The White Star Hotel

In 1904[1] Mary Allan, wife of William Allan who had built the Commercial Hotel and the SS Makarora[2], purchased land Sections 58 & 59 (now 62 Ardmore Street). The Allan’s had their home in Tenby Street destroyed by fire and the adjoining store damaged in 1894, but rebuilt on the same site later that year. In 1904 they dismantled the new home and moved it to the new sections, where they rebuilt it. They also added on rooms for boarders and that became the Pembroke Boarding house.

McKay papers, Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, NZ. Reference # F 823392 1/2.

In 1924, William died and Mary sold the property to Dunedin Wanaka Motors Ltd (principally established by Helen and Horatio Mackay) who, as part of the White Star group, wished to have an accommodation house for their clients. Mary moved to Dunedin. The house then became known as the White Star Hotel. In 1927 Dunedin Wanaka Motors Ltd went into liquidation and was purchased by Wanaka Motors Ltd, essentially the same owners, but Horatio Mackay was not a director.

In 1936, NZ Railways Bus services purchased Wanaka Motors Limited which included the garage and the hotel. Up till that time it had been managed by Miss Anita Urquhart.[3] In December 1937 it was re-opened as the Pembroke Guest House under the management of Mrs. E Andrews.[4] It was leased until 1944 when it was sold to Wanaka Hotel Ltd, who closed the hotel thereby reducing competition for their own business.

Eventually it was modified into a shop and The National Bank of NZ Limited also conducted an agency there later on. Some may remember Penguin’s Takeaways operating from the spot in the early 2000’s, halted by a fire. It was then redeveloped, and now holds offices for a number of local businesses.

[1] Transfer was not registered until 1906 but Otago Witness reported that in 1904, William Allan started to shift his house onto the property – lake Wanaka, Otago Witness, 5 October 1904, page 35.
[2] William Allan died in November 1924 but the property was always in Mary’s name up till when it sold.
[3] Wānaka Story, Irvine Roxburgh, published 1957, page 211.
[4] Wānaka Notes, Cromwell Argus,27 December 1937, page 5.