Peak House seeks tenant

The Te Mata Park Trust is looking for a new commercial tenant for Peak House, formerly used by well-known Hawke's Bay chef Raymond van Rijk.

Mr van Rijk vacated Peak House in March and the trust is hoping to find someone to use the building for the next three years, until the new Te Mata Visitor Centre is built.

Peak House has a commercial kitchen, three-bedroom accommodation and lovely views.

Te Mata Park trustee and Hastings district councillor Sandra Hazelhurst said the trust would consider any commercial business to operate from the site.

"It has a commercial kitchen so it could be good for someone in the hospitality industry. But we think it could also suit an early childcare service, a kindy or an office."

Mrs Hazelhurst said fundraising for the visitor centre had progressed well, with the help of professional fundraiser, the Giblin Group. More than half of the money needed for the project was already secured.

"It's going to cost between $4million and $5 million and we have raised more than $2 million," Mrs Hazelhurst said.

The trust's chairman, Bruno Chambers, was due to hand in a resource consent application for the visitor centre to the Hastings council this week.

The council will then decide whether the application will be open for public comment or not.

Mrs Hazelhurst said achieving the consent would allow the trust to approach organisations such as the Department of Internal Affairs, to help raise the balance of the project.

Peak House will be closed when the new visitor centre becomes operational.

No new buildings will be constructed higher than the visitor centre.

"We want to improve the safety of buses carrying visitors to the peak," Mrs Hazelhurst said. "We won't have any more big 45-seater buses going to the top. Instead, we will have buses stop at the new visitor centre and then mini-buses will take over, carrying people to the peak."