A country pub with two secret entrances, a storied history - and a no show from Prime Minister Richard "King Dick" Seddon - is up for grabs.
The classic late-1800s pub, at the gateway to Waipoua Forest and the tourist trail to view Tane Mahuta, is for sale - and with it a big slice of Northland history.
Kaihu Tavern, 32km north of Dargaville, was originally known as the Opanaki Hotel. It has a Category 2 classification on New Zealand’s Register of Historic Places with a building that traces its roots back to the late 1800s and the height of kauri timber and gum trade.
The pub's favourite tallest tale is that when Prime Minister Richard "King Dick" Seddon failed to turn up to officially open the nearby northern rail line, an inebriated Northern Wairoa local was carried out of the pub in a wooden wheelbarrow and officially cut the ceremonial ribbon with a pair of borrowed hedge clippers.
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Kaihu Tavern’s most famous landlord was jack-of-all trades Albert Docherty, who bought the pub in 1916. Docherty avoided the tax-man for four consecutive years — eventually leading to a court appearance and fines — while decorating the pub with New Zealand flora, fauna, and cultural curios.
Pride of place included a stuffed pukeko whose plumage replicated the colours of the New Zealand flag. There were also Maori clubs and spears, deer heads, mounted trout, and boars’ tusks. A near 100-year-old black and white photograph of Docherty’s bar and its weird exhibits now sits above the service counter.
Sitting on a 4816sq m site, the hotel’s freehold land, buildings and hospitality business are now for sale for offers over $600,000 through Bayleys Dargaville.
Bayleys sales agent Lisa Pocklington said the owners, Grant and Raewyn Wikaira, had restored the 620sq m building during their near 13-year tenure behind the bar.
Included in the restoration work has been the addition of two "secret" doorways known only to locals, exposing portions of the hotel’s original wood panelling, and creating a stylish art deco space for customers wanting period elegance decore surrounds.
“While Grant and Raewyn have turned the hotel into a warm and inviting location for tourists, families, and locals, they have left plenty of opportunity for any new owners to take the ‘grand old lady of Kaihu’ to new levels,” Ms Pocklington said.
