On the evening of 5 February 1915 a fierce blaze completely destroyed the Opunake Hotel (also known as Knowles' Hotel and the Red House Hotel), as well the Judson's Coachbuilding Factory and Aiken's smithy. By the time the alarm was raised the volunteer fire brigade concentrated its efforts on saving the nearby buildings which, with the exception of those listed, it succeeded.
At the time the building was ownded by Mr T. Knowles of New Plymouth and the hotel was run by Mr E.B. Stohr.
The building was insured for £1,800 and work quickly got underway to rebuild the hotel. The Taranaki Herald advised on 29 May 1915 (p.2) that Mr Coleman had been awarded the contract and Mr Roebuck was the sub-contractor responsible for the concrete. On 29 September 1915 the Taranaki Daily News (p.3) reported that the new hotel was almost complete.
In 2014 the hotel (now known as the Surf Inn) was damaged by fire again. In the Stuff article (see link) about the fire, the owner explained that in the 1960s the Opunake Hotel downsized, the accommodation was removed, and it was renamed the Opunake Tavern.
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