Kahurangi Function Centre a busy venue
Kahurangi Lodge owners Roger and Aynsley Langford.
It’s been nearly two years since Roger and Aynsley Langford bought the spacious Kahurangi Lodge overlooking Tukurua and converted it into a multi-purpose function centre.
Since then they’ve hosted a fashion show, relationship and financial seminars, Rural Women and Vet Club meets, and weddings—five already in 2009 alone. Around 30 to 40 people also turn up there every Sunday for the Kahurangi Christian Church service, where traditional organ music has been replaced by band instruments and sing-along songs of praise.
This congregation started off as the Bainham Church of Christ some 100 years back, and was later known as the Aorere Church of Christ as its meeting places shifted down the Aorere Valley, first to Rockville then to Collingwood.
“We got tired of worshipping in cold halls,” explains Aynsley. “This is the first time our church has had a proper home. We had some resources left over from the sale of our dairy farm at Bainham where Roger farmed for 35 years. We felt that buying this place was something we could do for our church and community.”
Although they own the 2.5ha property privately, their resource consent was filed on behalf of the church. The Langfords had to spend $40,000 upgrading their entrance onto State Highway 60 as a condition of their consent.
They decided to call their property a function centre to make sure people saw it as multi-use venue. Three well-appointed bedrooms are still available for B & B, while what used to be the fourth is now used for Sunday School classes.
“What we’d love to have more of is Golden Bay community groups and clubs making use of our place,” says Aynsley. “More than anything we really enjoy providing a facility that people love coming to share.”
Gerard Hindmarsh
