Iconic Ōhakune hotel up for sale
A hotel sitting under one of the world’s top heritage parks is up for sale, but its publican says it’s “more of a test of the market”.
Kings Restaurant and Accommodation in Ōhakune has been put up for tender by owner Stu Robinson who said the venue offered any potential buyer the “full package”.
He and his wife had been running the region’s oldest hotel for eight years, and lived on-site with their young children.
His wife’s career was ramping up, and Robinson said it was a juggle being a fulltime father and dedicated publican. He had spent 30 years working in hospitality, including overseas and in Palmerston North, but said Ōhakune was now the family’s home.
Regardless of what happened with the business, they had no plans to leave Ōhakune. “This place has room to move, Ōhakune will just grow and blossom. It’s an amazing lifestyle choice, but you have to work hard.”
Robinson and his family had invested heavily in Kings, which offered a bar, cafe, accommodation and a chequered dance floor. “We have this saying that the history [of Kings] is as chequered as the dance floor.” The building opened in 1913 and some of its original features had been retained.
Its unique bell tower, added on after the property was constructed, could be seen across the rural town, and the venue had become a drawcard for tourists from all over the world for its hospitality, good food and “epic showers”.
Robinson said they weren’t a hotel with all the trimmings, instead focusing on what mattered to their visitors – a warm room, hot showers and hearty meals.
“This town seems to attract the most amazing individuals ... who have travelled the world. They’ve come here to speak to other Kiwis – and clicked with the lifestyle and ethos of the area.”
Robinson said there had been challenges for the business along the way, including Covid and uncertainty surrounding the closure of Mt Ruapehu.But they now had a steady stream of visitors and received plenty of support from locals.
He said this would only get better once a decision on the mountain was made.
“As a region, we’ve been working really hard on alternative tourism ... mountain-biking, country retreats, getting people out of the rat race.”
He said the region was also propped up by the farming, forestry and horticulture industries and nearby pulp mills.
“There is a real good mix and this saved our bacon post-Covid ... because they were still needing food and we were able to do deliveries.
“This is really an amazing community.” He said Ōhakune was a “good, honest” rural town with a revolving door of tourists. And instead of businesses competing with each other, they tended to help one another.
“It punches well above its weight in terms of hospitality.”
When the Manawatū Standard visited Robinson, he was busy rewiring the building for the upcoming rugby season.
At one time, he could have up to 400 people in the pub yelling at the screen, he said.
“What I tried to do when I got here was to keep it as that classic Kiwi pub, that local.
“You might have the kids running up and down here, while mum and dad are ... babysitting with a glass of wine in their hand.”
He was not religious, but to him Kings was a “modern-day church”. “People have meetings here, they’ve met their significant others here, it’s good quality service, good beverages and good food.”
A ‘chequered’ history
The land under Kings Hotel on Rimu St was purchased by journalist Joseph Ivess in 1912.
He began building the venue, known then as Kings Court, and hoped to attract passengers coming through on the railway.
Ownership was transferred to Ivess’ three sons in 1916, and soon after newspaper ads appeared for a medium at the hotel. Seances were also held there.
Ellen Eliza Young then bought the hotel in 1924, and, with Albert Joseph Young, purchased the neighbouring section.
Accommodation at the hotel was scarce from the 1950s and there were reports of debauchery and a “cave-like room” for Freemasons meetings.
In 1963, it again changed hands and was renamed Snowline Hotel. But this was short-lived and another owner took over the reins in the 1970s.
The east wing of the hotel was added to in 1979, and in 1980 the bell tower was put on.
The Piper Family owned Kings for many years before a group of 10 took over in 2007. They renovated the venue, and sold it to the Robinsons in 2016.