There used to be a high tea craze a while back because well, who can resist the cuteness of mini sammies and desserts on silver tiered towers? It’s theĀ overdone lavishness and perky pinkies up while you delicately sip from tiny teacups. High tea at Cotter House is that kind of experience.
It’s easy to miss the sign for Cotter House as you drive along the Remuera road. One of the things we regretted not doing was taking the drive up their driveway. Not that we were that lazy..really.. We just missed the opportunity of feeling like a royal as the iron gates slowly folded inwards to let your car into the estate grounds. Instead we rang the intercom and tramped along the gravelly road in heels.
From the outside view of the estate and the strategically placed statues, I felt the pang of being underdressed. Despite the sun, it was one of those windy Auckland days where I felt it was too cold to bare my legs but was too sick of wearing stockings from the long winter we had.
Gloria was our host and it was totally unexpected that we had the whole house to ourselves. We were told (more than once) to sit in the Waiting Room and was offered champagne while our high tea was being prepared. There was so much to take in, from paintings (some painted by Gloria herself), cabinet displays full of amazing silver, and sculptures.
We had a peek at the room where we were to have the high tea. It was like we had an exclusive invitation to someone’s tea party.
The food was no restaurant or cafeĀ quality but it was tasty. I actually liked the fact that it felt homemade, complete with the cupcakes in the stripy cases that I often use myself. Even though it was laid out in mini bite sized portions, we soon found that we couldn’t stomach any more. Favourites included the salmon rolls and lemon cake.
Just as we were moaning “no more, no more”, our host reminded us there were still fresh scones whenever we were ready. Beautiful scones with fresh cream and jam – well if you insist.
To finish off our afternoon of gluttony, we were taken on a tour of the estate, including all the amazing rooms. I never thought I’d be a fan of heavy 5000+ count linen or artistic eerieĀ looking paintings, but here I was in another world.
Cotter house is standalone different to other hotel high teas I’ve been to. Food wasn’t stellar but the experience is what stands out. Go for an art and culture hit, Auckland needs more of these places and experiences!
Cotter House
2 St Vincent Avenue
Remuera, Auckland
New Zealand
Ph:(09) 529 51 56
