Classic Coastal Kiwi Hotel For Sale Provides A Royal Opportunity For New Owners

A classic New Zealand country hotel - famed for hosting sold out tribute bands and performers alongside All Black rugby matches as part of its entertainment options - has been placed on the market for sale.

The Royal Oak Hotel at Tapu on the main arterial route between Thames and Coromandel township on the Coromandel Peninsula is a stereotypical rural New Zealand hotel which has been operating on the location since the 1940s after replacing the former two-storey wooden premises which burnt down.

Sitting on some 2,829-square metres of freehold land, the business generates income from multiple complimentary revenue streams – including food and beverage sales, a wholesale liquor retail outlet, TAB kiosk, and gaming machine venue rental.

The Royal Oak Hotel offers a range of entertainment options for its wide variety of patrons - ranging from a darts board and big-screen TVs connected to SkySports, through to a pool table and gaming machines. However, it’s the pub’s live musical acts and sports watching which make it the talk of the area, most recently hosting the like of Cher and ABBA tribute bands.

The Royal Oak Hotel was also packed to capacity during the recent 100th All Blacks vs South Africa rugby match - with some patrons having to be turned away under the new Covid-19 hospitality operations restrictions.

As a fully licensed full-service hospitality entity, The Royal Oak’s infrastructure encompasses all aspects of the hospitality market, including:

• A wholesale bottle store adjoining the main body of the hotel
• Four gaming machines and a self-service TAB kiosk
• A 50-seat restaurant serviced by a full commercial kitchen featuring gas hob grillers and ovens, a combi’ oven, deep fryers, extractor fans, and a stainless-steel high-volume plating and servery bench
• A fenced outdoor garden bar - with covered decking overlooking a lawn area surrounded by landscaped gardens and fishpond

and

• A suite of self-contained bedrooms, bathrooms and living areas currently used as staff accommodation and previously operating as guest accommodation.

Now the Royal Oak Hotel land, buildings and going concern business at 772 Thames Coast Road Tapu – also known as State Highway 25 - are being marketed for sale by deadline private treaty through Bayleys Thames, with offers closing on October 21.

Bayleys Thames salespeople Geoff Graham and Dale Sholson said the hotel building encompassed a total floor area of approximately 560 square metres – including a prominent street frontage along the length of the premises.

Graham said the tavern’s interior layout consisted of the main bar with a multitude of leaners and stool seating, with the pub’s refurbished restaurant area on one side, the private gaming room on the other, and sliding doors opening onto the raised deck area overlooking the rear lawn with a myriad of wooden picnic tables.

“The Royal Oak Hotel is the epitome of a rustic Kiwi country hotel – serving regulars who visit the hotel on a weekly basis for a quiet pint with their mates, or to pick up a supply of beers and wines to take home. It is the heart of the surrounding coastline community and is located directly over the road from beach access,” said Graham.

“The tavern’s restaurant facilities are well patronised for social events such as birthdays or wedding anniversaries. Being so close to Auckland, the venue is also on the ‘day trip’ touring map for Auckland’s various official classic car and motorcycle clubs – so it’s quite common to see dozens of pristine European and American machines parked roadside outside the pub on a Saturday or Sunday.”

Traditional short-order ‘country pub grub’ food such as steaks, chicken, fish and chips, and hamburgers are served in all areas of The Royal Oak Hotel from the commercial-grade kitchen with its gas hob burners and deep fryer. The kitchen equipment also includes multiple stand-alone ‘fridge and freezer units, and a commercial-grade dish washer.

The hotel opens seven days a week and is staffed by seven full-time employees and two part-time workers across both the kitchen, retail, and front-of-house activities.

Sholson said current Royal Oak Hotel owner/operator Kaye Bunn and her family had transformed the location into a warm and inviting destination for tourists, families, and locals – setting a solid platform for any new owners to take on the business which enjoyed strong community support.

“Among the business growth prospects which have been identified for the property is the creation of a boat parking amenity on flat, currently underutilised land, to one side of the hotel,” he said.

Click here for more information on the listing.

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