Northern Wairoa Hotel
70 Victoria Street,
Dargaville
Joseph Dargaville, the founder of the town, built the original hotel on site in the 1870’s. However, this burnt down, the current day building celebrated its Grand Opening in 1918. The Kauri timber and gum which fuelled Dargaville’s development were fading economic forces, but that is not evident in the hotel’s replacement.
Solid 14 inch brick exterior walls & 12 inch thick internal walls meant that this time the hotel would endure the test of time. Inside, the lofty ceilings & wood panelling’s create a sense of grandeur in the Dining Hall & Lounge, with a sweeping staircase leading up to the 32 guest rooms upstairs.
Queen Elizabeth II & Prince Phillip stayed at the Northern Wairoa Hotel in 1953, the year of the queen's coronation.
