The theme of Rural Women New Zealand's conference this week - "Diversity in Action - Resilient Rural Communities" - proved apt as conference goers spent two days with no heating.
Heavy rain, which caused widespread flooding throughout the Waitaki district, filled the control box for the boiler at the Opera House and it blew up on Tuesday, Opera House director Richard McWha said when contacted yesterday.
Oamaru was hosting RWNZ's national conference, which began on Monday and finished yesterday morning. It attracted 215 delegates and was based at the Opera House.
"We were very resilient," RWNZ's North Otago provincial president Eleanor Nimmo said, when contacted yesterday.
A part for the boiler needed to be sourced and so delegates "struggled on with body heat for a while" until snow warnings were issued. Mr McWha bought enough knee-blankets to be shared one between two.
The control part arrived late on Wednesday and the heating was running again yesterday.
Mr McWha said the women coped very well and most took it with "good humour".
It was "one of those freakish things", that could not be helped. It was the "worst week" for it to happen "but we've survived it".
There were contingency plans to move the conference, if needed.
"And it's something they'll [delegates] will never forget", he said.
The second major problem was the basement filled up with water on Tuesday and some equipment in storage was ruined.
Mr McWha was wondering what to do with his blankets. Civil Defence borrowed some yesterday so they might become a "community asset", he said.
The weather caused interruptions to the conference, affected bus tours and prevented special guests arriving, including the final speaker, National list MP Hekia Parata.
However, it had been a "wonderful" week, Mrs Nimmo said.
