“More than 100 years of history on the East Coast was wiped out in the early hours of Thursday morning, 3 August 1995, when fire swept through the Te Kaha Hotel, leaving only twisted corrugated iron and ashes in its wake.
“The origins of the hotel go back to 1873 when Maraea Taylor, daughter of George and Riria Taylor, Ngatiporou chieftainess of high rank, met and married James Walker at Waipiro Bay. When their eldest child, James II was a baby, they shifted 100 miles north to Te Kaha where James opened a store followed by a licensed hotel in 1876.
“After the death of James, another son, William and his European wife Margaret took over the hotel. A further son, Johnny, who returned from the First World War in 1919, took over the licence with his sister, Kate Rowntree. On his death in 1938, his sister carried on the licence.
“According to the present John Walker, who spent many years at the Te Kaha hotel, but is now living in Opotiki, the Rowntrees had a bar and lounge built onto the front of the premises, while down one side they added living quarters for the family, a dining room and kitchen. ‘There wasn’t much timber always available … they used flattened kerosene tins, cut to look like corrugated iron,’ he said. ‘There were very few visitors to the Coast in those days, as the only way to Te Kaha was by boat, or by a day’s ride on horseback.’
“In the early 1950s, the hotel was sold to Peter Judd, from Wellington, and was then bought by Albert and Annie Roberts, the grand-daughter of James and Maraea. Rachel and Gary Harford purchased the hotel in 1967 then sold it to Brian Unsworth in 1982. He remained there until 1992, when it was bought by Opotiki builder, Dave Gaskill.
