Otematata's Best Dam Pub

25/09/2026

TODAY’S THE DAY. THE ROCK 2000 IS CRANKED AND PRODUCTIVITY HAS OFFICIALLY LEFT THE BUILDING. 🤘🔥

The countdown is playing LIVE & LOUD at Otematata’s Best Dam Pub as we charge towards #1.

🎸 Massive tunes
🍻 Great drink specials all afternoon
🌭 Complimentary hotdogs & chips
🤘 Questionable singing encouraged
🎤 Unsolicited opinions on what should be #1 absolutely inevitable

Yep. Hotdogs & Chips Rock. We checked. It’s science.

Chuck on your favourite band tee, round up whoever can mysteriously become unavailable for work this afternoon, and GET YOUR ASS IN HERE.

The tunes are playing.
The food’s on us.
The specials are flowing.

And somewhere in Otematata, a grown adult is about to absolutely butcher a guitar solo using nothing but their hands and facial expressions.

LET’S. BLOODY. ROCK. 🤘🔥

📍 Otematata’s Best Dam Pub
Come for the countdown. Stay because going home during a banger is just bloody rude.

P.S. And tomorrow we swap the air guitars for cowboy boots. 🤠
Southern Rust are LIVE for our Country Hoedown!
So maybe don’t completely cook yourself today. Or do. We’re a pub, not your mother.

Two days. Two completely different wardrobes. One Best Dam Pub. YEEEEHAAWWWW! 🤠🐎🔥

23/09/2026

🤘 TOMORROW. 3PM. THE PUB GETS LOUD.

The Rock 2000 Countdown is nearly at the pointy end, and tomorrow we’re cranking it LIVE & LOUD in the bar from 3pm.

🎸 Rock 2000 blasting
🍺 Great drink deals all afternoon
🌭 Complimentary hotdogs & fries
👕 Favourite band tee strongly encouraged
🤘 Questionable air guitar almost inevitable

Chuck on the Metallica shirt you’ve been emotionally attached to since 1997, tell work you’ve developed a sudden sensitivity to Fridays, and get yourself to Otematata’s Best Dam Pub.

We’ll be counting them down, arguing over what should’ve been higher, loudly declaring “THIS IS A BLOODY TUNE” and generally behaving like the aux cord has finally been handed to someone competent.

FROM 3PM TOMORROW.

Come early. Grab a feed. Find your spot.

And if your favourite song comes on and you don’t yell “TURN IT UP!” at someone who has absolutely no control over the volume…

Frankly, we’re not sure rock music is for you. 🤘🎸

THE BEST DAM ROCK 2000 COUNTDOWN PARTY.
Tomorrow. 3pm. Let’s get unnecessarily excited about a numbered list of songs.

22/09/2026

🤘 FROM HEADBANGERS TO BOOT SCOOTIN… YOUR QUIET WEEKEND HAS BEEN CANCELLED! 🤠

We’ve got rock anthems, cowboy boots, boat racers and some seriously questionable dance moves heading for Otematata’s Best Dam Pub. Tell the lawns they’ll have to wait. 🔥

🎸 FRIDAY 25 SEPTEMBER — ROCK OUT WITH YOUR… AIR GUITAR OUT.
Our official Rock 2000 Countdown Party kicks off from 3pm! Great deals, complimentary food and a room full of people who reckon they could’ve fronted AC/DC if they hadn’t ended up with a mortgage and a dodgy knee.

Come count down to #1, argue about the rankings and belt out the wrong lyrics with the confidence of a man who’s never once read the instructions. 🤘

🤠 SATURDAY — A LITTLE LESS METALLICA, A LITTLE MORE “YEE-BLOODY-HAW!”
The boat racing prizegiving goes full COUNTRY HOEDOWN, with Southern Rust live from 9pm!

Swap the lifejacket for some denim, dust off those boots and get ready to dance like a shopping trolley with one fu**ed wheel. Enthusiasm compulsory. Coordination clearly not.

