Celebrating local – The White Swan
It’s been a big year for us all – but particularly for Nick and Rosie Rogers, owners of Greytown’s The White Swan.
When Nick and Rosie bought The White Swan last year they were offered a choice of start dates – either 12 days before Christmas or in the quieter winter season, giving them a chance to ease into the role. Never ones to walk away from a challenge they opted for the immediate start.
“Owning the Swan was something that we had always wanted. It really is an icon of the Wairarapa. If you drive past you can’t help but wonder what is inside and want to go in. It promises so much,” says Nick.
He wants to see the hotel developed as the go-to hub for visitors and locals alike – “It lends itself so well to celebrations and community events, but it’s also a place where people can just drop by for a drink.”
Among their many plans for the hotel, the Gladstone-based couple would like to see the Swan celebrate the Wairarapa more. “People come here to experience the Wairarapa. Let’s give them the Wairarapa – in wine, food and produce, art and music. I’d like to see it as the rural experience delivered in polished way,” says Rosie.
It’s still early days for the couple to put their own stamp on the Swan. “It’s like turning a ship around, it will take time, but we are in it long-term,” says Nick.
A refresh of the interior has already been underway. Just before autumn’s lockdown the couple ordered over 150 litres of paint, and spent those weeks painting the 12 bedrooms.
Apart from that enforced break, it has been full on since Christmas. After lockdown Greytown saw an immediate surge of visitors – and it has not slowed since. Over July, the hotel sparkled in Greytown’s hugely popular Festival of Christmas. “From June to August is usually a really quiet time but it’s been just as busy as January.”
“I’ve noticed lots of couples coming to the Wairarapa who’ve never been before. They’re doing a roadie and going to places in New Zealand that they always wanted to go but never had the time before. And they aren’t in any hurry – often they stay the night at the Swan, then they’ll go on to stay another night in Martinborough.”
Rosie and Nick also own and manage the Experience Collective, which runs the West Coast’s Monteith’s Brewery Tour and the Tui Brewery Experience at Mangatainoka. How do they find the time to manage all three?
“It’s been pretty hands on here but we have an amazing team – really cool people. We make a point of finding good people, investing in them and keeping them. We don’t have staff, we have team members all working together,” says Rosie.
