Chatto Creek Tavern

On the highway between Alexandra and Omakau, this historic stone and mud-brick tavern has been a local icon since the days when travellers pulled up in horse and carriage. Fast-forward more than a century, you’ll find Rail Trail riders refuelling and groups of friends sipping pints together at the end of a hard day’s work.

Grant and Fiona became the tavern’s most recent guardians in 2020, pouring new energy into the space while maintaining its carefree and chirpy pub spirit. One of the key features of the place is undeniably the lush garden area, a sunny setting with an abundance of picnic tables for friends and family to gather. And the little ones? They’ll have the time of their lives with a playground, bottomless box of toys, and hungry donkeys providing hours of entertainment (and some much-needed relaxation for the parents). 

Harriet the Hippo, a bronze beauty all the way from Sydney, a wooden giraffe named Gerry, and a couple of Haast eagle sculptures are just a few additional outdoor characters Grant and Fiona have added to the Chatto Creek family. In summer, the corrugated iron shed opens up as Harriet’s Bar, and a chirpy yellow ice cream truck serves up treats to both the young and young at heart. 

The tavern serves exactly what you want from a great country pub. Emerson’s brews flow from the taps, glasses are generously filled with local wines, and hearty plates of Central Otago lamb sausages and mash, fresh burgers, and countless baskets of fries fly out of the kitchen. When the weather packs in, escape inside with a beer and a board game on the leather couches, or pull up a chair in the dining room. Not only does the interior provide warm shelter, the historic black-and-white photos, donkey portraits and tongue-in-cheek signs add so much personality and humour to the overall pub experience.

Next time you’re at Chatto Creek Tavern, be sure to send our warmest wishes (and a few extra carrots) to our favourite hee-hawing friends, Pablo, Henry and Benjamin Button.