Cyclone Gabrielle: Hawke’s Bay’s Silky Oak to start pop-up chocolate shop

Jeanette Darwen will have Easter bunnies for sale, from Monday. Photo / NZME

Silky Oak will be back selling chocolate on Monday but a return to production is still some way off for the Hawke’s Bay culinary institution.

The Silky Oak complex on Links Rd was badly hit by Cyclone Gabrielle and - while walls are being gibbed and floors repaired - there’s still no running water and power is only available from certain sockets.

But it’s a start and - with Easter almost upon us - there is again chocolate to be had.

“We’re going to have a pop-up shop outside the cafe,’’ explained Silky Oak owner Jeanette Darwen.

“We’ve got a hell of a lot of locals champing at the bit for their Easter product. We’ve got limited marshmallow [eggs] and we’ve got Easter bunnies and we’ve got chocolate eggs with chocolates inside them and we’ve got some boxed chocolates, but it’s all from before the flood.’’

Hundreds of kilos of chocolate didn’t survive Cyclone Gabrielle, meaning all Darwen has is what she packaged up several weeks ago.

The Silky Oak complex was badly hit by flooding, during Cyclone Gabrielle. Photo / Paul Taylor.

The plan is to get the chocolate shop cleaned up in about two weeks, so sales can be made from there. After that it’s hoped the restaurant will be operational, provided the water tanks finally get emptied.

A couple of portaloos arrived on Tuesday - thanks to the Hastings District Council - which was a relief for Silky Oak’s staff and the army of tradies who’ve worked flat out to get the business back on its feet.

Some staff have needed extra days off, to aid their mental wellbeing, while others are working unusual shifts in an effort to avoid the traffic that’s become a constant on the expressway.

In the days after the cyclone, Darwen was surprised by the number of people who turned up wanting coffee and a box of chocolates. Last week a couple from overseas wanted to use the Silky Oak car park as a base for “disaster tourism’' photos.

For chocolate lovers, the pop-up shop will be open daily from 10am to 3pm - while stocks last.

Darwen asks customers respect the cordoned-off areas, where the mammoth task of cleaning up continues.