No Bongs Please - We're Kiwis! - by order of GOD!

I can think of numerous ways to get on the "wrong" side of the local gestapo - ie Tauranga District Council, but A local guy by the name of Gary Read has found something guaranteed to keep him occupied and amused - and finally broke if they have their way!

Gary wants to open a 24-hour Shisha bar! He doesn't want to be just another booze bar, competing for the same dollar as all the other bars, cafes and nightclubs along the Strand - Tauranga's mecca of entertainment and imbibement. Gary's Bar, Chaos HQ will not sell alcohol - it will sell coffees and smoothies and juices - oh, and Shisha pipes.

A Shisha pipe, is a big Bong or hookah, with several hoses attached to it and around which, you and your friends sit, and smoke shisha - a herbal preparation infused with molasses and fruit flavours.

There are no (apparently) side effects or euphoric benefits from smoking Shisha - it is merely a relaxing, peaceful and sedate way to pass the time while socialising.

Now, seeing as all bars in New Zealand are no-smoking, it is illegal to smoke in a bar - even if you are the owner - which to me is a breach of private property rights for a start - anyway, Gary has approached the local council to lease space on the footpath upon which to put some outdoor tables and chairs - in exactly the same manner as about 90% of the bars and restaurants along this stretch of town do. All the bars along the strand lease the footpath from the council.

This allows them to place tables and chairs on the footpath in front of their premises in order to allow their patrons to drink outside, Eat alfresco, and to SMOKE CIGARETTES. Almost every bar and cafe have taken advantage of this concession for these reasons. NOW Gary appears to be having trouble getting approval from the council to lease the footpath in front of his bar because they do not - or some individuals on the council do not approve of smoking!

ACTUALLY, It is now official - the newspaper has reported that the council will not give him permission to use the area outside his bar for smoking from a shisha or water pipe, as it does not fit the vision the council have for the use of the Strand. The reason - Shisha pipes are - in the councils ultimate wisdom - associated with smoking drugs (what the fuck would THEY know!) In THEIR tiny little mind this may be the case, but in other parts of the world not so!

If these pipes are often associated with smoking drugs, then perhaps they should ban women in short skirts and stockings, as these things are often associated with PROSTITUTION!

Or even better, ban grey zip-up shoes, and cardigans because they are associated with mindless, petty council bureaucrats with nothing better to do than mind other peoples business!

Gary's LIFE is far too interesting to make him invisible to the boring, mundane lives of the local councillors.

As the saying goes, "Those with no business of their own worth minding, find great interest in the business of others!"

Why is Gary's bar any different from all the others ? What a bunch of hypocrits we are forced to deal with! They are saying it is OK to get DRUNK out on the footpath It is OK to smoke CIGARETTES out on the footpath It is OK for drunk teenagers to loiter and make a nuisance of themselves but it is NOT OK to sit around a Shisha pipe - bong or hubbly bubbly pipe because GOD does not approve.

MEANWHILE every other bar and cafe has hordes of people sitting outside smoking cigarettes, rollies and pipes without any problem.

So what is the problem? WHO is playing GOD on the Strand? Apparently one of the Tauranga councillors says HE is! At one of the meetings, this is the exact phrase he used when discussing what is and is not allowed to go on along the strand.

PS: I shared a Shisha pipe with several friends and passed a few hours away talking and socialising.

A couple of non-smoking friends also joined in, and seemed to enjoy the process - the smoke was very very smooth and light, and it was a perfect accompaniment to sitting round talking, having a drink and chatting.

I can safely say after first hand experience that there are no euphoric effects or buzz involved.
We had a Grape flavoured Shisha, and it was very nice.

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Article in the BOP Times

Booze-free cafe and club set to open on The Strand 08.01.2008 By MICHELE McPHERSON


PIPES of herbal tobacco will be sold 24 hours a day, seven days a week at an alcohol-free cafe which is set to open its doors on The Strand later this month.

