Mr Hood and his two sons Anton (10) and Cooper (7) shifted to the Maniototo from Auckland two years ago.
"We came here for two weeks and stayed on, and to be honest, I wouldn't shift back to Auckland. We're southern men now."
A heavy snowfall last weekend, combined with a washout, cut off access to the inn until it was reopened on Monday.
"We're surrounded by farmers here and I had people calling and phoning to check if we were all right or needed a hand and offering to get us out with a tractor if we needed to get out.
"There's a great community feeling. If something like this happened in Auckland, you probably wouldn't even hear from any of your neighbours."
That sense of being part of the community was one of the attractions of the area.
Mr Hood said there was no worry about supplies when they were isolated as the hotel had a well-stocked freezer, and the open fire threw out plenty of warmth.
"We've been here for just under two years and we've never seen snow like this. Even the locals are saying it's the first time in many years there's been such a heavy snowfall this early."
This weekend will be one of the busiest in winter, with the Brass Monkey motorcycle rally being held at Oturehua and an influx of motorcyclists expected to call in on their way through.
