Royal Hotel

The first Royal Hotel opened in July of 1865, a muster day for the militia men. The Royal was owned by Lewis Bassiere Harris who was an Ensign with the 1st Company of the 4th Waikato Militia Regiment. In late April 1866 the Governor, Sir George Grey, arrived in Hamilton to meet with Kingmaker Wiremu Tamihana, a leader of the Ngati Haua iwi. The two met at the Royal on the 1st of May and the photograph above was taken.

Three years later Governor, Sir George Bowen, also stayed at the Royal. The late Wiremu Tamihana's eldest son, Hotene Te Waharoa, welcomed His Excellency to the Waikato.

The hotel was the location of many a gathering. Amongst numerous others, meetings of the Kirikiriroa Highway Board were held there, as were celebrations, such as a luncheon for the beginning of the building of the Union Bridge. During the Hamilton East Sports day held at Sydney Square in 1882, the Te Awamutu Band entertained the crowds by playing music from the hotel's balcony.

In the early hours of the morning on the 4th of July 1894 fire broke out at the Royal Hotel. The hotel was destroyed and sadly, a young waitress lost her life. A former 4th Waikato militia man, Thomas Green, was badly burned and died in hospital a week later.

A new Royal Hotel was built on the same site and opened in August of 1895. Fast forward to 1967 and the 71 year old hotel, once a popular place to stay as well as drink, had its status changed to a tavern only. The increasing number of motels and the hotel's suburban setting saw a decline in demand for its accommodation. Four years later its beer taps were turned off for good when a new tavern, built behind the hotel, was opened. The Royal was demolished in 1981.