The Story of the Putaruru Hotel 🚂 Did you know one of the very first buildings in Putaruru is right here at our museum? Built in 1894, the Putaruru Junction Hotel was a landmark that helped establish the town. While a new hotel was built in 1953 (complete with a "Queen's Room" for a royal visit that never quite happened!), the original building was carefully moved to our site in 1982. Today, this historic building has been beautifully preserved and is now our function space, The Sycamore Room,