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Story: South Canterbury region

Albury accommodation house

Albury accommodation house

The Albury accommodation house on State Highway 8 was built in 1867. It had 13 bedrooms and could seat 30 in its dining room. When travel was slower and more difficult, such houses were common along routes. The Albury house is now a private residence.

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South Canterbury Museum

Reference: 7726

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How to cite this page

John Wilson, South Canterbury region – Transport and towns, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/11396/albury-accommodation-house (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by John Wilson, published 2 March 2009, updated 1 February 2017.

Comments

Jeremy Sutherland
10 August 2022
This is the second Opawa Hotel, built in 1873 to replace the original that was burned down in February of that year. The original was established by William Butterworth in 1861 and built mainly of timber and some cob. The 13 rooms referred to was actually a combination of the rooms at this hotel and nearby Railway Hotel (est 1879). The Opawa closed in 1886 after severe flooding, but was used as an annex to the Railway Hotel until 1909. It was known by the locals as the 'Pig & Whistle', but that was never its official name.