When Tony and Rachael took over the Whangamomona Hotel in 2026, the opportunity wasn't to reinvent it. It was to build a brand and digital presence that better reflected what was already there.
Set along New Zealand's Forgotten World Highway, the hotel has been part of Whangamomona for more than a century. A meeting place for locals and travellers, and the heart of a fiercely independent community with a character entirely its own.
ABOUT THE PROJECT
Stray Studio worked across brand identity, photography, website and supporting creative to build a system that felt unmistakably Whangamomona.
Grounded in its history, shaped by the people and place around it, and ready for its next chapter.
01 - BRAND IDENTITY
The identity wasn't about turning Whangamomona into something new.
It was about finding a visual language for the character that already existed.
The hotel itself became the starting point. Its distinctive facade was illustrated and incorporated into the primary mark, creating a direct connection between the identity and the place it represents.
From there, we developed a broader visual system inspired by the history and personality of the Republic — strong typography, warm heritage colours and a collection of secondary marks, stamps and graphic elements designed to feel established rather than overly polished.
The result is an identity that feels distinctly local, slightly unconventional and flexible enough to live everywhere from the front of the building to a beer glass.
PRIMARY LOGO
SECONDARY LOGO MARKS
PRIMARY COLOURS
TYPOGRAPHY
02 - PHOTOGRAPHY
The photography followed the same principle as the identity: don't polish away the things that make the place interesting.
Rather than treating the hotel purely as a tourism destination, the imagery focuses on the people, landscape, details and everyday moments that give Whangamomona its character.
The resulting library gives the hotel an ongoing bank of imagery for its website, social media, marketing and future campaigns while maintaining an honest sense of place.
The website brought the new identity together into a practical digital home for the hotel.
With accommodation, dining, experiences, merchandise and more than a century of history all sitting under the one roof, the challenge was creating a site that made it easy for travellers to find what they needed without losing the personality of the place.
The result combines storytelling with practical trip planning — allowing visitors to discover the hotel, explore places to stay, understand what's nearby and plan their journey along the Forgotten World Highway.
Throughout the site, photography, typography, colour and graphic elements from the identity work together to create a digital experience that feels like an extension of the hotel itself.
03 - WEBSITE & DIGITAL
The identity was built to live beyond the website.
Menus, merchandise, signage, social media and other everyday touchpoints extend the visual system throughout the hotel, giving Tony and Rachael a flexible set of assets they can continue using as the business evolves.
Rather than every application looking identical, the broader system allows each piece to have its own personality while still feeling unmistakably part of Whangamomona.
04 - TOUCHPOINTS
Whangamomona Hotel has never needed to manufacture a story.
It already has one.
Stray Studio’s role was to understand what made the place special, preserve the character people already knew and loved, and build a creative system that could carry that story forward.
As Tony, Rachael and their family begin their chapter at the hotel, the new identity and digital presence give them a foundation to keep building on without losing sight of the history, humour and independence that made Whangamomona what it is.
WORK WITH US
Every project starts with a conversation.
Tell us what you're working on and we'll take it from there.