The Lakeland Queen is back on the water. Photo / Annabel Reid
The Lakeland Queen is back on the water. Photo / Annabel Reid
The Lakeland Queen has a liquor licence and is officially back in business.
The paddleboat cruises on Lake Rotorua officially reopened yesterday with a breakfast and lunch cruise, and today it was set to operate three cruises at lunch time, in the afternoon and its firstdinner cruise.
Owner Damon Hagaman told the Rotorua Daily Post this morning he was thrilled to get the liquor licence yesterday and his staff would officially serve alcohol with meals from today.
“We are finally looking forward to also being able to open for Christmas parties and birthdays.”
Yesterday’s opening cruises attracted about 50 people, who were mostly those who had helped get the boat operating, along with a few tourists, Hagaman said.
Lakeland Queen owner Damon Hagaman and consultant Anna Grayling at the liquor licensing hearing. Photo / Kelly Makiha
The Lakeland Queen hasn’t operated since the pandemic, which caused the former owner to go into liquidation.
The paddleboat has been dry-docked at Sulphur Point since October 2021 but was refurbished by Hagaman and put back on the water in August, pending liquor licence and resource consent approval, both of which have now been granted.
The District Licensing Committee hears an application for a liquor licence for the Lakeland Queen. Pictured (from left) are Carrie Metcalfe, Ana Morrison (chairwoman) and Trevor Owen. Photo / Kelly Makiha
The public hearing before the District Licensing Committee, chaired by Ana Morrison, was last week.
The only official objection came from Hagaman’s estranged stepmother, Lani Hagaman. She was married to Hagaman’s father, the late Earl Hagaman, who was a rich-lister and founder of the Scenic Circle Hotels.
Lani Hagaman’s objection centred around clarifying that Damon Hagaman had nothing to do with his late father’s hotel chain, as they were estranged.
The liquor on-licence allows the company operating the business, Lakeland Queen 2024 Ltd, to serve alcohol seven days a week from 8am until midnight, if required.
Kelly Makiha is a senior journalist who has reported for the Rotorua Daily Post for more than 25 years, covering mainly police, court, human interest and social issues.