NZ Party Pills' owner Gary Read said Chaos Headquarters would remain open long after other pubs and restaurants have closed for the night.

But the venue has already attracted police attention before it has even opened its doors. Western Bay of Plenty Area Commander Mike Clement said police would meet with council staff tomorrow to discuss the "appropriateness" of Chaos Headquarters' location on The Strand.

Mr Clement would not be drawn on making any further comment. With a law banning the supply, manufacture and exporting of party pills containing BZP due to be passed later this month, Mr Read said he was phasing party pills out of his business.

Located in the former Hot on the Rocks premises, between Merhaba and Soho restaurants, Mr Read said Chaos Headquarters would feature a dance floor with local DJs - starting about 2.30am - playing music similar to that of a nightclub, including hard house and drum 'n' bass. "We'll have a couple of big names now and then," he told the Bay of Plenty Times. Also on offer will be shisha herbal tobacco, served in a water pipe to be smoked while seated outdoors on The Strand.

Mr Read described shisha as relaxing and euphoric and said it contained only a minuscule amount of nicotine. "We'll set the tobacco up in the pipes and take it to people's table and they can sit down and smoke a shisha," he said. Mr Read said he knew of a Turkish restaurant in Rotorua which offered shisha and other venues along K Rd in Auckland.

From Thursday to Saturday nights the cafe will be restricted to those aged 18 years and over. "We don't want it to be a hangout for 12- and 13-year-olds," said Mr Read, who added there was a need for an all night venue with only one city bar open after 3am to cater for people who wanted to drink alcohol. "A lot of people go home or they hang out on the streets.

They don't need to keep getting intoxicated to have a good time." He said the cafe could also be hired for private functions including teenagers wanting a nightclub atmosphere minus the alcohol. Mr Read said he had owned Auckland-based hospitality businesses in "his younger days" and frequents shisha bars overseas. He did not wish to reveal how much the cafe was costing him to set up.

"Everyone says that they need something like this in Tauranga but nobody's ever done it. It's something I've always wanted to do," he said. "Tauranga's come into the 21st century, I'm dragging it in slowly."

The cafe will sell non-alcoholic drinks, fruit smoothies, organic coffee, herbal tea and a menu of light meals. Mr Read said 22 staff had already been employed and he expected to employ a further five before opening day with full and part-time staff covering three eight-hour shifts over a 24-hour period. Tauranga City Council's planning department said The Strand was zoned in the district plan as a commercial business area and there were no restrictions on hours of opening.

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What is shisha?
Shisha is tobacco - a very small amount - ( Also called tabac, tombak, tumbak, gouza, guza, moassel, sheesha) mixed with molasses and fruit flavors and is smoked in a hookah. Shisha tobacco is not your typical tobacco. It's nothing like the tobacco you find in cigars, cigarettes, or dip. No, smoking true nargile shisha is an entirely different sensation. Shisha Tobacco is the Best as it's been well documented in the media, the tobacco in cigarettes is anything but pure. Large amounts of nicotine and other additives make it extremely harmful.

Some cigarettes claim to be additive free, but plain tobacco isn't terribly pleasant to smoke. Smoked for flavor and not for any kind of effect, it proves a relaxing and peaceful pursuit. Since shisha is tobacco, smoking it involves some of the same ill effects as other types of smoking. It is very light and flavorful with a wonderful fruity aroma.

The most popular flavor is apple, others include strawberry, pineapple, apricot, grape, rose, mint, and even cappuccino! (There is even an exclusive cola flavor).

In the Middle East, from Turkey to India, there are shisha cafes where people gather to smoke and drink coffee or tea. Smoking shisha can last two hours or more and is a very peaceful, social occasion generally filled with good conversation with friends. A shisha smoking session can last from thirty minutes up to and hour.

As an ex- cigarette smoker, I can truly say that shisha smoking is very smooth and most unnoticeable when inhaled.