Mussel Inn

Mussel Inn
Formation1992
FoundersAndrew Dixon, Jane Dixon
Location
  • New Zealand
Websitewww.musselinn.co.nz

The Mussel Inn is a brewery bar, restaurant and entertainment venue in Onekaka, in Golden Bay / Mohua in New Zealand.[1] The business was founded by Andrew and Jane Dixon in 1992.[2][3]

About

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The Mussel Inn's first day of operation was 3 December 1992, with live music by Ron and Lindy Valente; the brewery operations started three years later.[4] The owners and operators of the Mussel Inn are Andrew and Jane Dixon, who started it because there was nowhere for people to go to socialise with family and friends.[5] Andrew Dixon's background was as a home brewer of beer, and Andrew and Jane often hosted friends who stopped by for fresh mussels and home-brew.[6] Their focus was on creating a venue for local people with Andrew Dixon saying, "the tourists are kind of the cream on the cake".[5] Over time, other members of the Dixon family have also worked at the Mussel Inn, including sons Henry and Toby.[4]

Since its inception, the establishment has offered a range of events including live music and quiz nights. On the occasion of the venue's 30th birthday, Henry Dixon said: "The birthdays, the wakes, and those moments when people gather on Friday nights... it's community... it's more than a big gig".[4]

Andrew and Jane Dixon have focused on a sustainable ethos and refrained from expanding or changing things much.[4] In 2006, the Mussel Inn won a national Green Ribbon award for environmentally sustainable business from the Ministry for the Environment. The business uses solar power, and recycles and reuses bottles in its on-site production of soft drink, wine and beer. The founders of the business have been members of the Onekaka Biodiversity Group, supporting pest control and native planting. They also participate in the Sustainable Business Network.[7]

Tasman District Council served an abatement notice to the Mussel Inn on 20 December 2018, trying to restrict numbers to 50 patrons at any one time over traffic safety concerns. The owners (the Dixons) took the issue to the Environment Court, where the council’s notice was overturned. The Dixons were ordered by the Environment Court to apply for a new resource consent.[8]

In 2022, the National Library of New Zealand added 806 posters advertising live acts at the Mussel Inn to its Archive of New Zealand Music, with many of the posters designed by Andrew Dixon.[9]

Live music

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As a live music venue, there is a range of New Zealand international artists performing including emerging musicians. There is often a year-long waiting list of bands wanting a spot to perform.[2][5] Artists who have performed at the Mussel Inn include Age Prior, Anika Moa, Anna Coddington, Don McGlashan and Upper Hutt Posse.[6][10]

Jane Dixon pouring a beer

Beer

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The Mussel Inn was amongst the first craft brewers in New Zealand and amongst only a few that have lasted as long, Reuben Lee, the company's brewer, joined the company around 1997.[4] Well known beers are The Golden Goose and Captain Cooker, which is a mānuka flavoured brew. Water for the brewing comes from the local stream.[4][11]

Buildings and design

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A large tyre on chains in a courtyard - a child's feet and legs poke out of the middle wearing gumboots. The evening sun is dappled.
The tyre swing

The Mussel Inn was built in 1992 from locally sourced materials including recycled materials with macrocarpa planks on the inside. It is clad in corrugated iron. The architecture references 19th-century colonial buildings and 1950s tramping huts.[2][5] Many of the furnishings were built by Andrew Dixon. He built the tables strong enough for up to eight people to dance on them, saying: "People just love dancing on tables; there's something special about it, so I built them to handle it".[2]

The main building is a single room structure with an open fireplace, verandas on two sides and a large courtyard.[2][5] One of the features in the courtyard is a tyre swing which has been there so long that some of their customers remember it from when they were two years old.[2] There is a house at the back where the owners live, although they sometimes move into a smaller hut and give their house to accommodate musicians who perform at the Inn.[5] There are carvings of large heads by artist Neil Baker in the courtyard and also other art and decorations.[4]

  • Mussel Inn
  • Front entrance to bar
    Front entrance to bar
  • the bar
    the bar
  • Interior
    Interior
  • Band performing on stage
    Band performing on stage
  • 30th birthday cake
    30th birthday cake
  • Courtyard
    Courtyard
  • Sculpture by Neil Baker
    Sculpture by Neil Baker
  • The 'phone tree' of the Mussel Inn
    The 'phone tree' of the Mussel Inn
  • Archway entrance
    Archway entrance

Awards

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  • Winner, Sustainable Business (2006) – Ministry for the Environment[12]
  • Runner Up, Best Bar (2013) – Society of Beer Advocates (Soba)[13]

References

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  1. ^ "Raise a; glass in hip hops country". Sunday Star – Times. 13 February 2022. ProQuest 2627989634.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Hindmarsh, Nina (10 December 2017). "The Mussel Inn's no-change formula for lasting popularity". Stuff. Archived from the original on 19 February 2024. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
  3. ^ "Meet the colourful couple behind Golden Bay's Mussel Inn". thisNZlife. 4 February 2017. Archived from the original on 9 December 2023. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Short, Ronnie (2 December 2022). "The "Muss" marks its 30th birthday". The GB Weekly. p. 8. Archived from the original on 1 March 2023. Retrieved 10 February 2024.
  5. ^ a b c d e f "Stages: Golden Bay's Mussel Inn is one of NZ's most desirable venues". RNZ. 23 January 2015. Archived from the original on 19 February 2024. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
  6. ^ a b "Journeys to The Mussel Inn: A Legend of New Zealand Hospitality". Golden Bay Stories. Archived from the original on 23 March 2024. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
  7. ^ "Top award for Mussel Inn". The Nelson Mail. 6 June 2006. ProQuest 274542420.
  8. ^ Hutching, Chris (27 December 2018). "Golden Bay's popular Mussel Inn saved by court from 'dire' council threat". www.stuff.co.nz. Archived from the original on 15 April 2019. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
  9. ^ "Mussel Inn Ltd: Posters and ephemera". National Library of New Zealand. Archived from the original on 4 April 2023. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
  10. ^ "Whos played". Mussel Inn. Archived from the original on 6 December 2023. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
  11. ^ "Beer #247 – Mussel Inn / Captain Cooker". Beer Jerk. 1 December 2019. Archived from the original on 8 December 2023. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
  12. ^ "Environmental heroes honoured at Awards | Beehive.govt.nz". Beehive.govt.nz. Archived from the original on 21 February 2019. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
  13. ^ Griggs, Geoff (2 January 2014). "Cheers to Soba awards winners". www.stuff.co.nz. Archived from the original on 23 March 2024. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
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Media related to Mussel Inn at Wikimedia Commons

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