KEY POINTS:
The scramble for the first Bluff oysters of the season seems to know no bounds.
Whether by helicopter or private jet, the first catches were barely out of the waters of Foveaux Strait yesterday before they were being rushed up to Auckland to satisfy the appetites of eager seafood lovers.
Such is the Auckland demand that the official season launch by Prime Minister Helen Clark was held in the city yesterday rather than at Bluff.
Invercargill Mayor Tim Shadbolt travelled up to attend the launch with 100 dozen oysters and was charged $70 excess baggage by Air New Zealand for his troubles.
Chef Simon Gault, from Auckland's Euro Restaurant and Bar, spent more than $20,000 to hire the private jet owned by National Business Review publisher Barry Colman. He was determined his would be the first restaurant in Auckland to offer the delicacy.
"I'm probably nuts, but there's nothing like winning. It's all about being first," Mr Gault told the Herald. "They are such a sought-after thing."
After flying from Auckland to Invercargill on the jet with Mr Colman (and enjoying crab sandwiches and champagne on the way), Mr Gault was flown the final 20km to Bluff by helicopter to pick up the oysters from the boats returning to harbour.
After the helicopter trip back to Invercargill it was back on board the jet to Ardmore in Manukau City before another helicopter flight to Mechanics Bay and a rush to the restaurant in a Rolls-Royce to shuck the oysters and prepare them to be served.
Supermarket chain Foodstuffs sent an Auckland representative down to Bluff on Wednesday night to bring oysters back and have them on sale at two Auckland outlets by late yesterday afternoon.
In previous years it took several days for the first shipment to arrive.
"The theory has always been that the South Islanders like to make sure they get a good feed first before they let any go up north," said Foodstuffs Auckland general manager of retail Mark Baker. "But we're speeding up the process by sending a helicopter out to the Foveaux Strait mid-morning and collecting the very first of the oysters already harvested."
Auckland's Soul Bar and Bistro has 150 people coming to a special $110 "all you can eat" Bluff oyster lunch tomorrow, and is flying 600 dozen oysters and a specialist oyster opener from Bluff for the occasion, which is sold out.
About 7.5 million oysters will be harvested from Bluff this season.
WHAT THEY COST
* At Barnes Oysters, Bluff, $18 a dozen.
* At Pak 'n Save/New World supermarkets, Auckland, between $23 and $24 a dozen.
* Served at Euro Restaurant and Bar (today), $30 a dozen.
