Mongolian tent brings Asian flavour to beer festival
A Mongolian tent being constructed amid the concrete and glass of the city will provide shelter for patrons seeking music, beer and warmth at the Free House during the RugBeer Hopfest.
The Mongolian ger, or yurt, a portable dwelling traditionally used by Turkic and Mongolic nomads in Central Asia, will sit beside the pub in the area which was formerly a car yard.
Free House co-owner Mic Dover said he and co-owner Eelco Boswijk had been pondering what to do with the space, and eventually came up with the idea of a ger – partly inspired by a holiday Mr Boswijk took which included travelling through Mongolia.
"The idea of having something like that in the middle of a city, surrounded by concrete and glass, something that was kind of not Western in the middle of a Western city ... we loved that idea," Mr Dover said.
They found an Australian company which imports the structures into New Zealand, and convinced it to do one the size they wanted – 12.5 metres in diameter, and 4m high in the centre.
"They're not used to measuring them that big, but eventually they said `yeah we can do it'."
Made out of larchwood, three layers of felt made from yak wool, a layer of canvas and waterproof material, the ger was well insulated and would be cool in summer and warm in winter, Mr Dover said.
It would easily hold about 100 people, with the area being bigger than the pub itself, he said.
"We're pretty sure it's the biggest in the southern hemisphere."
There were quite a few imported into the country, he said. "Lots of people live in them. Some people take them to Totaranui and camp in them.
"In Mongolia, they're used for everything – health centres, libraries ..."
The ger arrived two weeks ago, and construction is going full-steam ahead to be ready in time for the Rugbeer Hopfest, a craft beer event celebrating New Zealand's hop-growing and boutique brewing industries. The festival will feature performances by musicians and poets including Julia Deans and Sam Hunt and bands The Eastern and The Willow Page from Christchurch.
While it was a bit smelly when it first arrived, the ger had aired out now. "The smell of yak is quite nice actually."
The roof was finished yesterday, with a long day spent putting up 168 rafters. The felt layer would go on next.
"To get everything ready for the HopFest will be quite tight, but we'll get there."
Mr Dover said he did not like to use the word "permanent", but "if it works well, we might carry on".
The Rugbeer Hopfest runs from September 17 until October 1.
The Mongolian ger, or yurt, a portable dwelling traditionally used by Turkic and Mongolic nomads in Central Asia, will sit beside the pub in the area which was formerly a car yard.
Free House co-owner Mic Dover said he and co-owner Eelco Boswijk had been pondering what to do with the space, and eventually came up with the idea of a ger – partly inspired by a holiday Mr Boswijk took which included travelling through Mongolia.
"The idea of having something like that in the middle of a city, surrounded by concrete and glass, something that was kind of not Western in the middle of a Western city ... we loved that idea," Mr Dover said.
They found an Australian company which imports the structures into New Zealand, and convinced it to do one the size they wanted – 12.5 metres in diameter, and 4m high in the centre.
"They're not used to measuring them that big, but eventually they said `yeah we can do it'."
Made out of larchwood, three layers of felt made from yak wool, a layer of canvas and waterproof material, the ger was well insulated and would be cool in summer and warm in winter, Mr Dover said.
It would easily hold about 100 people, with the area being bigger than the pub itself, he said.
"We're pretty sure it's the biggest in the southern hemisphere."
There were quite a few imported into the country, he said. "Lots of people live in them. Some people take them to Totaranui and camp in them.
"In Mongolia, they're used for everything – health centres, libraries ..."
The ger arrived two weeks ago, and construction is going full-steam ahead to be ready in time for the Rugbeer Hopfest, a craft beer event celebrating New Zealand's hop-growing and boutique brewing industries. The festival will feature performances by musicians and poets including Julia Deans and Sam Hunt and bands The Eastern and The Willow Page from Christchurch.
While it was a bit smelly when it first arrived, the ger had aired out now. "The smell of yak is quite nice actually."
The roof was finished yesterday, with a long day spent putting up 168 rafters. The felt layer would go on next.
"To get everything ready for the HopFest will be quite tight, but we'll get there."
Mr Dover said he did not like to use the word "permanent", but "if it works well, we might carry on".
The Rugbeer Hopfest runs from September 17 until October 1.
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