Butterworth Lane, Fairlie, Canterbury

Offers/Enquiries over $450,000 plus GST (if any)

A former classic Kiwi stone country pub dating back to the 1870s and in need of a complete interior rebuild to acknowledge its heritage status is on the market for sale.

Built from Limestone quarried from the Te Ngawa Gorge near the small township of Albury in South Canterbury, The Opawa Hotel was constructed in 1873 and in its original state contained 13 bedrooms with a wooden floor dining room which could set 30 guests. In subsequent years, the pub was later renamed The Westmere, The Albury Tavern, and The Pig 'n' Whistle. The property was vacated in the early 2008s and has been derelict ever since.

The Abury pub building comes with 8.0431 hectares (more or less) of flat land - potentially next to what will soon be another trunk route on the immensely popular Alps 2 Ocean Cycle Trail. Renovating this heritage premises is a project for someone with a design vision for the future - founded on a love and respect for New Zealand's rich pioneering past.

As a virtual bare shell structure, The Opawa Hotel/The Westmere/The Albury Tavern/The Pig 'n' Whistle in Albury is ready to be majestically reborn and rightly reclaim its place among New Zealand's finest and most historic country pubs as one of the few stone built hospitality venues of its genre still standing. Or it could be a magnificent historic private homestead.

What are your Grand Designs for this incredible opportunity?