Abandoned Canterbury stone pub put back on the market

A historic old stone pub languishing in a field near Fairlie has come back on the market two years after it was sold at auction in December 2021 for $470,000.

It has now been derelict for 23 years – the new owner had a change of plans and has not commenced any restoration work.

Stuff was told two years ago that the Grand Designs NZ producers had even expressed interest in following a potential build, which may well still be the case – we see such projects frequently on the UK version of the show.

At the time of the last sale, the building had been owned by the same person for 10 years, and we were told there had been “grand plans for a dream home renovation”. But that owner moved overseas, and the work never eventuated.

The building, which has a Historic Places Category 2 heritage listing, dates back to 1873 when it started life as the Opawa Hotel. It was built from local limestone quarried from the Te Ngawa Gorge, and it originally had 13 bedrooms.

The building has been gutted over the years – there are no wall linings, just the original stone walls with some interior framing. You can see the original blackened fireplace, and there’s an old piano desperate for a tune, an old wire bed base, a bathtub and even a bed with linen upstairs. There’s a dining room that once seated 30 guests.

Perhaps not surprisingly, the hotel has had several name changes over 150 years. The Opawa Hotel was renamed The Westmere, The Albury Tavern, and The Pig ‘n’ Whistle.

The building comes with 8.0431ha (more or less) of flat land. It is virtually next to what will soon be another trunk route on the immensely popular Alps 2 Ocean cycle trail.

Listing agents Hamish Lane and Holly Lane of Bayleys Timaru say it could reclaim its place “among New Zealand’s finest and most historic country pubs as one of the few stone-built hospitality venues of its genre still standing”. Or it could be a magnificent historic private homestead.

Enquiries for the property, at 22 Butterworth Lane, Fairlie, are invited over $495,000.

BAYLEYS This abandoned 150-year-old stone pub in Butterworth Lane, Fairlie is in desperate need of a complete restoration. It has been listed for the second time in two-and-a-half years.