Chatto Creek Tavern on the Central Otago Rail Trail

Chatto Creek Tavern on the Central Otago Rail Trail Chatto Creek Tavern has great food, cold drinks & friendly staff - see you soon Chatto Creek Tavern is the proverbial dot on the map. coaches.

situated 16 km north of Alexandra beside SH85 surrounded by farmland and with the Central Otago Rail Trail at its back door it is a place where time isn't measured by the hour, it's measured by good conversation, good food and by the glass. The historic Chatto Creek Tavern Est. 1886 is constructed of 18-inch thick schist stone walls which allow it to be cool in summer and warm in winter. The bar has an extensive collection of antique guns, photographs and historic artefacts. The tree-shaded beer garden extends to the Central Otago Rail Trail and incorporates the smallest operating Post Office in New Zealand and the Chatto Creek gold mining dredge and pontoon dating from 1898. Grant and Fiona are the current custodians of the 135-year-old Chatto Creek Tavern, and took it over in November 2020, after seeing it for sale on a road trip to visit Grant's mum in Invercargill. They are loving the amazing surroundings, locals, and Fiona is building up a collection of cute animals to bring smiles to everyone who visits. Of course the iconic Donkeys Henry and Honky still reign supreme. It is important to acknowledge the Taverns past history to have an understanding of it's relevance to the current Chatto Creek Community...

THE HISTORY OF CHATTO CREEK TAVERN
Chatto Creek Tavern was built in 1886. The original Hotel was called the Three Horse Shoes and was established as a rest stop for the bullock trains and Cobb and Co. It was originally constructed of rough timber and canvas but sadly it burnt down. The new hotel was built on its current site and was constructed of stacked stone and mud-brick with walls 18 inches thick and most importantly it was fireproof. It consisted of seven bedrooms, a bar and a parlour. John and Rachel Heyward were the first proprietors. Johns's demise, unfortunately, came three months after opening when he tragically fell on a pitchfork and bled to death. Today his presence can be felt out in the woodshed; not a place to linger. Rachel Rebecca Heyward, quickly married Donald Gunn and then Donald Asquith and finally George Smith to ensure she could run her beloved Tavern as at the time in history women were not permitted to operate a licenced establishment. After 21 years the Tavern was sold to Gertrude and Daniel Ross. Daniel died and Gertrude ran it for 26 years with the support of young married couples. The husbands holding the licence and working as rabbiters at nearby Moutere Station during the week and returning on Friday afternoon in time to write the cheques for the 'grog' and groceries. Two generations of the Scott family then became the proprietors operating the Tavern for the next 42 years. Ted Scott is still legendry today for his pipe, the keg on top of the bar with a wet sack over it in the summer and serving frozen beer in the winter while waiting for the keg to thaw. Four publicans later, Lesley and her husband Owen moved in on Christmas day 1999. Owen passed away in 2004. Lesley then assumed the role as publican and with history repeating itself she followed the tradition of strong-willed, independent women owners that came before her. Lesley sold Chatto Creek to Grant and Fiona in November 2020 and is enjoying her well deserved retirement. Grant and Fiona will continue to ensure Chatto Creek remains a Community space while adding their own touches to both the Tavern and the gardens...

Friendly reminder... It's Wednesday tomorrow... which means Chatto Creek Ribs for only $20.... šŸ¤©šŸ¤©šŸ¤©šŸ¤©šŸ¤©
14/09/2026

Friendly reminder... It's Wednesday tomorrow... which means
Chatto Creek Ribs for only $20.... šŸ¤©šŸ¤©šŸ¤©šŸ¤©šŸ¤©

Coming home to count my daffodils šŸŒ¼ā€¦ šŸ„°šŸ„°
14/09/2026

Coming home to count my daffodils šŸŒ¼ā€¦ šŸ„°šŸ„°

13/09/2026

Thanks Grant ā€¦..šŸ¤¦ā€ā™€ļø
and Iā€™m visiting my Mum ā€¦ and maybe shopping up a storm cos Facebook Marketplace is slightly bigger in Auckland šŸ¤¦ā€ā™€ļøšŸ„°šŸ„°

Welcome to Spring / Sunny Days / Wednesday AND Chatto Creek $20 Rib Night.... 5pm - 8pm
08/09/2026

Welcome to Spring / Sunny Days / Wednesday AND Chatto Creek $20 Rib Night....
5pm - 8pm

Wishing everyone a Happy Fatherā€™s day ### My Dad was sooo funny and caring and made us laugh a lot and yes thatā€™s his cl...
05/09/2026

Wishing everyone a Happy Fatherā€™s day ###

My Dad was sooo funny and caring and made us laugh a lot and yes thatā€™s his clock thatā€™s in the bar! it makes me think of him when i look at it! Memories šŸ˜˜

Have a great day, everyone!

02/09/2026

Happy Fatherā€™s Day ###

Chatto Creek Tavern has great food, cold drinks & friendly staff - see you soon

Some sun, some grass and some bulbs .... all on their way xx
01/09/2026

Some sun, some grass and some bulbs .... all on their way xx

so iā€™m cooking tonight ā€¦. excited šŸ˜†Buffaloā€™s American Food Co.
01/09/2026

so iā€™m cooking tonight ā€¦. excited šŸ˜†
Buffaloā€™s American Food Co.

Anne-Marie needs a 2 bedroom rental in Alexandra ā€¦ anyone? šŸ„°šŸ„°šŸ„°šŸ„°
31/08/2026

Anne-Marie needs a 2 bedroom rental in Alexandra ā€¦ anyone?
šŸ„°šŸ„°šŸ„°šŸ„°

Meet Anne-Marie
(Owner/Creator Miss Vintage Lighting) for the last 6 months she has been along side us relocating her business & life to Central. Signing up for a 12 month rental property in Alexandra, which now has serious flooding damage and is unable to move in on September 1st as arranged and it will be at least 2 months before she can move in..Help! She needs a 2 bedroom Rental if anyone can help, please get in touch its urgent!
She is running her business from Shingle Creek Collectables for the next 12months so needs to be close by, prefer Alexandra- Roxburgh Area...

And thatā€™s a wrap for the 2026 Central Otago Pool Competitionā€¦ with the Final played here on Sunday.It was a showdown be...
26/08/2026

And thatā€™s a wrap for the 2026 Central Otago Pool Competitionā€¦ with the Final played here on Sunday.
It was a showdown between Ophir 1 and Ophircow - a nail biting final that went down to the wire ā€¦ with Ophircow winning ā€¦.
Congrats to all - so much fun and huge Thanks to Kat for running it so smoothly!
šŸŽ±

Address

1544 Omakau-Chatto Creek Road, RD 3
Chatto Creek
9393

Opening Hours

Wednesday 12pm - 8pm
Thursday 12pm - 8pm
Friday 12pm - 8pm
Saturday 12pm - 8pm
Sunday 12pm - 8pm

Telephone

+6434473710

Website

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