Eric Gathercole has closed the Wimbledon Tavern permanently, but will continue to live in the pub.
Eric Gathercole has closed the Wimbledon Tavern permanently, but will continue to live in the pub.
The isolated and historic Wimbledon Tavern has closed to locals, with its owner saying an “evil” community around it made keeping the doors open unviable.
Eric Gathercole has owned the tavern in Tararua, 20km south of Pōrangahau, since 2018.
He says they will now only open to outside groups of20 to 50 people and car clubs who book in advance.
Gathercole said they planned to continue living in the pub on Route 52 for the foreseeable future.
“It was never going to make us millionaires, but that wasn’t the plan anyway.”
Gathercole said there was nothing more he could do to keep the doors of the building, which is listed as a Category 2 Historic Place by Heritage New Zealand, open to the public and those living locally.
“[I] will only entertain groups of people that prebook at least two months in advance to allow special licences to be applied for and granted.”
He had been working fulltime in Hastings and said he had spent an estimated $200,000 in the last seven years on the building and business, which, in recent times, had only brought in an income of less than $300 a week.
He then claimed the backlash to that decision led to the business description of the Wimbledon Tavern being changed on Google to say they were ‘permanently closed’.
“I don’t think you realise the pressure we have been under in the last two years, it has been unbelievably stressful, and I can’t see beyond that.”
Gathercole said he was grateful for the eight to 10 locals who had supported the pub.
“People haven’t got the money these days.
“Of that core group, probably six of them come to the pub once a week, and spend just under $100 each - it just doesn’t work.
“We know we were doing the right thing. People from outside of the district came along and were amazed at our food and our hosting.”
Tararua North Ward councillor Erana Peeti-Webber said the Wimbledon community was a close-knit one and people cared about each other, but didn’t have a lot of money.
“Times are pretty tough at the moment in all the communities, really, and such a small area where they are.
