Motel Bar

Wellington, New Zealand

This bar was located in an upstairs location in a lane off Tory Street, a stone's throw from Courtenay Place, the centre for much of Wellington's nightlife. You had to buzz at the door to be let in, and the establishment famously refused entry to Liv Tyler during the filming of The Lord Of The Rings in the early 2000s. Apparently other hobbits from LOTR were allowed entry. Among its other celebrity clients was Adrien Brody, who hung out there during the filming of the remake of King Kong.

The bar opened in 1999, although it had a 1950s dive bar look until February 2014, when it reopened after receiving a tiki makeover. It had a maximum occupancy of 50 people, and had a main room where the bar was, a lounge (formerly the smoking room), and a smaller room at the far end of the bar.

After their tiki makeover, they served tropical cocktails in tiki mugs -- with the largest number of Tiki Farm Don Ho mugs probably seen in use at any location at any one time, used for their "Big Don's Sing Along" cocktail.

Despite its apparent popularity, the bar was closed December, 2017.

In its place, the following year, they decided to pendulum and create a bar that was the polar opposite of a dark tiki speakeasy -- Forrester's Lane.

The new place, Forrester's Lane, was then replaced by a second new concept, Lovebite, which was still light and airy, but pays homage to 80s nostalgia.