Historic link with past lost in fierce fire

Taupo Times, Volume XIV, Issue 56, 20 July 1965, Page 2

Historic link with past lost in fierce fire

An historic link with the Taupo-Napier highway, the 91-year-old two storeyed wooden hotel at Tarawera, was burnt to the ground on Friday morning.

Eleven persons escaped from the blazing building in their night attire. They included the owner, Mr S. Orlowski, his wife and three children, two guests and three regular boarders. The old hotel blazed furiously, sending a red glow over the surrounding forestry areas. The glow was seen some five miles away. The licensee, Mr L. N. Matthews, was awakened by screams about 2.30 a.m. He rushed through the building waking guests. Mr Matthews had his hair and hands singed and had to drag out a Tarawera millhand, Mr W. Merrick, who had been overcome by the smoke. People in the district accommodated the guests and staff. Some slept in the cookhouse of a nearby sawmill. Very few personal belongings were saved. It is thought the fire started in an apstairs bedroom. The flames apparently took hold quickly. With the nearest fire brigade at Napier, there was no hope of saving the building. The hotel was built in 1874 j and was used to accommodate coach passengers from the Hawke's Bay to Taupo on the first overnight stop. It was always a popular P7ace because of the hot springs, which are still in exislence.

Alongside the hotel was a stockade, built by the Armed Constabulary. The first telephone line went through from Napier to the stockade in 1869. The history of the NapierTaupo road was largely built up by the Hawke's Bay Coaching Company, which later became the Hawke's Bay Motor Company. The company built a series of hotels for the service. The one in Napier was the Bay View, and along the rout-e there were the Te Pohuia, the Mohaka, the Tarawera and the Rangitaiki. Way stations were also built at Te Haroto and Titiokura. Two other hotels were built independently. One was at Opepe and the other was the Terraces in Taupo. The road itself was built over the original Maori track between Taupo and Napier. Proprietors of the Tarawera Hotel in later years were Mr J. Meikle and Mr J. O'Rielly, who purchased it from Mr Meikle in 1937. Mr G. Deacon acquired the property during World War II and since then it has changed hands twice — to Mr J. Scott and to the present owner, Mr S. Orlowski. At the last hearing by the Licensing Control Commis- ! sion of applications for re- j licensing of hotels in the Bay j of Plenty area, the owner of the Tarawera Hotel was required to make some im-

provements to three bedrooms, provide heating in the dining room, make additions to bar space and improvements to the tea room, It is understood that a firm of architects had drawn up plans to meet the Commission's requirements, and these were to have been submitted to the Commission for approval by July 31. The hotel was insured for £10,000.