The worm-eaten and rat-ridden state of the Star Hotel at Kihikihi compelled the police in 1916 to apply to have its licence cancelled. The place was in a state of great disrepair, patched with tin to prevent rodents overrunning it, and completely unfit for human habitation.
Kihikihi’s The Star
It was a far cry from the elegant edifice which had opened in July 1883. The new hotel had 22 rooms reached by wide and lofty passages. On the upper floor were 12 single and double bedrooms, a good bathroom, and a cosy drawing room. Wrapped around the upper storey was a balcony from which there were splendid views.
A private staircase led up to the balcony, so that lady visitors could have discreet access. The staircase was also a fire escape, a thing which was then frequently overlooked. On the ground floor were four private sitting rooms, a billiard room, a dining room for 26, a bar and kitchen. The billiard room had one of the best and fastest tables procurable in the Auckland district. Few country hotels could compare with Kihikihi’s Star Hotel.
In 1887 fire threatened the hotel when straw and compressed hay in the hotel’s stable loft caught alight. The horses and harness were safely removed and the iron roof kept the sparks and flames from rising and landing on the hotel itself.
Star Hotel, Kihikihi
When Tom Porter became licensee of the Star in July 1898 his introduction to Kihikihi was fairly startling. The Rev Walter Smith, on horseback, had collided with a barbed wire fence, some of the barbs catching in his leggings and he was thrown violently over the fence. He was carried into the Star Hotel in great pain to await medical assistance. Tom Porter had been the publican of the Railway Hotel at Mercer where he was a popular host. He had come to Kihikihi with his wife Lucy and their three young children. One of his initial tasks was to write to the Kihikihi Town Board complaining of a bad smell arising from a cesspit. The Board had the pit inspected and arranged to “remedy the evil”.
Another fire, in 1899, in a house close to the Star Hotel, destroyed the house, but with the assistance of willing helpers Tom Porter was able to prevent his hotel catching fire too. But Tom Porter was not well and within 18 months of coming to Kihikihi he died at the hotel aged 39. He was taken by train back to Mercer for burial.
His widow Lucy applied to the Waikato Licensing Committee for permission to continue the Star Hotel for three months, as the will of her late husband had not yet been proved. Lucy’s health began failing and in October 1899 she left Kihikihi with her children. She planned a lengthy holiday spent with relatives and friends previous to settling down to business again. In early 1900 the license for the Star Hotel was transferred from Lucy to George Farquhar. But Lucy, too, died, in December 1900 at her father’s residence, Mangatawhiri Valley, aged 32, leaving the three children orphaned. She was also buried at Mercer.
The Star Hotel continued on, its grandeur gradually fading over time and in 1916 a proposal to amalgamate the Star with Kihikihi’s Alpha Hotel into one large hotel was made. It was considered far better to have one good modern hotel than to continue tinkering with the present building. Renovations, though, considerably improved the fate of the Star Hotel and it has survived to this day.
Star Hotel, Kihikihi, decorated with flags, 1900s
