Our History

Tokoroa & the South Waikato

Nestled in the heart of the South Waikato, Tokoroa is home to the ‘Talking Poles” and is well known for the surrounding forestry & dairy industries, along with the Kinleith pulp and paper mill. Within easy walking distance from Clifton Court Motel, you’ll find the South Waikato Sport & Event Centre, Heated swimming pools, Cougar Park Mountain Bike Trails, Countdown supermarket, The Warehouse, i-Site tourist information centre, all major fast food outlets (McDonalds, KFC, Burger King, Pizza Hut) and a great variety of shopping & dining options.

Clifton Court Motel History

The name Clifton Court Motel is derived from the original homestead on the site, which was called Clifton House.

Clifton Court Motel began with 12 main units, down the left hand side of the property, the managers house, dining room, office, laundry with games room above the laundry and was built in 1974 by the original owner, Hans Danielson.

Clifton Court Motel’s owners have held the property since 1980.

In 1982 5 studios were added to the right hand side of the property and the games room above the laundry was converted into a 1 bedroom unit, taking the property to the 18 units it has today.

In February 2018 the Motel business was purchased by Mark and Anne James.

The following pictures are of the original colour scheme circa 1985.

The Renovation

In 2011, major renovations of the property began. The office was relocated to what was originally the guest dining room, and units 11 & 12 underwent a complete interior rebuild and exterior re-clad. During 2012/13, the studio units were rebuilt in the same fashion. During 2014/15, we renovated the one and two bedroom units. In January 2016 we started the rebuild of unit 13 (our family unit). Our aim is to have this unit available for booking by May 2016. As part of the unit 13 rebuild, we’ve installed 6kW of solar panels on the roof, to power the laundry, the office, and our upcoming EV (Electric Vehicle) charging unit. 6kW amounts to 25% of our total energy usage! Below are images of unit 13, before the rebuild, during and completed. In 2017 the final renovations were completed in the Motel Administration area and Managers residence upstairs. We would love an opportunity to show you how lovely Clifton Court is.

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