Iconic Northland hotel for sale after five decades in same family

Northland's iconic Paparoa Hotel and Thirsty Tui is up for sale after 52 years in the hands of the Goode family. Photo / supplied

Northland's iconic Paparoa Hotel and Thirsty Tui is up for sale after 52 years in the hands of the Goode family.

The classic 1950s retro-styled gastropub on the Kaipara Harbour is currently on the market for $960,000 which includes 4244sqm of land, and the 450sqm hotel with peppermint green walls.

Current owner-operator Pam Goode said the time was right to sell.

"It's a good time to be passing it on. I've got other things I want to be doing, and I'm ready to slow down a bit.

"I feel like we've gone back and shown it can be a really thriving business.

"It's not about Covid, it's more that it's going to be a very busy summer, and it needs a strong team to get through that."

The hotel was built beside Paparoa River in 1956.

It was initially run by Goode's parents, who immigrated from the UK and ran it as a "traditional watering hole" from 1971.

"It was a classic country pub," Goode said.

"There were no cellphones, everyone stopped in at the pub to say hello.

"Occasionally there'd be a call from a wife asking if someone had already left.

"Mum's answer would always be 'yes', while nodding to the guy across the bar that it was his last beer.

"It was really the heart of the community."

Current owners of the Paparoa Hotel, Pam Goode and Chris Williams, said the decision to sell was 'bittersweet'. Photo / supplied

Goode grew up in the hotel and went to school in the area.

She and her husband Chris Williams have been running the establishment for the last six and a half years.

They've changed the focus to be less about drinking and more about dining, as well as making it family friendly and a popular tourist destination.

Over the years they have doubled the size of the kitchen, tripled the size of the dining area, created a garden bar, and renovated the classic dining room which has been painted a classic vintage peppermint green.

"The idea was to turn it into a great contemporary business serving the local community.
''That transformation of going from a pub to a family-friendly restaurant."

Covid-19 has been tough, Goode said, but they successfully pivoted the hotel to the domestic market and actually grew turnover at times, including during Matariki.

"Covid has made it hard, no doubt about that, but the hospitality business is complicated to run anyway.

"At the height of the pandemic, we ran a marketing campaign to focus on the domestic tourist market, and the hotel experienced a record turnover even as the international tourists stopped coming."

Goode said she now wanted to focus on her film and photography business.

The renovated dining room is a hit with guests, with its vintage peppermint green walls. Photo / supplied

"It is a bittersweet moment.

"We spent the last six-and-a-half years making significant investments into this business and re-established it as the heart of the community.

"On the one hand, we expect a very busy summer season and will need to establish a full team to not compromise on the high standards that we are known for.

"At the same time, we want to slow down and focus on our creative pursuits, we are completing a documentary project that has been eight years in the making, and we want to be good grandparents to our four grandchildren."

The Northland establishment was featured on national television, in Cuisine Magazine, in many travel review articles including in the NZ Herald, and made it onto the New Zealand 175 Classic Pubs to Visit list.

Goode said the region is "primed for growth".

They are "looking to hand over the reins to someone who is ready to take this destination to the next level," she said.

Pam Goode's parents, Joan and David, bought the hotel in 1970. Photo / supplied

The new motorway extension, Ara Tūhono - Puhoi to Warkworth, is set to open next year, bringing domestic and international tourists closer to Northland.

Neighbouring Mangawhai is one of the fastest growing areas in the country, and the nearby Kauri Museum secured $3m of provincial growth funds for a makeover.

The gastropub is also supported by a micro economy of local producers, including fresh flounder and oysters from the Kaipara Harbour, kumara from Ruawai and premium olive oil produced in Paparoa.

The gastropub is among only a few local stockists of the local Brook Lane wines.

"That fresh produce from local suppliers has contributed to the success of our dishes and our overall business identity," Goode said.

"We're confident that whoever the next owners are, they will continue to build on the establishment's achievements and deliver value to the local economy."