TopHouse Historic Inn

The wind rustled through the stand of 30 metre tall Gum trees, the toetoe swayed hypnotically below and the aural pleasure of trickling water  offered much to the sense of place, the tranquility of the moment at the historic, unforgettable Tophouse Hotel(known as Tophouse Historic Guest House). From my vantage point on a weatherbeaten bean-bag perched on a grassy slope I was able to survey the great landscape below whilst enjoying the simplest of comforts, a cold, naturally brewed, local “Bays” beer, the occasional buzz of a good old Kiwi country fly and a wasp or two and, more importantly I submit, the hospitality of Jennifer Sloots, a woman who has chosen this alluring corner of the world to revive a captivatingly beautiful old property that dates back to 1887. On a hot February day I was welcomed on to the property, made to feel at home with a mini tour of the house and given food and drink options. The tiny, sleepout-sized, rough and ready bar tacked on the end of the building has a fair enough range of beverages and I was asked to “go and help yourself to whatever you want and we’ll settle up later.” How trusting, how thoroughly delightful, how refreshing, how different to the way things are done in the world today…
We drink , we eat – it is an essential part of one’s daily experience! The menu changes frequently at Tophouse and on this day the Beer Battered Snapper and chips had to be the winner to match with my Bays brew. Admittedly the quantity of chips dwarfed the sanguine seafood star and the accompanying salad was mediocre at best, but fresh and certainly needed to offset the battalion of chips. I savoured much the flesh of the snapper and basked in bucolic bliss, adding another beer to a stable of empties…..and it all seemed fine to me, having somewhat earlier relocated from beanbag to an attractive, ultra-rustic, lichen-bedecked outdoor setting with attendant umbrella to keep the force of the summer heat in check.
I left with the feeling that Jennifer and her 126 year old stone and timber business partner are committed to providing a memorable, old worlde hospitality experience for guests who stay in the accommodation and that she would not be averse to cooking up your special requests should that be your wont. Her dinner menus feature vegetarian options and often some interesting and unexpected surprises. It would be fair to suggest that for most of us, travelling is about finding true gems, places to eat, drink & stay that offer an experience removed from the ordinary. In my opinion there’s gold in them there hills at Tophouse.