[Missing Credit]Shona Rae at Cromwell Mini Golf, which she and husband Dan have run for almost 25 years. Photo: Carys Trotter Cromwell Mini Golf is approaching the final hole in its last round after almost 25 years at the heart of the Central Otago town. The Cromwell Community Board has recommended the Central Otago District Council issue notice for the site to be vacated as part of a planned road realignment and town centre redevelopment. The mini golf’s departure will come ahead of a realignment of the Murray Tce and Isles St intersection, which the council has confirmed will directly impact the mini golf site. The surrounding area is also expected to be affected by wider town-centre upgrade works, which the council has said were likely to shape future decisions regarding the land’s use. Cromwell Mini Golf owner Shona Rae confirmed this week she would be stepping away from the business, though the exact timing remains unclear, after the community board recommended the council allow the licence to continue on a month-by-month basis while road realignment works were being finalised. Mrs Rae said she and husband Dan had run the business since they moved to Cromwell 25 years ago, with their three young kids in tow. Mr Rae was also a farmer in the area and Mrs Rae first worked as a primary school teacher until the couple took over the business in 2001. “I was just looking for something to do, something fun and interesting,” Mrs Rae said. Running the course for nearly a quarter-century, the experience had been “very enjoyable”. She constantly met interesting people from all over the world, describing the conversations with those she met as one of her favourite parts of the job. “It’s just a really fun activity for everyone and it’s something grandparents can do,” she said. “Lots of babysitting happens here. “A big part of running this is seeing that, being able to give local families an affordable, fun activity that anyone can do.” Council documents show the Raes sought a new long-term lease at the site from 2019 to 2021. By March 2023, she had instead signed a short-term lease backdated to August, 2021. After its two-year term expired, she exercised its one right of renewal for a further two years. When it expired at the end of July, the Raes met the requirements of a licence to occupy offered by the council, but they never signed. Now, the council has indicated the mini golf site must be vacated by the end of November. Mrs Rae said she had always known that day would come eventually. While not pleased with the outcome, she had accepted it and said it was the end of a wonderful chapter and adventure. She also said the upcoming summer months would be some of the business’ busiest and there was potential for the business to operate during those months before closure. Cromwell Community Board chairwoman Anna Harrison confirmed the board had recommended extending Mrs Rae’s licence on a monthly basis, aligned with the timeline for the realignment, “The license to occupy expires on November 30 so the board’s recommendation is to allow for this license to continue month by month, knowing that the road works may not begin until early 2027 or later depending on NZTA [New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi] funding,” she said. The final decision sat with council, with timelines potentially confirmed at the upcoming August 26 meeting, she said. Mrs Harrison confirmed the road realignment was behind the original decision to issue notice for the site, with the mini golf site to be directly impacted. The town centre upgrade under way was likely to shape ideas around the future use of the land, which would be part of the council’s long-term plan process and plan for the area, she said. Mrs Rae said the course did more than attract keen mini golfers, it drew people in to surrounding businesses, including pharmacies, supermarkets, retailers and and tourism venues in the area. Already hearing from disappointed community members, Mrs Rae said she felt for the wider community, to lose an affordable local activity, and hoped whatever came next for the site helped maintain and strengthen Cromwell’s character and family-friendly focus. She wanted to thank the community for its support over the years for all the “wonderful people, chapters and memories”. The business’ 25th anniversary falls on Labour Weekend, when the Raes first started operating; Mrs Rae said she was hopeful to potentially mark the significant milestone and give the community a proper send off.
