Do you Putaruru?

I've a whole heap of hand-sewing left to do on my 1940s blouse, so I thought I'd share some pics of a lovely little Art Deco hotel we stumbled upon while on holiday in New Zealand.

Primarily, we were visiting the North Island for the 2010 'Beach Hop' - a Hot Rodding event - but I had also heard tell of Art Deco treasures dotted throughout the county side. So, one sunny morning we set out in our unexciting hire car to see what we could see.

On our mad rush to nowhere, I caught many a glimpse of cute little houses, angular council buildings and even a bus stop, but by the time I had shouted "STOP!", it was far too late. As someone with a keen eye for Deco detail, it would have made much more sense for me to drive.

Thankfully, we pulled over in the small town of Putaruru to make ourselves some lunch and literally, right across the street from where we parked, was this little gem...

Putaruru Hotel, NZ.

Oh, wonder of wonders! Can't you just imagine 1930s holiday-makers swanning about the lawn in their floaty loungewear and giant sun hats?

The door to the hotel itself was locked so I wandered around to the front bar in the hope of finding someone who could let me in. I've never been backwards in coming forwards, so I strolled on up to the bar and simply asked if there was any way I could take a look around the hotel. The lunch 'rush' appeared to be over, so the barman was more than happy to let me in through the bistro.

The Putaruru Hotel appears to have been refurbished since my visit,

so if you're passing through, do stop in for a quick tipple.

Cheers!!

- Tamara