Three pairs of muddy gumboots are neatly lined up outside the door beside a cluster of polished black motorcycles, hot motors still ticking from a lengthy ride.
The riders are inside the Patangata Tavern, sipping a cool beer, mingling and bantering with the farmers, the locals and their families. Two fox terriers, Fooie and Stewie, weave between the legs of patrons, their doe-eyed look well practised in melting hearts and gaining a hot chip or a piece of fish.
The bustling rural hub is nestled at the bottom of the Middle Rd plains otherwise known as the mad mile and is tucked into the corner of River Rd, where the Tuki Tuki River bubbles away on the other side.
But the Patangata isn't just a tavern; it's a community hub and a place for family, a goal that managers Aaron and Rhonda Bartlett have successfully strived for, for some years.
The couple have been running the tavern for more than six years and its golden reputation continues to spread throughout the region.
"When we first got here, we thought 'what have we done', we're in the middle of nowhere. But we're the centre of nowhere," Aaron said.
"We've got three beaches, two towns, a beautiful fishing river, there's just everything one could want, it's a great lifestyle," Rhonda said.
From neighbourhood watch meetings, to fundraisers to work functions, the tight-knit staff members work around the clock to accommodate the needs of the Elsthorpe community.
"We've had to learn to adapt to what the community people wants. Some people say 'well you're a pub, so why aren't you open at 9pm?' Well if there's no one here, we go home. We are a pub, but we're not 'that pub'.
"We usually run from 11am until 8, but we do the late nights too depending on the day."
The family element is obvious when you walk into the historic building.
"Never in a million years did I think I'd see a dad sitting on the couch reading his kid a book in here," Aaron said.
"It's just a great place for families to come and chill out and that's pretty much what we were aiming to achieve."
While Rhonda was experienced in hospitality, Aaron was completely thrown into it.
"Didn't even know how to run a till mate."
If the kids aren't joining in watching an All Blacks game, you'll most likely find them outside on the trampoline or on the swings, others prefer to sit quietly in the corner reading books or enjoying the toys.
The walls are covered with school photos, signs from neighbouring farms and various other rural memorabilia. The grand duke box blasts away in the corner and flowers from locals up the road sit brightly in vases on tables.
"We just wanted to get it back to being a hub for the community. Like every Friday you'll get all the farmers in here catching up.
"If you put it on for people then they'll come. If you put a play area in, a decent menu and a smile on your face they'll turn up."
Perceptions of long distance are changing with clientele travelling from as far as Napier to spend an evening at the tavern.
"We get a lot of people from Napier, Waipawa, Waipukurau - some who say they've never been here before."
The tavern has its own history and fair share of stories from the mystery bullet hole in the window pane to a man riding his horse inside.
"I was driving along the mad mile and get a call from Rhonda asking me where I was because there was a horse in the pub. A local guy brought him inside, did a lap, then someone else jumped on and then fell off, Fooie was nutting off.
"The bullet hole isn't here any more. A truck drove past and cracked the window so I had to replace the pane. I think it was actually a stone from a mower that caused the hole in the window, but the bullet was a good talking point."
From the Ranfurly Shield popping by, to Mick Duncan, Willie Apiata and even Greg Murphy, the Bartletts have brought the tavern to life and say they will continue their venture, even as other pubs like the Sawyers Arms in Tikokino go up for sale.
"We've just happy to be in this part of the world, it's a great community and we wouldn't be anywhere else."