The Chateau Tongariro hotel is closing its doors indefinitely today.

The Chateau, located in the Tongariro National Park, has been in consultation with the Department of Conservation (DOC) regarding the renewal of its 30-year lease, which expired in April 2020.

As part of the hotel's due diligence in preparing to renew the lease, it had specialists conduct site and seismic assessments as part of plans to renovate the building and surrounding infrastructure.

But the most recent seismic assessment found that underground shifts over time meant some of the hotel infrastructure no longer met current safety standards.

To ensure the safety of those at the hotel the decision was made to close it.

Thirty six jobs will be lost as the Chateau is handed back to the Department of Conservation, which owns the land.

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Chateau Tongariro to permanently close on Sunday

Tue, Jan 31

Mayor of Ruapehu Weston Kirton said people all over the country would be gutted about the closure of the iconic building.

"It's a jewel in our crown and we're going to fight as much as we can to you know retain ownership so we can include that in the many many activities and accommodation we've got in our district."

Owners of the Chateau Tongariro Hotel and its sister hotel, Wairakei Resort Taupō, earlier confirmed they would continue investing in New Zealand, and the Wairakei Resort Taupō and its staff were not impacted by the closure.

rnz.co.nz