The Waikato Hotel

Built in 1878, the Waikato Hotel was located on the southeast corner of Grey Street and Clyde Street HCL_04429 

This historic photo shows the Waikato Hotel, which came under the lease of Frederic Edward Gaudin around April 1881, when he took it over from Philip Le Quesne. Gaudin quickly discovered that running a hotel came with its fair share of challenges, and colourful characters.

Behind the hotel was a small garden with fruit trees, which one early-morning opportunist decided to raid for apples around 5:00am. Gaudin wasn't having it and the apple thief was caught and prosecuted, receiving a one-month prison sentence. In another incident, a man broke into the hotel at dawn and made off with liquor.

Beyond his hotelkeeping, Mr Gaudin was active in local governance. He served on the Hamilton Borough Council from 1881 to 1884 and was among the town’s first elected councillors. Before that, he was a member - and at times chairman - of the Hamilton East Roads Board.

Stories like these add colour to the early days of Kirikiriroa Hamilton and show just how lively (and occasionally lawless) life could be. If you're curious about other tales from our city's past, or have your own to share, we'd love to hear from you.

If you have any information you would like to pass on or would like to buy an electronic copy of the photo, please e-mail heritage@hcc.govt.nz quoting: HCL_04429

https://heritage.hamiltonlibraries.co.nz/objects/785/waikato-hotel