The Chateau was the height of luxury when it was built in 1929. Photo / Christine Cornege
The Chateau was the height of luxury when it was built in 1929. Photo / Christine Cornege
Despite its slightly faded glamour, the Chateau still lives up to Tim Roxborogh's childhood expectations.
A fluoro-blue swimming pool housed in an underground wartime infirmary, a location without peer, rumours of hauntings, secret passageways, a cinema, a place the Queen once stayed and for decades, New Zealand's most luxurious hotel. How could you not love The Chateau?
It wasn't until my early 20s that I first saw the famous 1929-built hotel. Unfortunately our budgets didn't extend much beyond dodgy backpackers' in those days so my buddies and I made do by playing touch rugby on the snow-covered golf course at the foot of The Chateau. Brilliant blue sky, short-sleeves, touch rugby on a golf course blanketed in snow, mountains, forests and the most iconic of hotels the backdrop. Surreal and forever tattooed in my mind.
I'd always wanted to stay at The Chateau, since seeing it soar from the centre of the North Island on a stylised map of New Zealand back in the 1980s. With its imposing Georgian architecture it was clear even to my childish mind this was an unusually grand piece of architecture.
Fast-forward to the present and for big birthday number 34 I ignored the tut-tutters who said The Chateau wasn't quite what it used to be. For 30 years I've wanted to have a night here dammit! Faded glamour or not.
The Chateau sits in the fourth oldest national park in the world (Tongariro, established 1894) at an elevation of more than 1100m. The five-storey, 134-room property can be seen for miles and cuts an almost fairy tale presence.
For the 75th anniversary in 2005 a new wing was added. From the outside the extension was seamless - the reds and yellows of the bricks perfectly replicated the original design.
Only inside the bedroom did things feel a tiny bit off. For a hotel whose selling point is as much its history and old-world glamour as it is its alpine setting, the room felt oddly stale. Perfectly nice, but typified by a bathroom of such stunted imagination that its tiles, vanity and shower wouldn't have been out of place in a modest three-bedroom house in Massey, West Auckland.
Intrigued as to what the rest of the property looked like (and vaguely aghast at my newfound bathroom snobbery), I rang reception to see if we could get a tour.
"Of course Mr Roxborogh!" answered the Iranian reception manager. Assigned a dapper Czech lad on his OE to give us the full tour, we started in the 460-square metre Ruapehu Lounge. Emerging from the creaky lift with its slightly frayed carpet was like Dorothy opening the door to the Technicolour glories of the land of Oz: plush crimson couches, draped curtains, a grand piano, dark woods, fireplaces, chandeliers, an enormous billiards table and near floor-to-ceiling windows to capture the incredible mountain views. And an overwhelming feeling of history. How exciting it would have been coming here in the 1920s and 30s, knowing no other hotel in country had anything like this grandeur.
After the tour (a different vibe to every room, several with the bathroom charm I evidently yearn for) a sweet South African lady served us at dinner. I donned a dinner jacket, had a sensational steak and wines and the very international, very warm staff even sang me Happy Birthday to applause from the other diners.
The Ruapehu Lounge in Chateau Tongariro. Photo / Tim Roxborogh
Once reception heard it was my birthday (who am I kidding? I let them know) we were offered an upgrade to The McLaren Suite. This is The Chateau's second top room after the gold, marble and chaise lounge-adorned beauty the Te Heu Heu Suite we'd seen on our tour.
The McLaren Suite has a small lobby and an entirely separate living room. It was old fashioned, quietly luxurious and perfect. In the time it took us to grab our bags from our first room a bottle of complimentary champagne with birthday card was waiting. The service here really is outstanding.
The best of The Chateau is just what you'd hope: elegant, eccentric and full of nooks, crannies and surprises, namely that trippy basement swimming pool with the best acoustics for singing I've enjoyed in a long time. Sure, some areas of the property may need a do-up. But if you know what to ask for, The Chateau still triumphs as the grand, historic Kiwi icon you want it to be.
