White Swan’s a Victorian charmer

In the heart of historic Greytown is a beautiful hotel with luxurious suites, which channels the elegance of yesteryear, writes Siobhan Downes.

Driving along the main street of Greytown, it’s hard to miss the striking White Swan. As popular with locals as it is with visitors, you will see happy punters making the most of its sun-drenched veranda at any time of the day.

The place

Greytown is the oldest town in Wairarapa and, arguably, the most charming. It’s thought to boast New Zealand’s most complete main street of wooden Victorian buildings, and you can take yourself on a historic tour by reading the buildings’ plaques.

But as much as this town appreciates its past, it’s also up to speed with modern sensibilities, with some of the best eating, drinking and shopping in the region.

The backstory

While the White Swan looks as though it’s been there forever, it has only been at its main street location since 2002. The building started life as an administration block at the Woburn rail yard in Lower Hutt. To get it over the notoriously steep and windy Remutaka Range, it had to be chopped into six pieces, but the journey almost ended in disaster when one of the sections fell off the back of a truck.

Fortunately, the rogue piece was retrieved before it tumbled into the ravine, and once all sections had safely made it to the other side of the hill, they were reassembled and redecorated into the elegant hotel that stands today.

The White Swan’s name has an equally thrilling tale behind it. It takes its inspiration from the SS White Swan, a steamer that was carrying politicians from Auckland to Wellington when it was wrecked on the Wairarapa coast in 1862.

Incredibly, no lives were lost, and passengers were taken in by a local farmer, John Moore, and his wife Mary, who provided them with food, drink and beds. More than 150 years later, The White Swan Hotel is carrying on that tradition of Wairarapa hospitality.

The room

There are seven deluxe suites upstairs on the first floor, plus three studio rooms and two garden suites in a separate complex at the back of the hotel, overlooking a neighbourhood park.

Each of the deluxe suites has a different theme, and we were booked into the George, which has been done up to look like a stately English home (other options include the New York-inspired Madison, colonial India-inspired Bombay, and the Asia-inspired Mandarin).

Our suite was enormous, with a separate bedroom and a bathroom with a bath and shower. The living area had a dining table, writing desk and smart TV, plus a sink, tea- and coffee-making facilities, and a mini fridge concealed inside a grand wardrobe. There was also a complimentary beer in the fridge, which was a nice touch.

The balcony overlooked the main street, though the only real view was of the South Wairarapa Workingmen’s Club across the road.

The food

Downstairs is divided into two areas – the gastro pub and restaurant. Both are popular among locals, so it pays to book in advance (or get in early to nab a coveted seat on the veranda).

The gastro pub is a more relaxed space where you can go for a casual drink or snack, offering local wines, standard beers, and coffee from nearby Masterton’s Gracias roastery.

The menu, which can also be ordered as room service, features pub favourites such as burgers, bao buns and fancy fish and chips.

Next door at the restaurant, it’s more of a finedining affair, with a seasonal menu that changes monthly. When we visit, its special midwinter Christmas menu saw us tucking into venison strip loin with celeriac and truffle puree, mulled wine pear, slow-cooked red cabbage, spinach, and red wine jus, followed by a brown sugar pavlova with rhubarb jam and matcha cream. It’s delicious, hearty fare, enjoyed beside the restaurant’s roaring fire.

In the morning, you have the option of a continental breakfast delivered to your room for $20 a person.

Worth stepping out for

Greytown is a gem of a shopping destination, with plenty of interesting boutiques and quirky stores.

Pop into Blackwell & Sons bicycle shop, regardless of whether you are in the market for a new set of wheels. You will fall in love with the whimsical range of accessories, which includes old-fashioned picnic baskets and bicycle wine racks – perfect for taking on a jaunt around nearby Martinborough.

A relatively new addition to the main street, Mrs Blackwell’s Village Bookshop (the Blackwells are big around Greytown), is just as delightful, crammed with great reads and literary-themed gifts, all displayed beautifully.

No trip to Greytown is complete without a visit to Schoc Chocolates. This sweet shop stocks more than 80 chocolate ‘‘tablets’’ in weird and wonderful flavour combinations, such as curry and pappadum, lime and chilli, and pink peppercorn, which are all available to sample. It has sensational hot chocolates, too.

The highlight

We stayed at the White Swan in the middle of winter, and were pleasantly surprised at how warm and toasty our suite was. For such a big room, the heating was incredibly effective.

The lowlight

If you’re booked into one of the front rooms, expect a fair bit of traffic noise (it is right on State Highway 2), and from the pub downstairs.

The verdict

With its country charm and the novelty of having different rooms to try, this is a hotel made for repeat visits. You will feel like a local in no time.

Essentials

Rooms at The White Swan Hotel start at $160 a night. The George suite is from $240 midweek to $290 on weekends. The hotel also has a weekend escape package for two for $799, which includes two nights in a deluxe room, a bottle of bubbles on arrival, dinner in the White Swan restaurant, continental breakfast, and late check-out.