After moving from Rakaia earlier this month, Sourav Sharma has been racing to get the hotel ready for its grand reopening tomorrow.
Sharma told OneRoof the hotel’s long legacy – including holding the country’s oldest liquor licence – was a major drawcard.
“The history of the place had such a great impact on the area and the district as well. It just didn’t feel right this place was shut.”
The community’s response to the hotel reopening had been “unreal”.
People were stopping by to see what was happening, take selfies or look around the campground. The post on Facebook announcing it was reopening had also been heartening, he said.
“The vision is to breathe new life into this place,” Sharma told OneRoof.
The Hurunui Hotel had been on the market for sale since 2021 for $1.695 million, when it was attached to a vineyard.
Hurunui Hotel owner Adam Martin told OneRoof in August that he had dropped the asking price of the hotel to $995,000 but had still failed to attract a buyer.
-Allied Media
