The tavern was named the best country hotel in the Hospitality New Zealand Awards for Excellence and owner Lesley Middlemass is ''absolutely stoked'' for her staff and the Chatto Creek area.
Established in 1886, the tavern had remained the focal point in the community over the years and Mrs Middlemass said the staunch support of the area's residents and ''staff that give 150% of themselves'' were the keys to its success.
She was thrilled when the tavern was named a finalist in the awards and attended the prizegiving function in Queenstown on Thursday night with a support crew of eight in tow ''and no expectations at all of winning''.
''I was so excited to be in the top three [finalists] so you can imagine the massive roar that went up from our table when the tavern was named the winner.''
Yesterday she was busy fielding calls of congratulations and talking to visitors who dropped in to say well done.
''The first phone call came at 10 past six this morning and it's hardly stopped and I've lost count how many cups of tea I've made for visitors.''
The 62-year-old widow said she might own the hotel ''but actually it belongs to the community - so this is their award, too''.
Hospitality New Zealand chief executive Bruce Robertson said the hotel, 17km from Alexandra, was a ''classic Kiwi country pub'' which had evolved into a tourist attraction in its own right.
''Exposing and extolling the traditional rural community elements of our country hotels results in hospitality venues where tourists and visitors mix side by side with locals in a homely environment which pays credence to New Zealand's rural heritage,'' he said in a statement.
It was important for such pubs to remember that it was the locals who come first - ''tourists come and go, locals always come back''.
Mrs Middlemass said the next ''big do'' to be hosted at the hotel would be a celebration party.
''We had quite a big celebration when we were named a finalist because I thought that was as far as we'd get ... but there'll definitely have to be another one now.''
