Little Landscape project - Hikurangi Hotel

When I was a kid, every town in New Zealand had a hotel & pub; hotel upstairs and the pub down. During WWI, as a wartime measure, liquor could not be served after 6 pm but it became a way of life and didn't change until 1967. But while 6 o'clock closing was still in effect, men would get off work and make a dash to the pub to drink as much as they could in 45 minutes. This became known as The Six O'Clock Swill.  Now we have more civilized hours but many of the iconic pubs still remain. They all look similar to this one - the Hikurangi Hotel. Another Kiwi icon is the Four Square grocery store that you see on the right side. Hikurangi is a little town north of Whangarei, not much more than a wide spot in the road.

Little Landscape #3 - The Hikurangi Hotel

6" x 8" oil on gessoed board, unframed

US $125 plus $10 shipping

SOLD

Even though the pubs in New Zealand had a 6 o'clock closing, they weren't allowed to close during business hours. My father was a builder and had the job of moving the Waiwera Pub to another location. The pub was jacked up and moved on rails to the new location while full of patrons.