The Famous Speight's "& Bar"
Good on ya mate.
the story of the Speight's "& Bar"
The Famous Commercial (The “Split” Bar)
The saga began with a popular 2000s Speight’s television ad where a couple splits up. As part of the, ahem, “property settlement,” the husband keeps the bar while the wife takes the restaurant. The iconic visual showed a chain-saw cutting the building in half.
The 14,000km “OE” (Overseas Experience)
In 2007, Speight’s turned this fiction into reality. They constructed a mobile, fully working bar (the & Bar) in Dunedin, designed to look like a classic Kiwi pub.
- The Journey: The bar was packed into shipping containers and shipped to London, arriving in October 2007 to serve homesick Kiwis.
- London Location: It was installed on a barge on the River Thames at Canary Wharf before moving to a rooftop location above London’s Temple underground station.
- The Return: After its stint in the UK, the bar was shipped back to New Zealand, serving as a promotional venue at Auckland’s Eden Park for a time.
Finding a Home in Luggate
After its promotional life, the bar needed a permanent home. It was purchased by Rod Bowler, the owner of the Luggate Hotel near Wanaka.
- Installation: The bar, composed of two 12-meter containers designed in the style of the historic Cardrona Hotel, was set up in the beer garden of the Luggate Hotel in 2018.
- Historical Significance: The bar was fitted out with Speight’s memorabilia and items of local history from the Luggate area, becoming a unique, functional, and historic attraction.
Available for for Club activities e.g. Dart Club, Poker Club etc, Club Meetings, Birthday parties, weddings and other functions. Contact the bar for details.
