- Whangamōmona Hotel, founded in 1911, is for sale after 12 years under Richard and Vicki Pratt.
- The hotel attracts 25,000 visitors annually, benefitting from its unique status and Lonely Planet mentions.
- The property and business are inviting enquiries over $1.4m, with options to buy in sections.
A remote country hotel that’s become a must-visit stop for tourists has hit the market for sale.
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Located in a village with only 20 residents, Whangamōmona Hotel was founded in 1911 and has benefitted from recent write-ups in global travel guides.
Its current owners, Aucklanders Richard and Vicki Pratt, are selling up after a 12-year run.
They told OneRoof they bought business and building in 2013 after deciding to try something new.
They had just walked away from an opportunity to take over a campground in Glenorchy when a friend working in Taumarunui mentioned the hotel was for sale.
“We came down and looked at it once and my wife said ‘buy it’. She basically said, ‘We are a long time dead, let’s do it’,” Richard told OneRoof.
Tourism makes up a major part of Whangamōmona Hotel’s business. Photo / Supplied
The Pratts said running a country pub in a tiny village was unlike anything they could have expected. “All the advice I got about rural pubs was pretty negative, but this is a one-of-a-kind hotel.”
The fact Whangamōmona is its own republic was another drawcard and helped put the hotel on the map and bring in tourists.
Motorcyclists, car clubs and cyclists doing one of the NZ Cycle Tour routes often stop by and – because it’s mentioned in the Lonely Planet – the hotel gets its fair share of overseas tourists too.
“You can’t replace being in the Lonely Planet, or being on the bucket list of every Kiwi,” Richard said.
He added that it was the “closest thing to the Wild West in NZ”.
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A lot of visitors who turn up to the village are also eager to participate in the largely outdated tradition of having their passports stamped. But it’s still on offer in the self-declared republic and people can pay $5 for a passport and $2 for a stamp, with all proceeds going to support the community.
Other activities include a walk around the historic village or going on a walking track in the nearby forestry block.
Some 25,000 visitors go through the hotel’s doors and about 5000 stay at the hotel each year.
“Last Tuesday there were 10 motorcyclists, three cyclists and some other international tourists. This week alone we will sleep more than 150 guests.”
The hotel also partnered with Forgotten World Adventures and hosted clients taking the rail cart tours along the decommissioned railway line.
The Whangamōmona Hotel and Lodge sleeps a total of 44 guests. Photo / Supplied
“We get a good percentage of their business as well. It’s good and it fills us up in the off-season. At the moment as you can imagine February and March and a little bit less into April you don’t have enough beds, but it eases up very quickly at the end of April and then we hunker down for winter.”
The Whangamōmona Hotel has 17 rooms sleeping 34 people. In 2018, the Whangamōmona Lodge was built adding another five double rooms sleeping 10 more people to cater to the growing tourist demand. The Pratts also purchased the neighbouring Post Office at the same time and renovated it to use as even more accommodation.
Before Covid the hotel had a loyal crew of local staff, but now had to look further afield for staff and currently had workers from the Northland, America, France, Czech Republic and England. “I’ve got quite a mix of cultures.”
The hotel and a bespoke gift store are the only two retail outlets in the village, with Stratford or Taumarunui an hour’s drive away.
Part of Whangamōmona charm is its unique remoteness as it only got mobile phone coverage two years ago. It was also the only state highway in the country not to be completely tarsealed, but that finally changed at the end of last month when the final stretch was completed.
But Richard said the distance hadn’t been an issue for them and they drove an hour each week to pick up supplies in Stratford. Unlike in Auckland, the couple rarely find themselves stuck in traffic.
The hotel was first put on the market for sale at the end of 2019 just before Covid hit which changed their plans. Some six years later the couple has decided it’s now time to move on.
Richard said the hotel could suit someone younger who wants to run their own business or someone who, like them, wanted a change of lifestyle. “We saw a business opportunity that could be a bit of fun and that’s why we took it on.
“It’s a profitable business. Someone taking it on is going to benefit from the growth of the tarsealing of the road.”
The new buyer has options and can buy all the property and business together or in sections. The hotel and business is inviting enquiries over $1.4 million, but Richard said the price would increase if the new owner also wanted to purchase the Whangamōmona Lodge and Post Office.
- 6018 Ohura Road, in Stratford, Taranaki is for sale by negotiation
