Waiau Lodge Hotel owner wants answers after fire

The historic Waiau Lodge Hotel was damaged in the Kaikōura earthquake in 2016, before being razed by fire last week. Photo / Maja Burry

A North Canterbury woman who watched her historic Waiau pub go up in flames wants to know who lit the match.

The 110-year-old Waiau Lodge Hotel, known as the Grand Lady, burned to the ground after 10 fire crews battled to save it on Saturday night.

Police are treating the fire as suspicious.

Co-owner Michelle Beri said police have been doing a lot of interviews to collect all the facts.

"I think we are quite safe that it's going to be solved, they're going to find out who.

"I wouldn't like to go to my death bed not knowing what really happened to her."

Beri said they don't have the money to clear what's left of the hotel from the site and have gone to the Hurunui District Council to see if it can assist.

"As I said to them, we can't do it by ourselves. We need guidance and what options are available to us.

"I can't go into details at the moment because I'm waiting to hear back from them, they'll probably come back and check the site for any contamination."