One of New Zealand's oldest public houses, the Thistle Inn was originally built in 1840 and rebuilt after a fire in 1866.

The current owners have recently completed a complete restoration and refurbishment of the old building. This was a long and expensive process as care had to be taken to preserve as much of the original builing fabric as possible. Where this wasn't possible, re-cycled timbers and fittings were used to create the authentic atmosphere of the original colonial building.

The lower level houses the main bar and an 18 machine pokie room. The upper level has two new function rooms which can be hired for meetings, small conferences and social functions.