Waipiata Hotel: History

Hamilton's Goldfields Cemetery - Tombstones

The Waipiata Country Hotel opened for business in 1899 and it soon became the focal point of the newly established town of Waipiata. The establishment of the hotel followed soon after the Cenrtal Otago Railway line reached the town and as the hotel was sited just a short distance from the Railway Station, it no doubt profited from the business the new railway brought to the area.

In 1932 the hotel was destroyed by fire. This may have been the second fire to damage the hotel, but , although it was almost totally destroyed by this fire, the hotel was soon re-established and much of the original mud brick wall construction was incorporated into the new building. Council records show that the contract time for rebuilding the destroyed hotel was just 10 weeks. Licensing laws of the time meant that if a hotel closed for business it's licence would be revoked, so no time could be lost with restoration. Although the earlier hotel was a two-storied building the new hotel was constructed as a single storied building only although it managed to cram in 10 bedrooms plus a "Public Bar" and a "Bar Parlour".

The hotel has had many changes through its century of life. The establishment of the Otago Central Rail Trail, opened in February 2000, has brought a new life to the hotel which has undergone recent redecoration and upgrading to provide travellers and visitors with comfortable accommodation and services that the modern traveller has come to accept.

Some interesting facts relating to the hotel include:

The First Licencee was Patrick McTamney. The McTamney family are still a prominent family in the area. Edna McTamney has become well known as the force behind the revival of nearby Ranfurly as the Art Deco capital of the South Island.
The original hotel was built using over 9000 locally made mud bricks. The original mud brick walls survived the destruction of the hotel by fire in 1932 to be incorporated in the rebuilding of the hotel. In recent years mud brick has returned as a popular building material in Central Otago.
The hotel was raised by fire on Boxing Day 1932 while a town dance was in progress. The dancers became fire fighters and using buckets they managed to extinguish the fire, but not before most of the hotel was destroyed and the life of a boarder (Jack Hayes) was lost.
The hotel is the home of the Hamilton's Curling Club (named after a local gold mining area) established in 1886. The club members still compete in local curling competitions today.
Today the hotel is the only commercial building remaining in what was once a thriving town with all the facilities of a country town in early 20th Cenury New Zealand. Waipiata (maori = 'clear water') takes its name from a nearby stream. In the early part of New Zealand's history it was destined for great things being described in the Cylopedia of NZ, Vol 4, Otago and Southland 1904:
"Waipiata is a small township on the Central Otago railway, eighty-one miles north west of Dunedin. It has a promising future before it, as it is the most central point on the Maniototo Plains and the land in the vicinity has already been surveyed for a large township".
The Dunedin Railway station was built from basalt taken from the hills above the town.
The Central Otago Railway reached Waipiata shortly after the construction of a major bridge over the Taieri River 3 km to the south of the town in 1895. Stock 'Sale Yards', which remain a feature of the town, were soon established and the picturesque "Green Bridge" was built for road traffic over the Taieri River.
The Hamilton"s Cemetery located nearby, provides much insight into the life of the pioneers. It has been sympathetically restored and is well worth a visit.
A rabbit processing factory supported 100 workers in the 1920's and 1930's.
1914 saw the opening of the Tuberculosis Sanatorium, which was world renowned for its curing abilities - with cool winters and hot summers. This later became a Ministry of Justice correctional facility for wayward youths. It now operates as a privately owned communal retreat.
Waipiata features in a number of paintings by the well known Central Otago artist, Grahame Sydney.

We would love to hear from anyone with stories, photos or information about the hotel and the area. Please call in and say hello if you are in the Maniototo area.