![One man band Jason Ireland clocks in a slightly hazy memory of the revellers at Castlepoint Hotel’s grand opening, including [bottom right] co-owners Jason ‘Grover’ Le Grove [obscured], Jason Osborne, and Ash Thomas. PHOTO/SUPPLIED](https://dw35i5ezvh1dd.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Castlepoint_opening-e1698039618509.jpg "Castlepoint_opening.jpg")
The relaunch of the Castlepoint Hotel – or The Whakataki, as the locals prefer to call it – has got off to a cracking start according to new owners Jason ‘Grover’ Le Grove, Jason Osborne, and Ash Thomas.
In preparation for its grand re-opening on Saturday, the hotel was open to Castlepoint residents for the week prior, which “worked really well,” Osborne said. “We needed time before the official opening to get used to our systems and make sure we could handle the big opening.”
Things kicked off in fine form on Saturday morning, when the hotel opened for the Rugby World Cup semifinal between the All Blacks and Pumas in what proved to be “a great way to start the weekend”.
An official ribbon cutting to mark the occasion was also held. Performing cutting duties was Jean Greer, who turned 87 last Monday and has been “a stalwart of the Castlepoint community” for the 40 years she’s lived there, Osborne said, including being a life member of the Castlepoint Golf Club and a regular at the hotel, where she’s “spent many great nights over the years”.
There were “steady numbers” of partons through the hotel for the rest of the day, with the crowd peaking at around 250 when “ultimate one man band” Jason Ireland began playing after 8pm.
The highlight of being the co-owner of a pub thus far, Osborne said, is “having all the locals coming through and thanking us for reopening what is truly an iconic community asset”.
