Coromandel Life Magazine 2015 Winter V3

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MAKING WORLDWIDE NEWS
Overflowing email accounts. Marriage proposals.
An offer for a spot on The Bachelor. Rumours
going as wild as the video. Unaccustomed to so
much attention Luke Reilly just tried to lay low after
his life suddenly ‘went viral’.
The owner of Luke’s Kitchen, a popular pizza
restaurant in Kuaotunu, is an avid surfer and paddle
boarder. He was out on a Monday morning paddling
in calm waters about 100m off shore and noticed
some Orcas. “A pod of about eight”, Luke told us.
“I was hoping to get a better look, but didn’t expect
one to want such a close look at me” as one of
them swam upto and under his board! Admitting a
little ‘shaking of the knees’, Luke got out his GoPro
and filmed the killer whale, all the while keeping his
balance on the board.
“The whale circled around and checked me out
for about 5 minutes...and even had a nibble on my
board’s fin!” says Luke.
Already writing about Luke winning the cook-off
at Taste of Matarangi (see p 41), we got word that
Luke’s Kitchen had joined the ranks of Locallist’s NZ
Top Ten Pizza spots. His fame was spreading! As
we verified details on the Luke’s FB page, we were
thrilled – and shocked – to see he had just posted the
video of his orca encounter, linked to TV 3.
Writer Carol Wright, worried about her niece in
tornado country, checked .... Weather
ok, but noticed a video link with familar looking feet!
It was Luke’s! And who would be introducing it but Al
Roker, American’s top morning show weather man!
Roker talked as the film played: “Luke said that ‘the
encounter was freaky, but amazing!’ That’s not how
Iwould have described it! All I know is, I woulda
needed some new shorts!!”
Where else has this popped up? TIME magazine, The
Huffington Post, New YorkDaily News, The Guardian
– CNN cable news site alone had over 3.7 million
views! Luke’s FB friends started posting seeing it on
TV, from OZ... all over. Adding to the fun, Canadian
mate Mark Bunyan created a short clip promoting
‘Orca Tours’ starring Mark’s darling baby Arley.
And what a boost for the region. Hadley Dryden,
manager at Destination Coromandel, told us their site,
had over 100,000 hits after
they posted the video the next day. Video views as of
1 June – OVER 20 MILLION!!
Luke’s orca pal took just a 5 minute looksee, but we’ve heard the
video has had over 20,000,000 views!. Top: The whale seems
interested in a nibble at one point, and Luke thinks he may have
toothed the fin before casually swimming off.
KUAOTUNU ORCA ENCOUNTER DRAWS GLOBAL ATTENTION
47
bigger logo elements if
possible...
THE DUNES GOLF RESORT, MATARANGI
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GOLF RESORT, MATARANGI
Right, Luke’s
mate Mark
teased him with
a video starring
baby Arley.
Luke’s Kitchen
rates in Top
Ten NZ Pizza
Spots.
73 Cook Drive, Whitianga • 07 869 5590
beautiful • affordable