The Commercial Hotel, Whakatane

Whakatane, New Zealand, c. 1940s
Postcard published by N.S. Seaward's Studio, Broad Bay, Dunedin
Collection of Justine Neal

The original hotel was built at Waiorongomai near Te Aroha during the gold rush days, but as the gold petered out it was bought by Mr. E. L. Smith and was transported in sections to Whakatane in March 1893. The sections were shipped round the Coromandel peninsula and in spite of the scow which brought them getting stuck on the Whakatane Bar and nearly wrecked, they were eventually safely landed.

Mr. Smith’s license stated that he must have the hotel up and running by June of that year or he would lose his license. When it became obvious that he was running behind time he just erected the doorframe and door, complete with nameplate and sign and declared himself open for business. Thus Whakatane’s first bar was an open air one (an early forerunner of the beer garden!) while the walls gradually rose around it. The Licensing report in the Beacon 1 Jun 1894 described the hotel as, "E.L.Smith : owner. Renewal Particulars: Wooden house, iron roof, c and wf, prf. Four sitting and twelve bedrooms. 400 yards." The license was granted at a cost of 25 pounds. In the 1906 report two wire ladder escapes were required by the licensing committee.

Dominion Post, 20 February 1920

In the ensuing years the hotel passed through several owners. During the 1918 influenza epidemic, Billy Regan, the owner at the time, and seven of his guests and staff died. The hotel was advertised as far afield as the Dominion newspaper in Wellington, which must have paid off as a regular feature in the Bay of Plenty Beacon was the names of departing guests. Over the years four Governor Generals and their wives visited or stayed, along with tourists, travelling salesmen, businessmen etc.

Commercial Hotel, Whakatane, New Zealand, c. 1950s
Postcard published by N.S. Seaward's Studio, Broad Bay, Dunedin
Collection of Justine Neal

In early 1939 under the management of H.E.Cucksey the old hotel was demolished to make way for the New Commercial Hotel which incorporated features of the Spanish Mission style in its Art Deco façade, including curved balconies and pan tiled roof edges, its U shaped floor plan maximised light and air flow to the second floor rooms.

As reported by the Bay of Plenty Beacon the demolition was not without incident. On May 19 a car which was being cranked while in gear jumped the footpath and hit the concrete corner of the hotel. It was not a very heavy blow but general consensus was if the car had hit the old structure it might have sailed clean through it. The same month the paper reported on some wealthy rats living under the old floor of the bar portion of the hotel as workmen had discovered a rat’s nest with half a sovereign and a two shilling piece in it.

Bay of Plenty Beacon, 28 August 1939

By May 29 the demolition was practically complete with the site being cleared of timber and the concrete picked up. The recently built office and lounge was to be moved to the end of the annexe and joined to it as staff quarters. On 23 June an auction was held to sell, amongst other things 40,000 feet of timber, 30 doors and 30 sashes and frames from the dismantled hotel.

An article in the Bay of Plenty Beacon 21 July 1939 states, "With the removal of the timber from the old Commercial Hotel Mr. H. E. Cucksey is now free to carry his scheme of improvement to the grounds. It is intended to level the site of the old hotel and lay it down in lawns, on which will be constructed putting greens for the amusement of guests. The backyard will be improved and a drainage system laid down to The Strand." Mr. Cucksey was also given permission to erect a large neon lit sign advertising the hotel on the hillside near the entrance to The Strand for a five year term at 5 pound a year.

Whakatane, New Zealand, c. 1960s
Hand-coloured postcardpublished by N.S. Seaward's Studio, Broad Bay, Dunedin
Collection of Justine Neal

By the early 1960’s the Commercial Hotel was part of the Consolidated Hotels chain and my father Bill Fenton was the licensee for eighteen months. During this time the beautiful old BNZ building next door became part of the hotel. The two buildings were joined by a covered in passage way. The ground floor of the bank became the new public bar. The bar itself was 70’ by 30’ with a formica top. A flagon bar completely separate from the public bar was in one corner. Upstairs were twelve extra bedrooms each with a formica shower box and toilet. No more trekking down the corridor to the shared facilities! If you were lucky enough to be staying in the new wing.

I can’t help thinking that if the ghost of Mr. Smith was around he would have had a wry grin on his face at the crème de la crème: from the rear of the bank building to the back of the property was a 50’ beer garden, roofed with coloured Perspex and with a concrete footpath through it.

Whakatane, Bay of Plenty, New Zealand, c. early 2000s
Postcard published by The New Zealand Souvenir Co. Ltd, Hastings (Tikicard Series)
Collection of Justine Neal

One of my lasting memories of living at the hotel is the time George Wilder (New Zealand’s wild colonial boy) was rumoured to be hiding out in the hills behind Whakatane. The police search party and their dogs were staying at the hotel. The dogs were housed in one of the sheds in the backyard. Woe betide anyone who thought they might take a shortcut through the yard past that particular shed!

References

Papers Past
Time Gentlemen Please, Whakatane Museum Blog, 17 May 2017
Whakatane Historic Trail, by Anton van der Wouden, 1993.