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WAIWERA HOTEL
1. When the
fire occurred a 9 year old remembers seeing all the dead snails, which were
where the hydrangeas, which surrounded the building had been. She wrote a
story, which was published in a newspaper. She lived at "Seaforth".
2. A local resident remembers going to the Hotel for dinner as a teenager.
3.THE OLD HOTEL
-1915
At the age of
5, 91 years ago Bibby came to stay with her mother at the hotel, as her
mother had not been well and needed a rest. They came by sea from Mangawai.
The Kotiti was the boat then and it also came to Puhoi and later to Kawau.
This was 1915 and the wharf was here at Waiwera. This was very long - 3/4 of
a mile into the Hauraki Gulf.
The society
people of Auckland came to this hotel and Mrs Schollum, wife of Wenzl was
the hostess, always referred to as Mrs, as was the custom in those days,
never by first name. Afternoon tea was
served on the veranda, and the tables had starched white tablecloths with a
crochet border. There were small sandwiches on one of the plates of a three tier
cake stand and cakes on the other two.
The ladies talked on the veranda, did
their crochet and visited the baths which were a walk along the beach. It was a
sedate walk to these, over which Mrs Schollum presided, along the glade of trees
to the southern end of the beach, where the Bath house was. The remains of them
is seen in the wall of the Caravan Park. In the evening there was music, Mrs Schollum sang quite well and any one who was
a guest would join in. Cards were played - Euchre - a popular game in New
Zealand at that time. Bibby does not remember the tennis courts at that time,
but played on them many times later when staying at the Hotel with her friends. |
