Ode 2.0 is once again open.

Head Chef Lucas Parkinson, takes us on a journey through his mind, tells us the story ‘behind the menu’.

The first four dishes on our opening menu are a testament to the life shattering journey we have been on to rebuild not only Ode, but our whanau & mental health.

Thank you to The Film Crew Wanaka, for helping us share our story.

On the 12th August 2018, Ode was engulfed overnight in a severely damaging fire.

Owner and Head Chef Lucas Parkinson posted an emotional video on social media announcing that we would be closing our doors for the foreseeable future, never imaging just how long that closure would be.

This is our journey 11 months later, to try & get the restaurant open & our new team trained before the end of our indemnity period with insurance…with the very serious reality, that if not open by 12 August 2019, Ode would be no more.

Thank you to Kyle & Sam from Pyramidion Studios, Wellington for following our journey & helping us to capture this monumental time in our lives.

We had the great fortune to be apart of the most inspiring Matariki celebration this year.

Matariki is the Māori name for the cluster of stars also known as the Pleiades (ancient Greek) which signals to Māori the beginning of the New Year.

Matariki means the ‘eyes of god’. According to myth, when Ranginui (the sky father) and Papatūānuku, (the earth mother) were separated by their children, the god of the winds Tāwhirimātea, became so angry that he tore out his eyes and threw them into the heavens.

Another story tells of Matariki being the mother surrounded by her six daughters, Tupu-a-nuku, Tupu-a-rangi, Waitī, Waitā, Waipuna-a-rangi and Ururangi.

Both stories have remarkable similarities to ancient greek mythology & beliefs.

Traditionally however, Matariki was a time for reflection, where Māori would remember those who had died in the past year. But it was also a happy event – crops had been harvested and seafood and birds had been collected. With plenty of food in the storehouses, Matariki was a time for singing, dancing and feasting.

Both of these traditions were felt in our celebrations this year as we participated in preparing & enjoying the most beautiful hangi using wild ingredients which had been hunted, caught & foraged around Te Wai Ponamu.

We then spent the evening under the stars, sharing stories, wisdom & ideas around the warmth of the fire, while remembering the lessons & unconditional love of those who have departed our realm of reality this year.

Angela & Giulio from Eat New Zealand have the most remarkable way of bringing together people from all corners of the food industry in Aotearoa, to celebrate our rich but fragmented culture, while encouraging unity, dialog & sharing solutions to combat those norms blindly adopted by our industry, which are destroying our Whenua, Awa & Kai Moana.

We have so much gratitude for having shared in this experience & the hope & inspiration which it instilled.