I didn’t stay at the Cardrona Hotel NZ but I did visit the hotel so that I could explore the bar and the gift shop. It was inside an old schoolhouse and was painted red and cream. It was old-fashioned but very pretty.
Cardrona Hotel NZ: More Than Just a Place to Stay
A wooden fence separated the garden of the hotel from the main road.
The post office and general merchant shop was nearby. The town looked like it was 150 years old.
Some of the buildings were from the 1870s. Potted plants had been placed in big wooden tubs outside the door. All the buildings were made of wooden planks. They had been painted cream and had red or green doors and windows.
The old school house had a gift shop and art gallery inside. It welcomed tourists with a signboard on the side. A little ramp led the way inside the shop and gallery. I knew I would have to go and take a look at the souvenirs.
There was an old telephone booth, painted bright red, right outside the old school house.
I walked around the street, admiring the old buildings and taking pictures of them.
Just down the road was the actual Cardrona Hotel. This was also painted red and cream and it had a vintage car parked outside. A large sign reading ‘Coffee’ had been placed at the back of the car.
There was a signboard about the kind of conservation projects that happened in Cardrona and a sculpture of a bird of prey on a wooden post.
A signboard about horse rides had been set up under a big tree.
There was a charging station for electric vehicles on the side of the road.
Even though it was mostly cloudy, blue skies were beginning to peep out.
I decided to take some more pictures of the Cardrona Hotel from up close.
I liked how vintage and charming everything was.
Then I followed the sign that led to the Cardrona Restaurant and Bar. It was established in 1863!
A history of the hotel had been hung on the side of the building. It had a lot of interesting facts.
The vintage car looked rusted but it still had a number plate.
I went inside and found a lot of wooden paneling. It made the room seem very warm.
A blackboard had a note welcoming guests and asking them to order at the bar.
There were pictures of all the great pubs of New Zealand hanging on one section of the wall.
I looked at the menu, which had things like fries, southern fried chicken, loaded wedges and ice cream sundaes on offer.
There was even some outdoor seating. The staff at the bar had used huge wooden barrels as tables and there were tall chairs and a basket of logs placed next to these.
One very interesting thing was a board with frequently asked questions written on it, such as how old the hotel was.
The rooms were at the back and there was a lawn in front of the rooms.
I found some glass houses in the garden of the Cardrona Hotel. The glass houses had some picnic tables and benches inside. They would be very useful if guests wanted to dine outside during winters (This also reminds me of the table and bench I saw near the small hill during my snow walk experience at the Snow Farm.). The glass would keep them warm but give them a good view.
There were more picnic benches and tables scattered on the lawn. I was sure they were a great place to have a meal during the spring and summer months. But it was quite cold when I went.
A few people were sitting inside the glass houses, enjoying their meals in the warmth.
There were trees all around the property. But they had shed most of their leaves and they looked very bare and dry.
I even found an old wooden cart on one side of the lawn, right next to a wooden shed. The cart looked like it was 150 years old as well. The wheels had rusted and the wood was starting to fall apart.
The hotel garden was lovely.
There was a board on the deck of the bar. It had goodbye in a huge number of languages written on it. It was meant to thank guests for visiting.
I walked past the tables and high stools to go inside.
There was frost on the ground and it was quite cold. I was glad to get inside.
The ceiling and the bar counter were all made of wood. The inside seemed very warm and cozy.
There were some different kinds of beer and ale on tap. Bottles of alcohol were sitting on shelves behind the bar.
I saw wine glasses and bottles of wine too. The wine list included prosecco and merlot.
Everything had been arranged very neatly.
An old upright piano had been kept right next to the door, along with a copy of the menu.
The restaurant and bar almost looked like the inside of a farmhouse kitchen. I really liked the decorations and the atmosphere.
Cardrona Hotel Gift Shop
Then I visited the gift shop. I knew that Cardrona had once been a gold mining town. There were bars of handmade soap that had been made to look like gold bars.
Fur carpets and rugs were hanging from the ceiling and there were tote bags for sale (Don’t worry, there are no bras hanging here just like in the Cardrona Bra Fence!).
There were paintings everywhere along with other decorative items, like mugs and candles. I even saw postcards.
Some merchandise like t-shirts and caps were available.
I took a closer look at the items.
The fur carpets had price tags hanging from them.
Bottles of alcohol had been arranged on a shelf.
I loved a drawing of the different types of houses in New Zealand.
Some other things that were being sold were packs of playing cards and boxes of matches.
There were black and white tea towels with the frequently asked questions or a sketch of the Cardrona hotel on them.
Some t-shirts were hanging from clothes hangers and colorful baseball caps and woolen caps had been displayed on top of a glass cabinet.
