Pub once known for ‘holy water’ on market
A Taranaki country pub once named after The Pope’s private residence in Rome is on the market for sale.
The Masonic Hotel in Waitara was known as ‘The Vatican’ in the 1970s and early ’80s when it was run by Catholic publicans Michael and Elleen Fahy.
Built in the 1880s when there were three pubs in Waitara, the two-storey Masonic Hotel is now the town’s only remaining one. It’s also the main hospitality venue with accommodation. The Masonic land, building, and going concern business all at 9 Maclean St are now for sale for $795,000 through Bayleys Taranaki.
Salesperson Alan Johnston said the 923sq m hotel sits on some 1528sq m of land. Included in the corner-site location was the hotel’s bottle store, and a vacant retail store, which added another 237sq m of floorspace to the business-zoned block.
Johnston said The Masonic has three separate licensed environments — the lounge bar and eatery known as Our Little Secret, the public bar, and the daytime cafe space known as Wayfinders Eatery which opened in 2017. The business is also licensed to run 18 gaming machines through the Southern Trust. Accommodation was expanded and modernised in 2014 to include eight bedrooms — seven doubles and one triple, all with en suites. The property also has a selfcontained one-bedroom staff/ownermanager’s residence.
Nightly rack rates for rooms range $105 to $140, including breakfast. The property runs at an average occupancy rate of 30-35 per cent.