South Taranaki mourns loss of Waitotara Hotel after fire

Countless pub memories and a piece of history were lost when South Taranaki’s Waitotara Hotel went up in flames on Thursday evening.

South Taranaki Mayor Phil Nixon said it was really sad for Waitōtara and the surrounding rural community because the hotel had operated as a meeting place, dairy and post office.

“It’s a real cornerstone of the community,” Nixon said.

“This is a big loss, it’s not just Waitōtara, it’s out to Waiinu as well. The communities could get what they need from there.”

More than 20 appliances responded when the blaze broke out about 6pm.

Neighbour Chrissy Rae Tunbridge said she was shaken up after going outside to call her cats and seeing the pub in flames.

“I took a second look and couldn’t believe my eyes,” Tunbridge said.

“We ran over to see if Chris the publican was out of the building. That was it – everyone here standing, watching the pub burn, it was sombre.“

She said Chris Swetman – the hotel’s licence owner – was able to save only the clothes on his back and his little kitten.

A Givealittle page set up for Swetman said he had run the pub for the past 16 years and had poured his heart and soul into the place, building a welcoming space for locals and travellers.

“The patrons weren’t just customers – they were friends, neighbours, and family.

“Now, with the building gone, Chris has lost everything: his home, his livelihood, and the close-knit community he created within those walls.”

Nixon said the community was rallying around Swetman, with the Waitotara School opening its school hall on Friday to accept donations of food and goods for him.

More than 20 fire appliances responded to the Waitotara Hotel blaze on Thursday evening. Photo / Jay Preeter

The Waitotara Hotel had been a drop-in point for many residents and workers out at the Silver Fern Farms to get a pie, paper or a drink, he said.

Tunbridge said it was the end of an era for the hotel and pub.

History of fires, fond memories of the Waitotara Hotel

Nixon said it was ironic because the original hotel building had burned down in 1924, 101 years ago.

According to the online heritage collection Te Rangi Aoao Nunui, the first fire on June 26, 1924, destroyed the 16-room Waitotara Hotel in a blaze that began about 10pm.

After the Waitotara Hotel was rebuilt, 86-year-old Vaughan Isaac was just 7 years old when her dad took over ownership.

“It was a very lively little community in my childhood,” Isaac said.

“There was a lot of farms up the Waitōtara River and the farmers used to gather in the pub at night. It was a very loyal group of customers that Dad enjoyed.”

As a child, Isaac has memories of holding up a lantern for her grandfather, who was the chef for the hotel, while he was cooking chips and saveloys on a coal range for the Friday night pubgoers.

“How the hell he managed that I don’t know. But I know he didn’t have electricity because I was holding a lantern.”

Another fond memory of Isaac’s was when a tanker carrying beer to the pub had tipped over and crashed on the bridge near the Waitotara Hotel.

“All the locals were able to get their beer straight out of the tanker.”

In her time, she said, the pub “was a delight” and beautifully looked after by her father.

She was shocked that the old building had gone up in flames on Thursday night.

But Isaac also remembers another fire that started in the neighbouring billiard saloon when she was a child, in the late 1940s.

Her father, with help from the locals, had fought “tooth and nail” to keep the hotel and pub from burning down that day.

Cause of the fire unknown, investigation to take a few days

Fire and Emergency specialist investigator Andrew Cotter said all appliances had left the scene by noon on Friday.

Fire investigators, police and insurance investigators were working together to determine the cause of the fire.

“We’re still working through our investigation at the moment,” Cotter said.

The primary area the team was looking into was the kitchen.

Cotter said it could take a few days for their investigation to reach an outcome.

“It was a commercial building and they had an approved Fire and Emergency evacuation plan that meant everyone made it out safely,” he said.

Nixon said he would like to thank the numerous fire crews for their tremendous effort in putting out the fire on Thursday night.

The Givealittle page for Swetman can be found here.

Eva de Jong is a reporter for the Whanganui Chronicle covering health stories and general news. She began as a reporter in 2023.