And PLEASE wear something under the chaps. For the love of Dolly, this is a hoedown, not a livestock inspection. 🍑🚫

🍻 THEN SUPER SUNDAY TO FINISH!
Because after all that headbanging and boot scooting, you deserve one last catch-up before Monday barges in like an unwelcome bastard.

Tag your wannabe rock star, your rhinestone cowboy and whichever mate needs the chaps warning explained personally.

📍 Otematata’s Best Dam Pub — come join us for a bloody big weekend. Your dignity can wait in the ute. 🤘🤠

22/09/2026

⚡ A dam good place to recharge! ⚡

Power generation is the reason Otematata exists, so having these flash new EV chargers out the front feels pretty fitting!

We’re super proud to partner with Meridian to provide these new chargers here at Otematata’s Best Dam Pub. Plug in, stretch your legs and pop inside for a bite to eat while your car gets a top-up. No reason the car should be the only one getting refuelled! 😉

And there’s more to come! We’ll soon have a shelter and a dedicated spot for e-bikes, too. We’re giving the area out the front a makeover, with a good tidy-up, new signage and some interactive touches along the way.

Keep an eye on the changes as it all comes together. A town built on power, a pub built on hospitality—sounds like a pretty good charging stop to us! 🔌🏔️

22/09/2026

IF YOU’VE EVER DROPPED EVERYTHING BECAUSE “THIS SONG IS AN ABSOLUTE BANGER”… THIS IS YOUR FRIDAY. 🤘🔥

The Rock 2000 Countdown Party is taking over Otematata’s Best Dam Pub!
📅 Friday 25th September | From 3pm

We’re counting all the way down to #1 with the tunes cranking, complimentary food floating around, and great drink deals all afternoon to keep the engines warm.

This is not a sit-quietly-and-nod kind of afternoon.
This is a sing-too-loud, argue-about-the-top-10, air-guitar-like-no-one’s-watching kind of affair.

Get the crew together. Dust off the old band tee.
Yes, even the one that’s been hanging on by pure nostalgia and a few loose threads.

Expect:

* big tunes
* big opinions
* complimentary food
* great drink deals all afternoon
* and at least one bloke acting like he personally discovered rock music in 1986

We’ll be counting it down to #1 with a pub full of legends who know the chorus, half the words, and absolutely none of their own limits.

Clock off early, get yourself here from 3pm, and settle in for one hell of a Friday afternoon.

Otematata’s Best Dam Pub — where the music’s loud, the food’s free, and the drink deals are good enough to make your lounge room look like a terrible life choice.

21/09/2026

MELISSA RAE HAS TAKEN “SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL” AND PUT IT IN REVERSE. 😂💸

She’s hit the Spin & Win jackpot AGAIN, pocketing $360 CASH! Congratulations, Melissa, you bloody legend. We’d shake your hand, but it appears to be full of our money. 👏😂

Back to $100 tomorrow, with a chance to win EVERY NIGHT OF THE WEEK. Not just a weekend thing. Neither are we. 😉

Speaking of weekends… this one’s got absolutely no intention of behaving.

🤘 FRIDAY 25 SEPTEMBER — OFFICIAL ROCK 2000 COUNTDOWN PARTY!
From 3pm, we’re cranking the tunes all afternoon and counting down to #1, with loads of bloody good deals and some deeply unnecessary air-guitar solos.

Dust off the band tee and come argue about music with people who’ve been singing the wrong lyrics with total confidence for 30 years. Friday afternoon productivity can get absolutely stuffed. 🎸

🤠 SATURDAY 26 SEPTEMBER — SOUTHERN RUST LIVE!
We’re backing it up with our Country Hoedown, celebrating the end of the boat racing season with Southern Rust playing live!

Park the boats, pull on the boots and bring the crew. The racing might be finished, but there’s still time to lose control spectacularly on the dance floor. Owning a ute does not automatically mean you can line dance.

Cash winners. Rock anthems. Questionable cowboys. It’s all bloody on at Otematata’s Best Dam Pub!

