Bye bye Chateau Tongariro

With much sadness last week I read that the historical Chateau Tongariro will be closing after 94 years due to being earthquake prone. Apparently DOC (department of conservation) had been discussing the lease with the owners and specialists had also been conducting site and seismic assessment due to plants to renovate the building. They found that underground shifts over time meant that the building was no longer safe so staff made the decision to close instead.

This building is iconic to New Zealanders and will be sorely missed. In case you didn't know this area is hugely volcanic with Mount Ruapehu, Tongariro and Ngauruhoe nearby. 

When we lived in Tauranga 5 years ago we visited this spot and enjoyed the snow, something we don't normally see. I haven't been inside but I found these photos online which are not mine of some of the interior:

 

 

 

Linking up with Through my lens, Ruby Tuesday, Tuesday Treasures, My corner of the world and Wordless Wednesday.

Chateau Tongariro...with a snow cat

I love this location and for years I have wanted to visit it, the last time we were in this area was over 10 years ago but I never got a chance to stop until now.  Chateau Tongariro is in the heart of the National Park, was originally built in the 1920s and is still in use today. On the day we were there someone had thoughtfully made what we thought looked like a snow cat out the front, our attempt was some sort of small trans-gender snow person.

Linking up with Our World Tuesday :-)