The White Swan Hotel is a Victorian-style hotel building in Greytown, in the Wairarapa region of New Zealand.
| The White Swan Hotel | |
|---|---|
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| General information | |
| Architectural style | Victorian |
| Address | 109 Main Street, Greytown |
| Coordinates | 41°04′51″S 175°27′36″E / 41.0808°S 175.4601°E |
| Year(s) built | 1905 |
| Relocated | December 2002 |
| Website | |
| thewhiteswanhotel | |
The building was originally constructed in 1905 as a railways administration block in Woburn, Lower Hutt.[1] A new site for the building was purchased in 2001 on Main Street, Greytown. The intention was to provide accommodation at the higher end of the market, and attract weekend visitors from Wellington.[2] The former railways building was cut into six sections for transport over the Remutaka Hill road.[1] During the transport of one of the sections in December 2002, the transport trailer was knocked off balance by a particularly strong gust of wind. Both lanes of the Remutaka Hill road were closed for more than four hours,[3] and a crane had to be brought in to rescue the load.[4]
The renovated building was opened as The White Swan Hotel in October 2003, and included a restaurant, bar and seven themed rooms on the upper floor.[2] Additional accommodation was built at the rear of the hotel, providing another five rooms.[1]
The name of the hotel is linked with the story of the rescue of the passengers and crew of the SS White Swan, a steamer that struck a rock off the Wairarapa coast south of Castlepoint, on 29 June 1862.[5] The vessel was carrying 65 passengers and crew, including members of parliament and national documents for the inaugural meeting of parliament in Wellington. No lives were lost, but the vessel was wrecked.[6][7][8]
The property was sold to investors in 2013,[9] and the original leaseholder put the lease up for sale in 2014.[10] The property owners took over the lease in 2015.[11] The lease was again listed for sale in 2019,[12] and new proprietors took over in December 2019.[13]
In December 2022, the hotel was recognised in the Wairarapa Business Awards, winning the Vibrant Award, and the overall Supreme Award. [14]
References edit
- ^ a b c Brook, Ellen (6 January 2004). "Swan around Greytown". Dominion Post. ProQuest 338026172.
- ^ a b Katterns, Tanya (17 October 2003). "Heritage hotel ready to open doors". Dominion Post. ProQuest 338047064.
- ^ "Police look at house mover slip". Dominion Post. 21 December 2002. ProQuest 337979774.
- ^ "On the brink". Waikato Times. 19 December 2002. ProQuest 313745181.
- ^ Downes, Siobhan (24 July 2021). "Room review: The White Swan is the Wairarapa's most iconic hotel". Stuff. Retrieved 13 June 2023.
- ^ "Wreck of the White Swan". nzhistory.govt.nz. Retrieved 13 June 2023.
- ^ "Wellington—The General Assembly". The New Zealander. 8 July 1862. p. 3 – via Papers Past.
- ^ "Further account of the wreck of the S.S. White Swan". The New Zealander. 16 July 1862. p. 3 – via Papers Past.
- ^ "Victorian hotel bought by first-time commercial investors". Dominion Post. 17 August 2013. ProQuest 1424825713.
- ^ Harris, Caleb (11 June 2014). "Greytown hotel goes on market for $1.2m". The Southland Times. ProQuest 1534346085.
- ^ Harris, Caleb (27 April 2015). "Country pub ready to spread its wings". Dominion Post. ProQuest 1675772504.
- ^ "Picturesque Wairarapa White Swan hotel". NZ Herald. 29 June 2019. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
- ^ "Iconic hotel has new owners". Wairarapa Times-Age. 17 December 2019. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
- ^ "White Swan's double-win". Wairarapa Times-Age. 7 December 2022. ProQuest 2748035900.