Ayrburn - Kā-Muriwai / Arrowtown
AYRBURN
The Long Way Around - BEAR’s Guide to New Zealand’s South Island
Ayrburn is its own little ecosystem! They describe it as “Queenstown’s food and wine playground” which is pretty accurate! There is a place for everyone - Billy’s, The Woolshed, The Bakehouse, The Manure Room, The Burr Bar, The Barrel Room, R.M Prime Produce, The Dairy, & The Dell (whoah). Ayrburn is worth exploring in full, but this guide will help to cut through the confusion. Deciding where to settle can be a little overwhelming (hint: you don’t have to pick just one spot). The biggest piece of advice I could offer is go with a growling tummy and time to spare - Ayrburn can easily be a whole day activity!
Handy little map straight from Ayrburn’s website
BILLY’S - “The Jewel in Ayrburn’s Crown” - a modern Chinese restaurant offering indoor dining, or outdoor dining in their conservatory. Billy’s is opulent - a place you can dress up. The interiors are stacked with velvets, rich colours, tassels and marble. The fanciest of the lot.
THE WOOLSHED - The Woolshed is my favourite - a re-imagined working shed that houses a bistro-style restaurant while preserving the heritage of the building. Exposed stone, hardwood floors, heritage art and exposed beams. You can tuck yourself away in The Woolshed with a glass of mulled wine and no one will disturb you.
THE BAKEHOUSE - A casual bakery open daily, The Bakehouse is relaxed and family-friendly. Perch outside undercover with a blanket and tuck into some yummy baked goods, or do what we did and take your treat to wander. The grounds at Ayrburn are something to behold! The Bakehouse also offers a traditional Sunday roast (my kind of Sunday).
THE MANURE ROOM - The Manure Room heroes the bar and offers self-guided wine flights. The food is based on shared plates (my favourite kind when all the options are good!). The Manure Room has a special kind of ambience - original exposed stonework, low lighting, warm textured rugs, bar or lounge seating, and an incredible low hanging linear bar light that has it’s own little ruffled curtain!
THE BURR BAR - The Burr Bar was once the homestead of the farm’s founding owner, now an intimate place to gather and have a tipple. The Burr Bar has courtyard seating, sit outside in the crispy cold air and let your negroni warm you from the inside!
THE BARREL ROOM - Every hour, on the hour, from 11am-5pm pop down underground and experience The Barrel Room’s wine tasting. The space is moody and cellar-like, fit with a bar and a baby grand piano! I have also seen some pretty cool events hosted here - 56 ageing wine barrels makes for a pretty speccy backdrop!
R.M PRIME PRODUCE - Ayrburn’s in-house butcher lives here. Your go-to for a quality cut of meat. R.M Prime Produce is also where you will find deli offerings such as sauces, preserves, and seasonings, as well as Ayrburn’s very own selection of wine. Normally I am opposed to merch, unless done tastefully, which rarely occurs - however, I found myself buying an Ayrburn tea towel with Ajax The Prize Romney printed on the front. I get sad everytime Ajax is in the wash and wish I bought him a friend!
THE DAIRY - I’m devastated that I hadn’t yet formed my vanilla milkshake obsession yet, because I’m 99.99% sure that a place dedicated exclusively to milkshakes and ice cream would do an award-winning one (award = Greatest & Thickest Vanilla Milkshake Without Being a Thickshake, as awarded by BEAR™ - current award holder: Victory Café Blackheath).
THE DELL - The Dell is an outdoor space that hosts markets, car shows, concerts, or private events. When not in action it serves as a central gathering space for you to lounge or pull up a picnic rug.
A little more on the grounds - Groundskeeper at Ayrburn would be an incredible job title to hold. Everything is meticulously designed and maintained. A huge hat tip to them. Ayrburn’s grounds feel like a cross between botanical gardens, elevated farmland, palace grounds, and a croquet club. Whichever way you look at it - it’s fancy. Perhaps I’ll retire from nursing now at the ripe old age of 29 and join the landscape team - they get cute little golf buggies to zoom about in!
Stray beautiful,
BEAR.