Over the past couple months that I have been working at the Papamoa Beach Tavern (aka. the “Pap Tav”), I have made some pretty nice friendships and learned a lot about the history of the Pap Tav itself. It’s a bit of an institution in the community here, as I have come to appreciate.
The Pap Tav originally opened back in 1983 (making it slightly older than me). It used to be a pretty happening place back in the day, or so I’m told. Over time the Pap Tav grew tired and, most recently, was a pretty sketchy place until the current ownership group bought it out and invested some mega bucks to give it a major face-lift. Since it re-opened, the Pap Tav has once again become a hub for the community (people even come with their kids–minors are allowed in as long as they are with a parent).
As the community has flocked back to the Pap Tav, they have all shared their stories about the history of the place. One woman told me about being here on opening night in 1983, another couple told me about their wedding here, many years ago, and yet another couple shared their story about first meeting at the Pap Tav back in the day. It has been so cool to hear about the history of this place and see people’s faces light up as they talk about their memories. It also makes me look around and think about all the memories being formed now, “who’s falling in love here today?” I wonder (with the help of 2 for 1 cocktails on Wednesdays).
I have also formed a really cool bond with many of my coworkers. A lot of us are here on a working holiday visa, so it’s a nice international group too. There are several countries represented among the staff, including: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Denmark, Germany, India, Ireland, New Zealand, the UK, the USA, and a few others I’m sure I left out. I especially like practising my Spanish with the Argentinians and it’s fun to hear the kitchen play some bhangra music occasionally.
Let’s meet some of the cast below (if you’re reading on your phone, the formatting may not be the best):
In this picture you can see (from left to right): Luis from Argentina, Jordan from NZ, me, Ashley from Canada, and Lorin from NZ.
After each shift we’re allowed to have a drink (don’t worry, I don’t have a drink everyday), but it’s a nice excuse to hang out with a “staffy” (or is it “staffie”?) when we’re done!
Meet Love from India (yes, he tells us that is his real name). He works his magic in the kitchen. He is one of the most chill guys I’ve ever met and makes a mean veggie burger.
Meet Jenny from Germany. We like to make awesomely delicious salad combinations. Don’t be fooled by that smile though- she’s a star rugby player, so I wouldn’t mess with her, especially when there are 20 food dockets waiting to go out.
Meet Andy, she is one seriously fun Dane. We like to try different milkshake and ice cream combinations, but don’t tell our boss. This is probably the only time you’ll see Andy without her travel partner Agnes, also from Denmark. The two of them spent several months in Toronto, on a working holiday as well, right before NZ, so we can talk about Toronto stuff. For some reason, Andy seems to be the victim of most of the water fights around here. Oh, that’s right, my new office has water fights. Regularly.
This is Amy from NZ. She likes to wear her boyfriend’s shirt to work. Kidding that shirt belongs to our bouncer. We all feel pretty safe when he’s around. (For the record, Amy is quite thin!)
We have a waffle machine at work, so I thought it only fitting that I bring in some maple syrup (the real stuff) for everyone to try. This is Pip, also from NZ. He really likes the maple syrup apparently. The sugar goes straight to his arms, clearly.
This is Sam. He started a handle club. But shhhhh, it’s a secret handle club. Locals only! Also, Sam can tap a keg in record time; if ever there’s a beer emergency where you are, he’s the one to call. A dry keg is pretty much the biggest work emergency around here. It’s like being unprepared for a conference call. But not really.
This is Lorin and me. Serving up sunsets and, oh shit, here comes our boss! We gotta run…
PS- that’s my work uniform. I have to be careful or I might forget how to put on a tie.
Most of my coworkers are younger than me- but I’m not the oldest one. Apparently I don’t look my age. Wait, it might have been I don’t act my age. I can’t remember now.
Also, while I didn’t share that I’m a lawyer, word got out eventually. When the owner found out about my background, he showed me the contract he signed to get a brewery started at the Pap Tav. It turns out, the materials are being supplied by a company from Prince Edward Island in Canada. I asked him who was his Canadian legal counsel. He was really proud to say that he didn’t need a lawyer to review the contract. We also had some insightful conversations about withholding tax and remittance obligations. I don’t think he’s had an employee who could actually talk to him about that kind of stuff and it’s interesting for me to compare the two systems.
While I like to focus on the positive, I’ve had some negative experiences here too. For example, as I was clearing up empty bottles off a table one day, an older man (in front of his whole family of about 8-10 people) condescendingly remarked that I might get a “real” job one day. I was shocked, but calmly put my tray down and asked him what he did for a living. I guess that was slightly more embarrassing for him because it turned out he was on unemployment at the time.
Luckily, a lot of my friends who had worked in hospitality before had warned me about how some customers treat service industry staff, so I wasn’t phased by most of the bad apples and, overall, Kiwis are a friendly bunch. This is clearly a case of “the exception proves the rule” as I have a great time chatting with most of our customers and my “accent” is a real conversation starter (though if one more person asks me “what part of the US are you from?” I might just lose it).
If you’re around Papamoa on Mondays, swing by for mates rates. A burger (beef or veggie), a beer, and some seriously addictive fries for $10 NZD.
Impermanent Establishments 