This model of the Hāwera Post Office shows the two storey wooden building as it was before it was destroyed by fire on 30 August 1895. The post office, which had been erected by the Public Works Department, was destroyed the day before it was to be officially opened in a large fire which burned its way through both sides of Princes Street, killing two guests in the Egmont Hotel and destroying a number of local businesses. The Post Office was rebuilt using the same grand design, but this time brick was used instead of wood.