Bring your mates, dust off your cowboy hat… and for f% ’s sake, wear something under the chaps. 🤠

20/09/2026

🚨 CANCEL THE PRODUCTIVE AFTERNOON. WE’VE GOT A SEMI. 😏

A big one. On the big screens. And we’re inviting the whole bloody town.

It’s SUPER-SIZED SUPER SUNDAY at Otematata’s Best Dam Pub — from 4pm!

🏉 WARRIORS v KNIGHTS — the big semi-final kicks off at 6.05pm NZ time! We’re showing it LIVE AND LOUD, so bring that mate who screams “RUN STRAIGHT!” despite needing three attempts to get out of a beanbag.

💰 SPIN & WIN HAS A $340 CASH JACKPOT UP FOR GRABS!
Not points. Not a voucher for something you don’t want. Three hundred and forty actual bloody dollars. Who’s going to give that wheel something to think about?

🥩 And the Chopped Butchery meat raffles are ON! Nothing turns a respectable adult into a competitive little bastard faster than someone else winning their sausages.

Chuck in great bloody Super Sunday deals, a proper feed, a cold b**r and some magnificently questionable sideline commentary, and that’s your afternoon sorted.

Round up the crew and get in early. The lawns can wait — they’ve shown absolutely no interest in supporting the Warriors anyway.

A massive semi, cash up for grabs and people eyeing up each other’s meat.

It’s a pub afternoon, you filthy buggers. Behave. 😂
UP THE BLOODY WAHS!

18/09/2026

18/09/2026

WELCOME BACK, YOU HAPPY CAMPERS! 🏕️

The caravans are rolling in, the awnings are testing relationships, and someone’s already giving reversing instructions that absolutely nobody asked for. Bloody good to have you back! 😂

To everyone returning to the Waitaki Council campsites, welcome back to your home away from home. Get yourselves settled, then come reacquaint yourselves with your Best Dam local. We’ve missed your faces. Your wildly exaggerated fishing stories? We’re emotionally preparing.

Here’s your weekend sorted:

🍻 TFIF TONIGHT | 4–7PM
Happy hour and complimentary bar nibbles. You’ve wrestled with the caravan. Let us wrestle up the snacks.

📚 BOOKARAMA | FROM 6PM TONIGHT
Grab a good read, make a donation per book and help support the Waitaki Valley Health Hub. Up Country Nails is joining us tonight too, so you can head back to camp with a thriller and considerably tidier claws. Everyone welcome, not just the ladies!

SPIN & WIN | EVERY NIGHT
There’s a $300 JACKPOT TONIGHT! Get your arse on a seat, use the app, check in and be here for the draw. Your camp chair has many talents. Winning you pub prizes isn’t one of them.

SUPER SUNDAY
Keep a spot in the weekend for a proper catch-up at the pub. Good food, good company and neighbours you actually chose to spend your weekends with.

LET’S TALK DIRTY. LAUNDRY, THAT IS.
Our laundry at the pub is open 24/7, with a change machine inside the laundry. Please don’t overload the machines. They’re here to wash your clothes, not compress three families’ bedding into a geological formation.

GET THE APP. EARN THE POINTS.
Search “Otematata” in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store. We’re the only Otematata one, so even the person who took the wrong turn getting here should manage it. Download our loyalty app and earn points throughout the season.

Pitch up. Pop in. Make yourself local.
Otematata’s Best Dam Pub. Good people. Great times.

17/09/2026

📚 BOOKARAMA IS ON — AND EVERYONE’S INVITED! 📚

Ladies, blokes, kids, bookworms and people who haven’t finished a book since Form 5… come have a rummage. 😂

We’ve already got a cracking mix rolling in — kids’ books, cookbooks, self-help, full series, novels and plenty of other random treasures.

And BOOK DONATIONS ARE STILL VERY WELCOME! Drop them into the bar or bring them along.

📚 Friday from 6pm & running through Sunday
💅 Up Country Nails joining us Friday
❤️ All funds raised for the Waitaki Valley Health Hub

Bring the family. Bring the mates. Bring some books. Buy some different books.

Basically swap one pile of clutter for another while raising money for a bloody good cause. Perfect. 😂📚❤️