The couple are moving on, having sold the business to another couple, though they will retain the building.
But do not worry — the old favourites will remain, including Sheryll’s home-made fish pie, famous in Taiwan, apparently.
Ms Kidston and her parents had bought the business off former NBR owner Barry Coleman in 2008, and she had been joined by husband Steve Little a few years later. Her parents departed the ownership in 2017.
The new owners, who take over on May 8, are Xavier Sparks, a chef from Queenstown, and Rhys McPherson, who works in IT at the University of Otago.
Ms Kidston said they had really enjoyed their years in the business, but it was time to move on. New people would provide a fresh take on the business.
There was always something to do and they had been on a constant path of improvement.
There had been a real mix of clientele over the years which really helped the hotel.
‘‘We’ve got a good bunch of locals, people who come out from town, tourists, people off the cruise ships, cyclists, tour groups. So it is a lot of different groups which makes it interesting. A lot of different income streams which is good,’’ she said.
Mr Little said being closed for only five days a year meant it was always busy and he was tasked with carrying out a whole lot of different jobs.
‘‘And I have made a lot of friends over the years in the bar — I would say for every drink I buy I would get three back. That is the philosophy I take anyway.’’
An ex-fisherman, Mr Little also works at Port Otago when not helping out at the hotel.
The couple said Mr Coleman and his late wife, Cushla Martini, had upgraded the hotel in their time and they had continued the improvements.
They said it had never been a grind owning and operating the hotel.
‘‘I think you can’t beat sitting outside, the beautiful view you get of the harbour, the sunsets coming up on a crisp morning. It really is magic,’’ Mr Little said.
She said they had made lot of friends and two of the staff had been at the hotel since Mr Coleman took over.
‘‘We have a few students and they work here for up to four years then they come back with their children. We have young people here who used to come in with their parents when they were young children.
‘‘We’ve got a couple of leaners in the bar and they are always popular. Sort of like Cheers in a way. Not always the same people but come in and talk about things, about events,’’ she said.
‘‘We had a local in this week who came home [to find] the back door was left open, and so she came down here and sure enough her husband was here.’’
They said a Taiwanese television company shot a production in 2014 and though it took a couple of years it had led to seven tour groups coming from Taiwan.
‘‘They all wanted the fish pie. So still to this day we get people coming in from Taiwan wanting the fish pie.’’
The 152-year-old hotel had been on the market for a couple of years then taken off. When it went back on late last year it was sold within five months.
The couple were not going far upon retirement, moving to Aramoana, having lived in the hotel.
