ROB ROY Hotel, Go to main page on HOTELS click on "List of Early Hotels" for more information
JOHN FLETT
Proprietor of the ROB ROY HOTEL, featured in below book. Mr Flett was a steward at early race meetings at Thames. Picture from: Racing for Gold , by Johnny Williams. 1987
The Rob Roy Hotel, Waihi, celebrated 100 years of trading in 1996. The centenary was marked with a display of Rob Roy memorabilia at the Waihi Museum.
The Rob Roy was built for Mr John Flett from Parawai, Thames, who then transferred his licence and the name to his new Waihi hotel. By birth Mr Flett was a Highlander, from the Orkney Islands. The Rob Roy was a grand establishment and the 1900 Cyclopedia states the Rob Roy Hotel had 60 rooms (this number is thought to be incorrect), could seat 100 in the dining room and had stabling for 12 horses. The Rob Roy had a board walk along the front and benches to sit on.
The above pictures are courtesy of David Wilton. The Rob Roy Hotel for many years stood in disrepair at 500 Parawai Road, Thames. It was sold and demolished June 2007.
David Wilton carried out an archaeological report on the site July 2007. A full copy of the report is available at The Treasury, Queen Street, Thames.
In The Thames Journals of Vicesimus Lush 1868-82 edited by Alison Drummond, there is mention of the Hotel on 23 April 1879 by Rev Lush when he was going to Parawai to baptise a child. "..At the Rob Roy Hotel we got out, the road for the rest of the way being unfit for any vehicle."
