Heigh-Ho, Heigh-Ho It’s Off to the Fort We Go…
- Written by
- Dee Ellwood
Fancy a good ole fashioned meal served with a side of wild and a ghost or two? Sometimes it’s those places closest to home that hold the best kept secrets – not to mention a good laugh and slice of pizza. The small country town of Katikati is home to one such enchanted gem – the historic Forta Leza.
This bustling family-owned and operated tavern has been serving up stories for over a hundred years – and shows no signs of slowing down.
“If we had an earthquake around these parts – I’ll tell you where I’d want to be,” says Haydn Belcher, owner of Forta Leza. “Right here – these walls are this thick – nothing’s going to bring them down.”
And he’s right. Built over 100 years ago as Katikati’s original – and only – Co-op Dairy Factory, the building maintains its robust bones – even though it’s seen many an industry change come through its doors.
“After they shut the factory, the building was leased out for a raft of different things. First to an Evelyn Bennett who had over 200 Muscovy ducks running around in here,” he chuckles. “Then it was commercial cleaners, then Gary Rand transformed it into the restaurant it is today, and when mum and dad bought it, I was handed the reigns from day dot.”
Haydn and his wife, Mary, originally moved into the old chiller room with their children.
“I’ll tell you what, you could shut that door and you’d hear nothing of what was going on out there – and it was as pitch black as you like!”
Alongside the quirky old fixtures, rustic beams, the wild game – possums, pheasants, boars – and nostalgic pastimes adorning every wall and crevice – not to mention New Zealand’s largest collection of Jan McLean porcelain dolls, it’s the staff – “and Haydn’s HUGE meals” – that truly make the Fort what she is, says Mary.
“Majority of our staff have been with us for decades – and now their children are coming through too,” she enthuses. “It’s that sense of community and familiarity – and simple pleasures – that keep us all ticking around here.”
And, then there’s those ghostly matters …
“Ever since we’ve had the place, I’ve always felt his presence – and we’ve had many people tell us they’ve seen him,” explains Mary. “Usually I’ll catch a glimpse of him early in the morning – I’ll look up and catch a shadow darting across the restaurant. It’s not a bad feeling – he’s just hanging about.”