- Fleur’s Place, launched by Fleur Sullivan in Moeraki, is on the market for sale.
- Sullivan closed the restaurant in 2021 due to Covid-19 disruptions and staff vaccination issues.
- The property is listed with Colliers, attracting interest for potential restaurant or residential use.
An iconic New Zealand restaurant that has hosted celebrity chefs Rick Stein and Josh Emmett, artist Ralph Hotere, and playwright Sir Roger Hall is on the market for sale.
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Fleur’s Place, launched by Fleur Sullivan on the site of an old whaling station in Moeraki, was renowned for its seafood, delivered direct from the wharf outside to the plate minutes later.
Sullivan, 86, shut its doors for good in 2021, citing the disruption caused by Covid-19. She told OneRoof that the pandemic broke her restaurant.
Fleur Sullivan made a name for herself with her seafood restaurant Fleur’s Place. Photo / New Zealand Herald
The restaurant has hosted numerous celebrities, and its rustic look has charmed countless diners over the years. Photo / Supplied
Despite bringing a doctor in for an information session, half of her staff refused to get vaccinated, leaving her in a bind.
She also had to sell her fish quota, which would have made re-opening extremely difficult. “Having your own fish quota made the restaurant special because people are fileting the fish outside,” she told OneRoof.
Sullivan said locals often asked her if she planned to reopen the restaurant. “People are still coming and thanking me," she said. And despite never wanting to retire, she had enjoyed spending time with her grandchildren.
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Fleur’s Place was born after Sullivan moved to Moeraki, 30 minutes from her childhood home, in the 1990s. She was battling cancer and wanted a slower pace of life.
When her cancer went into remission, she began selling fish, soups, and bread from a caravan in the town and steadily built up a loyal following.
When 169 Haven Street came up for sale in 2002, she tried to convince herself not to look at it, but something drew her to the spot, and she bought it.
Sullivan moved a reclaimed farm shed and salvaged materials onto the site to build her restaurant, and the rest is culinary history.
The property is being sold with vacant possession and includes all the chattels a new owner would need to open a restaurant. Photo / Supplied
Fleur’s Place attracted worldwide attention after English celebrity chef Rick Stein visited in 2006, and in 2007, Sullivan was inducted into the Restaurant Association of New Zealand’s Hall of Fame.
Sullivan’s specialty was food from the restaurant’s doorstep. Customers, even the rich and famous ones, would have to wait until a boat docked with a fresh catch before they could have their dish cooked and served.
Fleur’s Place also served as a training ground for some of New Zealand’s most creative chefs. Lyall Minhinnick, Ngāti Te Ata, told Radio New Zealand that working for Sullivan was incredible. “She was an absolute inspiration. She came from a tough background and taught herself to do so many things. I ended up head chef and cooked for people like Josh Emett, Annabel Langbein and Nadia Lim.”
169 Haven Street is listed for sale with Colliers agent Tyler Dickison and is being sold with vacant possession.
Dickison, who sells commercial property across Otago and Southland, told OneRoof that hospitality and tourism businesses such as Fleur’s Place were often difficult to price, noting that the RV was largely irrelevant.
He said the land, buildings, and chattels were all for sale. “The chattels are pretty much anything you need to run a restaurant.”
He said several buyers had already expressed interest in the site. Some wanted to open a restaurant or other tourism business, while others were looking to turn the property into residence.
- 169 Haven Street, in Moeraki, Waitaki, is for sale, deadline closing May 21
