- Canterbury’s iconic White House Cafe is for sale, nearly 10 years after closing.
- Owner Hilda De Buyzer ran it for 10 years, hosting poet Sam Hunt and other notable figures.
- The property, priced at $695,000, includes resource consent for a cafe and gift shop.
Canterbury’s iconic White House Cafe, once a popular haunt of New Zealand’s most famous poet, is up for grabs, almost 10 years after it last closed its doors to the public.
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Owner Hilda De Buyzer told OneRoof that such was the cafe’s popularity that tourists would still turn up in search of Devonshire tea even though the cafe was no longer open for business.
De Buyzer said she bought the property with her husband in 2004 after they relocated to New Zealand from Australia.
The White House Cafe at 1887 Selwyn Lake Road, in Dunsandel, Selwyn, had first opened in 1952 and was a popular place for people to grab a bite for 50 years.
De Buyzer said it took her a year to convince her husband to buy the cafe. “I had my eye on it, and I said oh please. I did like the property – it was a big property.”
Kiwi poet Sam Hunt struck a friendship with White House Cafe owner Hilda De Buyzer. Photo / Supplied
The White House Cafe pictured when it was a popular spot for people heading south from Christchurch. Photo / Facebook
She spent the next 10 years running it – selling cream teas and sandwiches to hungry customers. “It was very popular,” she said, noting that retirement villages in Christchurch would run trips to the cafe for their residents.
Poet Sam Hunt often popped in on his way to and from speaking gigs at schools in Timaru and Oamaru and he struck up a friendship with De Buyzer. “We used to either write to each other or ring each other.”
He called her after the Christchurch earthquake to check if she was OK. Another time, he told her to tune in to the radio because he had dedicated a poem to her.
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“He was a very nice guy,” she said, adding that her cafe had also hosted former All Black Sir John Kirwan and former Invercargill mayor Sir Tim Shadbolt. “I met a lot of interesting people, and I did enjoy it.”
De Buyzer shut the cafe’s doors for good in 2016. She was struggling to get staff, needed a rest after working six days a week and was suffering from an injury.
She kept the premises, and she and her husband popped in occasionally from their home in Darfield to mow the lawns and stay in a converted cottage at the back of the property.
However, she felt now was the time for a new owner to put their stamp on the property, although she admitted she would miss the place. “The wildlife is just amazing – the birds and the possums. It’s time for another person to enjoy.”
The cafe has been closed for nine years and needs a new owner to breathe life back into it. Photo / Facebook
Tall Poppy listing agent Leana Butler said the cafe was well known in Canterbury, despite closing in 2016.
She said the property came with resource consent for a cafe and gift shop, allowing a new owner to revive a much-loved destination. Buyers could run it as a wedding venue or as a restaurant and cafe, she said. The price tag of $695,000-plus meant it was affordable.
“There aren’t a lot of properties where you can run an enterprise like that and actually buy it outright. Most restaurants are leasing their buildings. So, here’s an opportunity to buy the whole property, and it’s only the same sort of price as a house would be.”
- 1887 Selwyn Lake Road, Dunsandel, Selwyn, is inviting buying enquiries over $695,000
