Sheep farmer Sophie Hurley breathing new life into vintage Hunterville motel

Sophie Hurley's taking her business Honest Wolf on a journey across the road, after buying the town's vintage motel. Photo / RNZ, Carol Stiles

By Penny Miles of RNZ

A Turakina Valley farmer hopes to turn Hunterville into the shopfront of the North Island wool industry.

Sophie Hurley says there’s plenty of life in the 1970s motel on the main highway, which she’s shaping into a new flagship store for her luxury woollen bag business.

She saw the real estate advertisement for the well-known Hunters Motel and Cafe, and “jumped at it”.

The 2122sq m commercially zoned property was listed by Hunterville and Arizto real estate agent Tony Hewitt with an asking price of $724,500.

The space comprises seven “once vibrant” one-bedroom and combined two-bedroom motel suites, with off-street parking.

The Hunters Motel and Cafe is being transformed into a new store. Photo / RNZ, Supplied

Sold on an “as is” basis, Hewitt said it was an amazing, busy establishment. He’s thrilled the new “down to earth” owners are giving it a new lease on life.

Hurley is the co-owner of upmarket brand Honest Wolf, which she manages with partner Sam. The new store is across the road from the building they currently rent.

The wool insulation is already going in to warm the large 70s open-plan space of the old cafe, with a winter opening a possibility.

Hurley is used to creating something out of what’s already there.

“We use our wool off our own family farm up the Turakina Valley,” she said. “We shear our ewes and use our wool.

“Obviously, being on the main highway, you’re getting travellers, people coming through all the time, whether they’re international or local.

“Initially, people wondered why we might put a face up in a little rural town, but for us, our store is becoming a huge part of our business.

“It’s a place to stop between Wellington and Taupō, or wherever you might be travelling, and Hunterville is a destination now – it’s gaining more and more offerings.”

As well as selling a variety of products, the space will also be used to educate school groups and tourists about the wool industry, and it’s not the only place to stop in Hunterville.

Two years ago, a group of farmers and locals banded together to buy the town’s former art deco pub, the Argyle.

It’s now an upmarket watering hole and eatery. The town, known for its Huntaway Festival and the iconic Shemozzle shepherds race, now has a growing reputation as an escape from the city.