Kiwi brings Māori culture to France: The Ōtara origins of Waka Bar

The view of the French coast from Waka Bar in Nice. Photo / Supplied.

A popular bar in Nice, France is being noticed on social media for its close connection to Ōtara, New Zealand.

On the coast of the French Riviera, Waka Bar is nestled amongst the colonnades of the promenade, serving up a cocktail mix of Kiwiana. A tiki motif looks out, beyond the palm trees, onto the Mediterranean sea.

Marina Hay, who is holidaying in Europe, tweeted about the bar after noticing it for its Māori designs as she walked along the beach.

Hay says, "It was a great bar, so I went back with some friends later that night. We met the owner while waiting in line. We had a chat about New Zealand and where we were both from, and then he let us in!"

The most popular bar in Nice, France is owned by a Māori guy from Otara… that is so slay

— marina (@marinahayy) June 23, 2022

The bar's owner is Garth Swan (Ngāti Kuri) who originally hails from Ōtara, having studied at Ōtāhuhu College, but now lives in France.

Garth Swan is the owner of the popular Waka Bar in Nice, France. Photo / Supplied.

Other Twitter users commented about Waka Bar's whakapapa back to Aotearoa. Some raised concerns about the potential misuse of cultural imagery but were reassured once they knew it was in the hands of a Kiwi.

An inaugural Facebook post promoting the business in 2016 explained the story behind the bar's name. The building that now hosts Kiwi ex-pats and locals alike was once an eighteenth-century fisherman's boat house.

The location of Waka Bar in Nice, France was once a boathouse.. Photo / Supplied.

Swan took over the premises from a Chinese restaurant, and now Waka Bar soothes the homesickness of a patriotic crowd desperate for rugby and fish and chips.

The bar is popular with young English speakers in Nice, with bilingual staff fluent in French and English.

In true Kiwi spirit, the bar is a family affair, with Swan's wife, Ciara Swan, having decorated the walls with its Māori-influenced designs.

Māori designs feature on bar on the French Riviera. Photo / Supplied.

Despite running a business in the South of France for many years, Swan hasn't completely succumbed to a French lifestyle. Like everyone at home, Swan still commemorates our national holidays.

He has sponsored ANZAC days services for ex-pats in the nearby beach town of Juan-les-Pins, an event called ANZAC Day in Antibes.