The Langford Store |
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Historic General Store and Post Office, located in the beautiful Aorere Valley, the Gateway to the Heaphy Track.
From toffee to t-shirts Storekeeping was no new venture for Eleanor, wife of Edward Bates Langford, when Langford's Store opened in 1928. Prior to their 1900 Boxing Day marriage she had worked in her parent's ‘Waimea Road tuck shop' for Nelson College.
When E.B.L. relinquished dairy farming to become Postmaster in 1924 and began selling stationery to go with the stamps, he invested in a printing press, while Eleanor sold her famous homemade toffee. After trying unsuccessfully to persuade the Government to finance a Post Office to replace the locally-owned building, he turned his attention to retailing.
Lorna Langford began working for her grandfather in 1947, in the days of tinned loose biscuits and vinegar in wooden casks. She continued to work in the store until 2008, when Sukhita Langford took on the position of Storekeeper and Postmistress. Today's shopper is likely to be a Heaphy Track tramper wanting insect repellent or postcards for home.
Enjoy delicious tea and coffee served with sublime sweet treats whilst you write a postcard home and soak up the sunshine and surrounding scenery.
Open:
10am - 6pm Mon to Fri (during winter months)
8am - 6pm Mon to Sun (during summer months)
Open most days. Check www.langfordstore.co.nz or call (03) 524 8228
Nearby ........
Te Anaroa Caves
Only 400 metres from the Rockville corner are the privately owned Te Anaroa Caves - easy access with the car park near the entrance, for the start of guided tours only. There's something special about a trip underground, a journey back in time, into a 350m long limestone cave system which includes arrays of stalactite and stalagmite formations, fossilised shells and glow worms.
