Century-old general store a living legend in isolated Golden Bay community

December 4, 2020

Deep in the Aorere Valley at the very end of Golden Bay, the Langford Store is a treasure that is still a secret to many outside of the region.

Every town in New Zealand has a local attraction, but there's only one where the shop is the reason to visit.

The small settlement of Bainham, in Golden Bay, is home to the Langford Store, one of New Zealand's last general stores.

The century-old store, located in one of the most isolated places in the country, is run by two former film industry workers from Wellington.

"People come for the history, they do - or to see that funny little shop in the middle of nowhere," Sukhita Langford told Seven Sharp.

"People come out here and say, 'What are you doing out here in the middle of nowhere?' It's like, 'Well, I'm in the centre of somewhere,'" husband Will Hutchison added.

The pair aren't just turncoat city slickers, however - Sukhita is also the great granddaughter of the store's original owner, EB Langford.

The store was run for 60 years by his granddaughter, Lorna Langford, who died in October.

Before she retired, she tracked down her second cousin twice removed - and the timing was impeccable.

"I was at a point in my life where I wanted to get out of the city ... and I wanted to get back to the land and hold on to the history," Langford said.

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