The Five Stags family restaurant and bar at Pirongia will be up for sale at auction next month.
Marketed by Bayleys Hamilton, bids for the substantially-upgraded historic building will be taken on December 12. The tavern has the potential to be developed into more accommodation for hire or stylish apartments suitable for Airbnb.
"Many Aucklanders travelling to the central North Island ski fields and the Waitomo tourist attractions will be familiar with the tavern 30 kilometres southwest of Hamilton, which offers a break on their journey," said Bayleys salesman Mike Swanson.
"In addition to the thousands of cars, trucks and vans passing daily, Five Stags is also on the motorcycle calendar for many clubs and casual riders from the district, with large groups of enthusiasts stopping for a pint and a rest. Other groups such as Young Farmers have used it as a meeting venue."
Five Stags has separate bar and garden areas as well as a family-friendly restaurant with a warm hunting lodge theme. The restaurant opens to a large covered outdoor area popular with locals and travellers and is open six days a week for lunch, dinner, and takeaways.
An extensive themed fit-out was completed in 2017 and included new roofing and painting. The tavern area was decorated and refurbished to a high standard, while the chalets also reflect the hunting theme.
The large 4,047-square metre level section has a carpark to the rear of the property, and there are approximately 2,000 square metres of spare land that could be developed in future.
Five Stags was formerly known as the Alexandra Hotel, and built during New Zealand’s colonial period. The history of the historic fortifications is well documented with information available and on display in the township.
The property is zoned Commercial under the Waipa District Council Operative District Plan. The main front hotel area could easily be converted into a lounge or self-serve kitchen with accommodation that would suit either backpackers, tourists or truck drivers.
The original Alexandra Hotel building has been divided into flats to provide owner and staff accommodation plus three character-filled queen-sized rooms that retain the original Hotel’s heritage and continue the hunting lodge theme and provide additional income.
Pirongia Village is a popular tourist destination with its historic Information centre, variety of cafes, craft stores and picnic spots. Attractions include a golf course and the oldest horse-racing club in New Zealand.
Pirongia Forest Park is the largest tract of unbroken native bush in the Waikato and is very popular for walkers, mountain bikers and horse riders with its many tracks of varying lengths
and levels of difficulty.
