Mrs Sutherland (65) and her team of staff feed an average of between 30 and 50 people a night most weeks of the year, which is no small feat where the permanent population is seven.
The frantic worker, known by fellow residents as Nifty Noza, said she can easily work 75-hour weeks, although she would like to slow down.
‘‘At the moment, we are getting so many folks through the hotel, there's not enough space for them all,'' she said.
The majority of Mrs Sutherland's customers are Otago Central Rail Trailers, although a team of gold prospectors have also based themselves at Hyde while studying the surrounding area.
‘‘They've been great customers. Hyde is a key spot on the rail trail now, whereas there used to be a 60km void between Ranfurly and Middlemarch.
‘‘Most people can't bike that far in one day and the facilities at Hyde have really opened up the trail to many people who otherwise would not have made it,'' she said.
Her plans for the old school will present further opportunities for people at Hyde, such as wedding parties and groups of friends catching up from throughout Otago.
‘‘Late last year, I became a marriage celebrant so I want to market this new facility for that. Hyde is a really central place as well for people in Dunedin, Queenstown, Wanaka, and Central Otago to meet for a night or weekend,'' she said.
Yesterday, concrete was poured inside the old school, which was established in 1869 and which will become a dining room, kitchen, and conference facility with a covered outdoor seating and barbecue area in what was the school swimming pool.
The school will be run from the hotel and used for bookings but will not be open to foot traffic.
Mrs Sutherland purchased the Hyde Hotel when she moved to the town from Mosgiel four years ago.
‘‘It was a rat-infested derelict hole. Over the years, I have probably spent about $450,000 on it and the school will probably cost me the same to get up and running,'' she said.
Construction on the school should be finished in July, and she hopes to seat diners in the newly-furnished building from November, when the tourist season starts to pick up.
