Daily Photo – The Ranfurly Hotel
I awoke the next morning to discover that Central Otago had turned the cold up a few notches. A sharp frost had covered almost everything, while a low-lying mist hung over the countryside. The temperature gauge was hovering around -7°C, which is the sort of temperature that makes you question the thickness of the socks you’ve just put on. With my fingers numb and the chilly morning air slapping me hard across the face, I went in search of some life-infusing coffee.
Ten minutes later, I rolled into the town of Ranfurly, which seemed partially hidden in a sea of mist, fog and ice. I found a cafe, purchased a coffee and went for a poke around the town, which is where I found the Ranfurly Hotel, looking quiet and lonely in the morning air.
Thanks to a very helpful information board, I discovered that the current version of the hotel sprang to life in 1934, after a major fire in 1933 destroyed the previous hotel that stood on the site. Where things get a little cagey is the fact that the 1933 fire soon became the subject of a fraud investigation.
At the time of the fire, the hotel was being run by Alexander Spence and his wife, Margaret. Following the fire, they made an insurance claim for goods and property that had been destroyed in the blaze, including furniture, mattresses, carpets, chairs and other items you might expect to find in a busy rural hotel. The thing was, after a police investigation, many of the items being claimed for suspiciously turned up at the Spences’ farm, all in perfect condition. The case went to court and, in April 1934, Alexander and Margaret Spence were found guilty of fraud. They were fined £10, with six months’ imprisonment in default of payment.
