The land, buildings and business of the Punakaiki Tavern, Bistro and Accommodation are now all for sale through Bayleys Nelson. The business in the small South Island West Coast settlement of Punakaiki had been developed and owned by entrepreneurs Ian and Lorraine Ryder since its inception 20 years ago.
The site is located on 2,485 square metres of freehold land including the 416 square metre tavern, the 226 square metre accommodation block, and 196 square metre manager’s dwelling.
“When business founders Ian and Lorraine Ryder lodged their plans for Punakaiki Tavern, Bistro and Accommodation, they were literally laughed at by a regional business development agency who thought they were mad for planning to build a full-scale hospitality venture in the town. That just made them all the more determined to succeed,” Bayley salesperson Reece Forbes said.
“However, their visionary concept has proven to be correct. Off the back of the growth of low-impact eco’ tourism in New Zealand, visitor numbers to the Punakaiki rocks and blowholes have increased steadily over the past two decades.
“In parallel, greater numbers of hikers have been using Paparoa National Park which is literally across the road on the other side of State Highway 6. You can actually see the park boundary from the tavern’s beer garden. In the other direction, just a couple of hundred metres down the side road is Punakaiki Beach.
“Compounding on those visitor stats, next year marks the opening of the Pike29 Memorial Track within the Paparoa National Park in honour of the men who lost their lives in the Pike River Mine tragedy in 2010.
“The 10.8-kilometre spur track will be first purpose-built shared-use Great Walk to be constructed by the Department of Conservation, and is expected to attract thousands of monument-tribute riders and hikers annually.”
Assets sold with the property and business include:
• A full commercial-grade kitchen featuring ovens, hobs, grillers, fryers, walk-in freezer and refrigerator, dish-washer/drying equipment, and extensive stainless steel benching
• A rural pioneer New Zealand-themed 118-seater bar fitout and adjoining restaurant area heated by an energy-efficient log burner.
• An administrative office and staff room.
• All bedding, kitchenette, and lounge furnishings within the motel units.
• A landscaped outdoor area featuring walkways leading to a grassed garden bar space.
• Two-bedroom owner/managers home on the property.
• The high profile colonial pioneer horse and beer barrel-stacked cart monument immediately outside the tavern’s front door facing directly onto State Highway 6.
