Lakeland Queen owner Damon Hagaman celebrates that day the boat went back on the water. Photo / Annabel Reid
The new owner of Rotorua’s Lakeland Queen hopes to have the final boxes ticked to open for business next month – but it might initially be unable to serve alcohol.
The iconic paddle boat is back on the water but is sitting idle at its jetty at the Rotorua Lakefront, waiting for the final sign-offs so it can resume showing visitors the sights of Lake Rotorua.
The Lakeland Queen still needs a resource consent from the Rotorua Lakes Council and a liquor licence.
Owner Damon Hagaman told the Rotorua Daily Post on Tuesday he was about to file the final signed documents for the resource consent, and a liquor licensing hearing has been set down for November 3.
The Lakeland Queen has not operated since 2021 when the Covid pandemic forced its former long-time owner, Terry Hammond, to put the business into hibernation. It later went into liquidation.
Hagaman and his wife, Arna, who are originally from America, bought the Lakeland Queen last year and have been working to reopen for business since.
Hagaman said it was hoped the liquor licence could be decided on the day of the hearing, but if the panel reserved the decision for longer, it would be forced to start without alcohol.
“We might be able to do breakfast, lunch and afternoon trips, but we won’t be able to open for dinner until we get that liquor licence, as people like to have a drink with dinner.”
He said they also needed approval from Ngāti Whakaue as part of the resource consent application.
“We had a lovely meeting with Ngāti Whakue on board the Lakeland Queen on Friday and played them the commentary (part of the onboard entertainment) to make sure it is culturally appropriate.”
He said they had received many inquiries, but did not want to accept bookings until they had the resource consent and knew whether they would be operating with a liquor licence.
A council spokesperson said the consent application was progressing.
The liquor licence was going to a hearing because one objection had been received.
They said the District Licensing Committee usually reserved its decision on the day and issued a written decision afterwards.
There was no specific legislative timeframe by which it must issue its decision, they said. Committee decisions can be appealed.
Meanwhile, Hagaman said he was thrilled to receive approval from Te Arawa Lakes Trust, which had advised the Lakeland Queen did not need a lease for the jetty.
A trust spokeswoman confirmed a lease was not needed as it was not a new jetty, and instead repairs had been made to the existing one.
Hagaman said key recent hires for the business included his daughter Kimberley Mules as business adviser, Marcus Dietzel, who will return to his former position as general manager, and Nadia Mason as duty/bar manager.
Howie Morrison jnr was also helping with entertainment.
Hagaman said a chef and boat skippers had also been employed. The remaining staff would come on board once bookings were confirmed.
A crowd of about 100 people witnessed the boat being put back on the water at Sulphur Point on August 27, after it had been dry-docked since October 2021.
The Hagamans have spent about $1.5 million during the past year restoring the boat to its former glory. The restorations include engine work and exterior and interior refurbishments.
Damon Hagaman, who has lived in Rotorua for 12 years, is the estranged son of the late rich lister and Scenic Hotel founder Earl Hagaman.
The Hagamans had hoped to have the Lakeland Queen up and running by October, but ran into a last-minute consenting glitch they weren’t aware of, and that also impacted other commercial operators on waterways in the Rotorua area.
The Rotorua Daily Post reported the council became aware of the issue when Hagaman applied for a liquor licence in August.
Rotorua Lakes Council community and district development group manager Jean-Paul Gaston said at the time the resource consent to operate on the lake was required under legislation that came in following the District Plan review in 2012.
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.