Newspaper Article 1999 – New ventures for old station

New ventures for old station

CHRIS ORMOND

The magnificent Clifton homestead has been home to five generations of Gordons.

Angus and Dinah Gordon took over the homestead in 1989. The building was in top condition then and a high level of maintenance has remained the top priority. However, dwindling returns from the 81ha farm have forced them into a string of new ventures, the latest of which will really put their entrepreneurial skills to the test.

The 98-year-old seven-bedroom home was built to replace the original homestead, destroyed by fire just before the turn of the century.

Angus tells how 40 people were working at the nearby woolshed and saved almost all the original furniture which is in the house today.

One of the most striking things about the interior decoration is the huge moose head which greets you as you walk down the hallway. It hangs next to a savage-looking wild boar and was shot in Fiordland by Angus’ grandfather. It is a unique trophy, one of only three killed in New Zealand.

Maintaining the house to Angus and Dinah’s high standard has been an ongoing expense. Angus says at least $5000 is invested annually in the upkeep of the place, and although it is financially demanding he is passionate about preserving what he sees as an important part of family and Hawke’s Bay history.

The downturn in farming over the past two decades has resulted in large budget cuts for many properties and often the old homesteads pay the price.

“The farms don’t provide enough income to maintain many of these places now,” Angus says.

But while it is disappointing, his own quest for another means of income has seen him through a few ventures.

Growing squash has returned some good profits over the past 10 years but has fallen out of favour recently.

In 1994 more than 2500 red-hot poker bulbs were planted on some of the farm’s flat land. The leaves of the plant are dried on the floor of the woolshed and a local craftswoman weaves them into seats which are sold locally and nationwide. They are also used inside Angus and Dinah’s latest venture, The Clifton Bay Cafe and function room which sits just off the beach in front of the homestead. It was built “to cater for the locals who have no focal point out here”, Angus says, as well as for the steady stream of tourists who visit Cape Kidnappers.

The building has full restaurant facilities, a function room upstairs and a large veranda which should make for pleasant summer dining, although Angus is determined to have the place busy summer and winter.

The two palm trees moved out from a property in Havelock North, at considerable expense, will provide “instant ambience” to what has all the makings of a popular gathering place for locals and visitors.

The whole idea seems to be a direct result of diminishing returns from a farm which once upon a time not only paid all the bills but also allowed for a lavish lifestyle. The farm will have to take a back seat for a while as the cafe gets under way but farm staff will help look after that side of things.

While the new project steers away from the farming tradition, it is seen as necessary to help toward maintaining the material side of the Gordon heritage.

Photo captions –

LEFT: Clifton Bay Cafe has been built “to cater for the locals who have no focal point out here”, as well as for visitors to Cape Kidnappers.

BELOW: The Clifton homestead was built to replace the original homestead, destroyed by fire just before the turn of the century.
HB TODAY PICTURE: DUNCAN BROWN

LEFT: The new cafe sits just off the beach and in front of the homestead.