Tim Roxborogh checks into the Rutland Arms Inn, Whanganui

Location: Surrounded by historic buildings and overlooking a street art-revitalised public space, right in the centre of the CBD.

Whanganui a street art destination? “Whanganui Walls” was the city’s inaugural street art festival, held in March, 2019. A major success that attracted international artists to a town keen to showcase its creative credentials, eight previously blank, large centralcity walls were completely transformed.

Hotel history: The Rutland Arms’ story begins way back in the mid-1800s and it’s not hard to imagine dusty roads with swinging saloon doors and horses waiting patiently while their owners enjoyed a few jars and possibly the odd friendly fisticuff. In the late 1800s and early 1900s — when Whanganui was New Zealand’s fifth largest urban area — the Rutland Arms proudly pronounced itself as “the finest hotel between Wellington and New Plymouth”.

Wasn’t it nearly knocked down? Having survived several fires and more than a century of changing fortunes, 1986 saw the Rutland Arms closed with all its fittings — including the staircase and all the doors — put up for auction. Somehow the demolition fell through but the building lay derelict until being saved in 1993. The hotel has recently undergone a full refurbishment. Room: With the last of the eight rooms still to be updated, I requested one of the very tidy redone suites with its almost floor-to-ceiling views out to one of those striking new murals. The furnishings — complete with ornate wooden headboard — are a tasteful nod to the hotel’s more than 150-year history, while still feeling fresh. Just what you’d hope for from a 4-star, historic hotel.

Price: $170-$185 per night.

Food and drink: Even with Whanganui’s expanding culinary scene, it’s hard to pass up a meal at the Rutland Arms pub, both in terms of the memorabilia-drenched atmosphere as well as the flat-out sensational food. Whether it’s the $22 “Rutland Breakfast”, which kept me going all day, or dinner options like the yellowfin tuna, this is far from merely being generic pub fare.

Other than the street art, what’s there to do? Whanganui is blessed with some of the best-preserved heritage architecture in the country, including the famed Sarjeant Art Gallery (opened 1919) and the equal parts cute and glorious 850-seat Opera House (1900). Beyond the architecture is a city brimming with galleries and cafes, beautiful beach and riverside walks, a fairy talethemed children’s playground as awesome as any I’ve seen (Kowhai Park), a crazy 213m-long pedestrian tunnel and underground elevator (Durie Hill elevator, 1919) and nearby primeval forests home to such treasures as reportedly the largest ra¯ta¯ tree in the world (Bushy Park). Contact: rutlandarms.co.nz