The Royal Backpackers Opotiki

Here is the old Royal Hotel of Opotiki, now trading as a backpackers hostel that happens to have extremely positive reviews. And a cafe called two fishes which is also popular.

The Royal has already served several generations in Opotiki, beginning with her design,in 1880, by architect Thomas Henry White, who was responsible for many other buildings, mainly throughout the Waikato. White also planned the alterations to the hotel in 1909, when the top storey was added. The original publicans, the Parkinson family, also handily had a soft drink factory.

When much of Opotiki burned down in 1913, the Royal was somehow spared.

The flourishing hotel is reported to have been home base for Te Rangi Pai, a Ngati Porou singer and entertainer who went international, touring Great Britain, and performing at the Royal Albert Hall. She was the granddaughter of Tamati Tama-i-whakanehua-i-te-rangi, who had signed the Treaty of Waitangi as a prominent member of Ngati Porou.

In the 1950s, a concrete extension made the bar much bigger and at a point the hotel stopped offering accommodation. Now, overnight stays are back, and they are booming, with the Royal Backpackers Hotel accepting guests year round as Opotiki enjoys the tourist trade.

BOOK YOUR STAY AT THE ROYAL BACKPACKERS OPOTIKI

Image Credits: Booking.com