Spa Hotel remembered

Taupo Times, Volume 23, Issue 53, 4 July 1974, Page 4

Spa Hotel remembered

Sir, Your article on the Spa Hotel is very accurate,v except for a few items. It may interest you to know that there are four of Joseph Gallagher's children still living in Auckland. However, we deplore the use of his last name only, as he was one of the pioneers .- — self-supporting and energetic. The Taupo Hotel never conflicted with his interests in the Lake Hotel, as he had married Agnes Noble, the eldest daughter of Thonicis Balfour. Agnes Noble, who owned that hotel when Thomas Noble died, found that looking after an old, rambling hotel of at least three buildings was quite an ordeal. Finally, after we had left the district about 1905 (when the breweries

took over the Lake and Spa Hotels), the licence was transferred to what was called the Beehive, about a mile from Taupo, on the Spa Road. Mrs Noble had the licence and had boarders, but finally the licence was transferred to the Spa. We did not run the Spa Hotel until 1921 when the lease to the brewery was terminated. We had only one day in which, to take over the place. I had to accompany my father and help run the hotel. You can believe me there was a very li.mited amou-nt of drinking there, as I had to run a post offtce and bar, also look after guests. My father was a horticulturist and his three cherry trees, a black, red

and a white, were of much use to the kitchens. Most of the trees in what we called "the domain"

were grown by him. He was an authority on the Maori language and acted as interpreter to the

court. The cherry trees were cut down when the new hotel was built when Miss Stapleton was running the premises. [Mrs] Eva Price [nee Gallagher]. 1