The historic Speargrass Inn at Fruitlands is back on the market — and open to the public for the first time in years.

Built in 1870 as a hotel, the property has also served as a restaurant and gallery. Its current owners, the Cubitt family of Dunedin, have used it as a holiday home since purchasing it in 2018.

Interior designer Sandy Cubitt has spent recent years restoring the stone building — upgrading the whisky room, improving lighting and furniture, sealing the roof and stone walls, and installing new flooring.

She and her husband Alan had planned to move in permanently before Covid-19, but chose to return to Dunedin to focus on their family businesses and spend more time with their grandchildren.

“I just loved it there but I love Dunedin more. We’ve done a lot to it in seven years, working on the outside and the fencing,” Sandy said.

Up until a few years ago, visitors would still arrive hoping for lunch or coffee, not realising it was now a private residence — Sandy said she found a couple innocently sitting in the bar one day, after she’d just come out of the shower.

“It has been such a big project but it’s time for someone else to love it,” she said. “Everything is still in place to start it all up again,” referring to the still-consented commercial kitchen.

Interior designer Sandy Cubitt has upgraded the historic building, sealing the roof, walls and floors and establishing fencing. Photo: Supplied.

In 1986, a large restoration of the hotel was carried out by Jan Rasmussen, along with Bert and Annette Kemp - opening a year later as the Fruitlands Cafe and Gallery. It won both tourism and cuisine awards.

Launched this week by Tall Poppy Central Otago, the property has a rateable value of $1.09 million. It includes the original gallery, a commercial kitchen with a chef’s residence above, two bedrooms, and a separate accommodation unit with three ensuite rooms, a whisky room, and established trees on 4500sqm of land.

Tall Poppy owner Peter Hishon, who is marketing the property, said he remembers enjoying morning and afternoon teas there himself in the 1980s.

“People used to drive out from Alex because there was nowhere else decent to go,” Peter said.

In the 1990s, the Inn hosted countless birthday and Christmas parties and has remained an iconic part of Central Otago’s history.

“It has great potential as a wedding venue,” Peter added. “There aren’t many other options in the area and Queenstown Lakes prices are exorbitant.”

The historic Paddy’s Cottage in Fruitlands was also very popular when it went on the market earlier this year. Photo: Supplied.

Real estate agent Dee Labes, also from Tall Poppy, said another historic Fruitlands property, Paddy’s Cottage, attracted more than 7700 views on Trade Me before selling for $580,000 in May.

The Speargrass Inn will be open to the public this Saturday from 1–2pm, with wine and cheese available for visitors interested in seeing inside.

“It’s early days but we expect a lot of interest,” Peter said.

Fruitlands was once a thriving community in the early 1900s, home to two schools and 36 orchard lots. At its peak, 40,000 apple trees were planted on the Fruitlands estate, though only one crop was ever exported before harsh winters destroyed the orchards.

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