The Runway Cafe & Store

Providing relaxed café dining, Lisa Stove and Stephen Badham opened the doors to The Runway Café and Store in Woodbourne three years ago and say it has been extremely gratifying watching the business grow to where it is today. The couple have transformed the building from an empty shell into a diverse art-filled space with a fully licensed bar, delicious local cuisine, spacious indoor and outdoor dining areasand a mighty Argosy Aeroplane parked outside.

No stranger to hectic time schedules, running a business, raising a family and hosting evening events would be a juggle at the best of times but, for Lisa and Stephen, it is all in a day’s work.

Prior to opening the café and store, Lisa used to teach and manage a swim school, umpire local netball as a New Zealand official, and play local softball, on top of managing a household.

“Steve and I were relatively new to the industry when we purchased the building although both of us had experience in particular aspects. Every day has

– they were going to Picton after all.

“The people next to me yahoo’d and clapped,” Abby says. Abby had been trying to book a return crossing of the Cook Strait for a week, to attend her grandmother’s funeral.

Strait crossings have been severely disrupted by multiple ship failures and Cyclone Gabrielle.

“We got across to Wellington on Monday, but when grandma died last Friday night, we were trying to get a crossing over and back.

“We only managed to get a ticket on Sunday over for Monday. We were going to fly but we couldn't get any rental cars and to fly to Palmerston North with two kids was super expensive.”

On Thursday, she managed to book herself and her car on Friday morning’s 7.45am Bluebridge sailing.

“Everyone was really pissed off when they did the first announcement saying we're going back. its own challenges both in the home and at the café. But when I reflect on the past three years and opening just prior to the epidemic, I feel proud that we have managed to stay operating, thanks to the local community support.”

“When asking the crew what was going to happen, they were saying we would have to ring the 0800 number to find out.

“Everyone seems ok now.” She says when she asked the crew, they told her the ship was operating on one engine, traveling at about ten knots. “I'm obviously happy we are going to Picton but they could be doing a bit more.” Bluebridge has been approached for comment.

Working alongside Steve and watching his creativity while transforming the interior of the building has been pretty awesome, says Lisa. “Our lounge is pretty special with eclectic furniture, artwork and the new addition of ‘The Frame’ tv so we can show special art pieces, plus use it as a means of projection for meetings and functions.” But what truly drives their passion for the business is the people, says Lisa. “We set ourselves up for locals and travellers passing by. Our local community is awesome, and we have loved getting to know our regulars. The banter is well and truly alive at The Runway!”

Stocking and serving up regional and local products, The Runway Café also hosts regular Night Shift events on Friday and Saturday evenings in collaboration with local food truck owners.

“We know how hard it is to get staff for hospitality, especially chefs, so our thoughts for this were to offer local food trucks to come in, hook up and cook the food while we open the lounge and outside area to dine in and enjoy the full bar or ‘Fly Around the World’ on the adjoining historic Argosy Aeroplane. Something pretty cool we do, is offer a function which includes boarding the plane for short flights to destinations, before offloading to The Runway Lounge for culinary delights from that country.”

Open Monday – Saturday, follow The Runway Café on Facebook for the latest updates.

Services Upgrade

The final stage in a series of upgrades to infrastructure services in Murphys Road will get underway at the end of this month.

Works include the replacement of a water main running from Middle Renwick Road up to Roseneath Lane. Marlborough Lines are upgrading the underground power cables on the eastern side of Murphys Road, while the sewer pipeline on the western side of Murphys Road, north of Ward Street is also being upgraded. The project is due to be completed by the end of May.

New Gm On Board

The Ngāti Koata Board of Trustees has announced the appointment of Turi Hippolite as the new General Manager for the Trust. Turi comes with a wealth of experience and knowledge and says she is grateful and humbled to help lift and grow the iwi. A powhiri for Turi will be held on April 1.

Tech Team

Discover how Marlborough Boys’ College are growing their technology department and investing in a pipeline of well-trained employees, business owners and innovators who will help drive productivity and growth in Marlborough. Head along to the Blenheim Club on High Street on February 23 between 5-6pm to find out more about the initiative, which is based a similar programme at Hasting’s Boys’ High School. Register with the Marlborough Chamber of Commerce.