago to explore A Sense of Place and celebrate life’s simple pleasures – food, wine, creativity, relaxation and home.

Headlining the event is the iconic Alan Brady, the pioneering father of Central Otago Pinot Noir who sold the first commercial Central Otago wine 30 years ago this year. Alan is running a very special varietal wine tasting showcasing the area’s sub-regions and unique terroir though five distinct Pinot Noirs. A talk by Christopher Keys, the Chief Winemaker at Gibbston Valley Wines will bring this very special place in Alan’s heart full circle.

Mrs Woolly’s General Store is hosting the day-long celebration from 10am to 8pm, and the workshops, music, market stalls, family activities and Camp Glenorchy tours are all free. Mrs Woolly’s BBQ Brunch Buns, hot soup and the delicious new selection of award-winning pies from Fairlie Bakehouse will be offered all day. A range of wonderful market stalls will showcase crafts, clothing, candles, jewelry, wine and food for sale accompanied by live music.

The award-winning Wild Earth Catering is running a stall during the day and is also preparing a mouth-watering evening meal of wine-barrel roasted Akaroa salmon, BBQ pork ribs and chicken for $45pp, accompanied by Gibbston Valley Wines sold by the glass and beer from Invercargill Brewery.

Five free workshops run throughout the day. Chef Zoe Veint, a 4th-generation Glenorchy local who grew-up with a strong sense of family and place at the head of the lake, will show us How to Make Kombucha, a fermented drink with 2,000 years of tradition now widely regarded as a super food that you can enjoy at home. Michelle Stewart, founder of Wanaka’s world-famous yarn and knitting shop, The Woven, presents Weaving Your Own Sense of Place: Chunky Knitting: and Malaysian-born Glenorchy resident Rina Ng talks is Bringing the Flavors of Malaysia to New Zealand and sharing comfort foods to honour our roots and share our own unique sense of place with others. NZ Master Chef Runner-Up Jamie Stodler from Queenstown’s first cakery selling only cupcakes and teaCup&Cake is Creating Cupcake Magic for kids of any age, and Geoff Ockwell, the former General Manager of the Paradise Charitable Trust, is leading a panel discussion on A Sense of Place rooted at Paradise with a panel of locals.
Debbie Crompton, General Manager of Mrs Woolly’s General Store, says all those who live and work in Glenorchy’s acknowledge its special ‘sense of place’ every day.

“We’re lucky to live in Central Otago and this next Great Glenorchy Getaway Day is an opportunity to celebrate its special Sense of Place with families, friends, community and the region,” she says. “The theme of Place is one of the seven categories, or ‘petals,’ of the Living Building Challenge (LBC) philosophy that is guiding us in the design, construction and operation of Camp Glenorchy.”
“Sneak Peek” tours of Camp Glenorchy at 12 noon and 3pm will enable visitors to see the massive Scheelite Campfire Shelter designed and built by Glenorchy artist Dan Kelly, the South Island’s largest solar garden, and braided river stone mosaic pathways designed and built by landscape artist Jeffrey Bale. They’ll also get an early peek at what the well-insulated year-round cabins will look like when the campground opens in late December, and see the large shared-purpose Commons Building, which will house Camp Glenorchy’s year-round group gathering space, shared kitchen, dining room, library and atrium.

Children’s activities include a day of Family Fun including a children’s craft table (10am-1pm), hands-on cupcake decorating (1pm-2pm) family races and games (2pm) marshmallow toasting at the bonfire commencing at 4pm. Lisa Cruickshank will accompany the bonfire with live music.

At 4pm Jamie Lewars from Invercargill Brewery will host a beer tasting session ($10pp) and at 5pm Alan Brady will host a wine tasting of five Pinot Noir wines from various sub-regions of Central Otago ($20pp). At 5:30pm Wild Earth Catering will serve a dinner of wine-barrel smoked Akaroa King Salmon, BBR pork ribs, chicken, veggies and salad ($45/pp), with a brief talk by Radio DJ and Queenstown Lakes District Council councilor Ferg (Craig) Ferguson about his journey from playing for the NZ Colts and Junior All Blacks, to working as a bus driver and Coronet Peak “Liftie” to years of service in the community he loves.

After dinner, Geoff Ockwell will speak about his work at Paradise and his master’s degree exploring a Sense of Place in the area, followed by the Chief Winemaker from Gibbston Valley Wines, Christopher Keys. The day’s event will end by 8pm.

Tickets for the Beer Tasting, Wine Tasting, and Wild Earth Dinner and programme, are available at Mrs Woolly’s General Store in Glenorchy. For more information and tickets to the tastings and/or dinner visit www.GreatGlenorchyGetawayDay.co.nz or call 03 409 0051 between 10am and 5:30pm.
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