TAUPO HOTELS IN THE EARLY DAYS

Taupo Times, Volume I, Issue 23, 18 June 1952, Page 3

TAUPO HOTELS IN THE EARLY DAYS

PIONEERING HISTORY Hotel accommodation in the Taupo County in the early days, like everything else associated with pioneering, was of a primative kind. The first Taupo hotel, carried a "bush I icense." Robert Caruthers Hastie — appears to have been the first owner of this rouse when on the day of Maroh 1875 re made applieation for a license stating that "the Taupo Hotel contiguous to the main line of road from Napier to Tauranga which is my own property and occupied by me, is now licensed under the sign of the Taupo Hotel." On the day, 1st. of November 1875 this Hotel was transferred from Mr Hastie to Mr John George Becker. It would appear that Mr Hastie had first sold the house to Messrs Watt Bros. before the transfer. The houselolders supporting his applieation for a licence were: — Edward Lofley, Hohepa Tamamutu. Lloyd D. 'Compeigne, Thomas Noble, J. Sellar and John Collins, all well known names. A certification is added stating "that there are no other house-hold-ers within 10 miles of the Hotel at Tapuaeharuru." A small place indeed; The next transfer was to Mr Thomas Balfour Noble, father of the present Mr Bert Noble of Taupo, on May 14, 1878. Mr Noble, a wellknown and respected identity of early Taupo was, before taking over the hotel as stated, book-keeper for the contractor for stores to the Armed Constabulary. The report upon the house made on May 29, 1878, by Serg-Major Dundas (a Serg-Major in the A. C. Force), stated: "The furniture is in good order and sufficient on the premises to afford ^accommodation. The bed-rooms and beds are clean and comfortable and on the whole is a first class up-country hotel. There is also good stabling for horses and sufficient accommodation for water-closets which are kept clean and in good order. The house has been well condueted and no improper characters have been allowed to resort to it. The nearest licensed house is the Tokaanu Hotel, distant forty miles. ^ This was a famous hotel in the early days, say 54 years ago, w'hen I first recall it. There was at the time a splendid well of pure clear water from Tauhara in the hotel grounds, exactly where the Rainbow Tea rooms now are, and it used to be my pleasure to take visitors to Taupo to taste the water of the well and then walk on to Wairakei where I took tourists around the sights to save them that heavy charge (at that time) of 6/- per head. This building itself was constructed of Kauri pit-sawn, and later was dismantled and sold.