If you are in the Wairau Valley stop in at the Wairau Valley Tavern and buy a drink and/or a meal and support these guys.
Travelling around the South Island on a motorbike in November last year, Alexandra Baker and Craig Sullivan were on their way to catch the 1.15pm ferry in Picton.
The direct route from Reefton took the pair, in their 30s, through Marlborough’s Wairau Valley, on State Highway 3.
They decided to stop quickly at the Wairau Valley Tavern, and had a “bag of chips and a beer” at a table out front.
“I didn’t even step inside, and we didn’t know it was for sale,” Baker said.
By the Monday morning, Baker had realised she really liked the Wairau Valley. “It was beautiful. We were both ready for a change and ready for a project. I wanted to be in the countryside,” she said.
So they had a look at properties in the area, about 40 kilometres west of Blenheim.
Baker, who still runs a hairdressing business in Wellington, found the 142-year-old watering hole was for sale.
“It was hilarious,” she said. “We realised that it might be something we could afford. I was surprised how cheap it was. I remember, I said, ‘what’s wrong with it?’”
The couple, who met about two years ago, decided to take the plunge and went back to visit the tavern two weeks later.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/homed/300614257/couple-buy-142yearold-tavern-after-pit-stop-for-bag-of-chips-and-a-beer
Well done, some things are meant to be. I stopped there one early evening on my way to Lake Rotoiti for the night and enjoyed refreshments. At the time I thought it had a nice feel and the facilities and view out the back were good too. All the best for your futures.