OLD TAUPO HOTELS AND IDENTITIES

Taupo Times, Volume I, Issue 40, 15 October 1952, Page 6

OLD TAUPO HOTELS AND IDENTITIES

TOKAANU IN THE EARLY DAYS Approximately some 40 miles on fche southern shores of the lake from fche townshlp of Taupo is Tokaanu. It Is a quaint little village, always has been, more or less stationary. In earlier times, taking the literature of that day as our gmde, it was more popuiar than even Taupo itself. However it is now sought after as an angler's paradise and partic'ularly by visitors and tourists anxious to view particular phases of volcanic energy. ty aihi, ne£i;by, is. a deiightful place with its large waterfall which in time may be a source of electric power for the little township, which must gefc larger as time goes on. About Te Kooti It was nearby Tokaanu that on the 8th or 9th of June, 1869, Te Kooti was attacked by a mixed foree and susfcained a signal defeat which costhim kis prestige among the inland tribes and lost him the posslble support of Rewi with his 600 fighting men. At Kaikeriri Colonel McDonnell's pursuing force again come up with the Hauhaus and were compelled to take to the bush. (Mr Ward referred to this engagement in one of his deiightful articles on early Taupo, dated August 6 last. Here we lost Captain St. George and Winiata the most renowned fightang man of the Ngatihaus. Te Kooti himself was wounded in this engagement. A bullet wounded his thumb and forefinger, cut the third fingei completely off, and passed through the fleshy part of his side. My father Henry Hill, toured with Te Kooti the inland trip co Galatea via Te Pohui and Waipunga river with 600 followers. At Te Teko Mr Hill sketched Te Kooti and his sketch appears in fche Polynesian Society's publication dated 1946 showing Te Kooti with the loss of his middle finger and partly damaged second finger. Te Kooti presented Mr Hill with his anotated Prayer Book which is now in the possession of the Misses Hill at Taupo.

Foliowing the death of Winiata, the Maori followers dammed the river temporarily, burying Winiata o>n the river-bed and then letting fche river flow over the grave. Capfcain St. George's body was dug up after two years following the above toattle in 1869 and reburied at Hastings, Hawkes Bay. It is said that body was as fresh as when buried and the hair of his head had grown greatly. His papers containing the plans of the country through which he had foug.ht were buried with him in a bphble. These rare papers are now in^hiy collection aat Taupo. The Old Hotel And now back to the hotel. The old hotel was dismantled many years ago ahd the present Government Tourist Hotel replaced it. An application made by James Hastie on^Mar ch 8, 1874, for a licence. The hotel was situated at Tokaanu, builfc of wood and shingle, containing two s.itting-rooms, seven bed rooms, preBiises "rented from R. "E." Hastie, the sigp of the hotel to. be called"To~ ; ka&nti A letter dated April 6, 1874, from R. C. Hastie to M->jor Scannell W/M, is interesting. (Scannell Street is named after tbe Major). j "'Sir, I have the hon^r to request j you will be good enough to let me know whether in the event of my get- 1 ting a respeetable man as a substitute for my brother James Hastie wh# w at present an applicant for a ; Ikense for an hotel at Tokannu the Bench would permit of the change, ; my reason for wisliing to do so is that circumstanees occurred and regrefc to s?y during mv absence in Napier which clearly shows me that my brother is unfitted ior the management of a public house." The letter bv Major Scannell in answer, dated also April 6, 1874, states, u\ have the honor to acknowl edge re ceipt of your letter of this date asking if another person can be substltuted for your brother and in dolng so you ask me to prefudge the anplication. Friday the 24th instant I have fb:ed for the sitting of ihe Licensing

; Court, and until the sitting of sueh Court I deem it unadvisable and out of order to give any opinion relative .to matters belonging iherelo." A note to this application states, "that there are no Europeans in ihe district and tne house is erected for ! tourists and travellers." 13thday of November, 1874 (1875). I belleve the previous date is incorrect and should read 1875. James Hastie transferred temporarily to William George Noble , who has rented the said house. j Application made on the 11th day of November 1875, William George i Noble, Tokaanu: The house is situated j who now seeks a license for the house at Tokaanu occupied by the applicant to be known by the sign of the Tokaanu Hotel and is rented of WattBros, j note to the certification states "I certify that there are no householders with in ten miles of the hotel and that the house is intended for the aceommodation of travellers." May 26th, 1876. A report by No 164 constable E. S. Thompson of the Armed Constabulary states: "The accommodation consists of three bedi rocms and two sitting rooms which 1 are sufficiently furnished and kept clean and comfortable together with a public bar and detached kitchen. There is also sufficient accommodation in water closets which ' are kept clean and in good crder. The present I proprietor is Mr H. I. AxfoM during whose occupancy of the .premises no complaints have been received by the police as to the manner in vvhich the i house has been conducted. The near- ! est licensed house to the Tokaanu ! Hotel is the Taupo Hotel situated at | Tapuaeharuru, distant about thirty miles across Ihe Lake." Application granted to Henry Went- ! worth Hole for an accommodation j license on the 12th day of May, 1882. j Accompanying the application were ' the house-holders certificate as follows: — G. W. White, J. G.^Grace, J. Gallagher, Colin Mclntosh, R. J. Battey, F. J. Taylor, F. W. Kennedy, G. | Brady, E. Brady, C. McDougale, P. McCray, James Salmon, Edward Lofley. So many tal.es could I unfold aneni this hotel and its environs, that 1 1 think the less said the better. | Our contributor's becoming modesty { and diffidence wiil infallib'.y quicken | the desire of oir: reaclers for more. — ! Editor,