Sign of Kiwi cafe owner Eric Devos. Photo: RNZ / Caleb Fotheringham
The owner of a landmark Christchurch cafe says it has emerged from the Port Hills fire more resilient.
Sign of the Kiwi cafe overlooks the city from Summit Road and was closed during the large Valentine's Day fire, which broke out in the valley below and covered 650 hectares.
Owner Eric Devos said the cafe has survived two major fires now and he was looking forward to welcoming more customers with a new carpark.
"The fire was a bit further than it was in 2017 [but] you're always worried you know, I mean we had no power for a couple of days. We had to close for a couple of days but in the bigger scheme, it's nothing.
Sign of the Kiwi cafe sits at the intersection between Summit Road and Dyers Pass Road on the Port Hills.
Port Hills fire from halfway up Worsley Road on 15 February, 2024. Photo: RNZ / Tim Brown
Devos said the new carpark would double its parking capacity and help reduce congestion around the difficult hill intersection the cafe sits above.
For years the cafe has only had 11 parks, despite drawing up to 400 hundred customers a day, particularly on the weekends.
"It gets pretty busy here on a beautiful Sunday or Saturday and there is a lot of car movement and people not sure where to park, [whether] they should park on the side of the road ... so it gets a bit messy.
Devos said a new carpark 200 metres away would double capacity and help ease the parking mess.
He believed it was due to open any day now, complete with a sealed path to the cafe entrance.
Sign of the Kiwi cafe. Photo: Facebook
