Preparing for opening day at Te Puna Mahara Cromwell Memorial Events Centre are (from left) Central Otago District Council group manager community experience, David Scoones, Te Puna Mahara marketing and sponsorship lead Annabel Roy and venue director Will Harris. The long-awaited events centre will open next month. PHOTO: JULIE ASHERFinal preparations are under way at Te Puna Mahara - Cromwell Memorial Events Centre for the official opening next month. Julie Asher was given a tour around the nearly completed building but interior photos were not permitted as the council plans its grand reveal. If a picture paints a thousand words then brace yourself, because no pictures were permitted on the media tour of the new Te Puna Mahara Cromwell Memorial Events Centre. A council representative said it was to remain a surprise to be revealed to the public on opening day, July 18. The events centre, first discussed about 20 years ago, came in on time and on budget at $45.8 million. Venue director Will Harris moved to Cromwell in January, from Wellington, where he was venue manager for Te Auaha NZ Institute of Creativity, an arts and education centre. He has children at school in Cromwell and said he was delighted to be part of the Te Puna Mahara team. ‘‘It’s a real privilege to be part of a new project like this, especially something as exciting and as amazing as this building.’’ Bringing customers to the venue is the responsibility of marketing and sponsorship lead Annabel Roy. A promotions and events co-ordinator, Ms Roy has been involved in events around the lower South Island including the Wānaka A&P show and Tussock Country Music Festival, in Gore. ‘‘I came to be here because this facility is the jewel of the South Island and I really wanted to be involved in the project.’’ The building can only be described as spectacular. The outside of Te Puna Mahara - Cromwell Memorial Events Centre, in Cromwell, is complete but the public will have to wait until the official opening day on July 18 to see inside. Photo: Supplied Attention to detail, the views, the multi-purpose ways spaces can be configured — all are impressive. In the auditorium the stage, complete with proscenium arch, will delight performers, and the dressings rooms, complete with washers and dryers, will thrill back-stage helpers. Retractable seating can convert the theatre into a banquet hall or dance floor in 15 minutes. Council group leader community engagement David Scoones said the commercial kitchen would be operated by Central Otago catering and food truck company Moreish Kitchen. Awa, the cafe and bar, would be run by Enrique Ortiz and Fernanda Berroeta, who also operate Smokorun in Queenstown, Wānaka and Cromwell. The 40-seat cinema, with wide armchairs complete with drinks tables, would be run by Neil Lambert, who founded the Silky Otter chain of cinemas and restaurants. In addition to Ms Roy and Mr Harris there would also be a technology manager, an operations manager and an events manager, Mr Scoones said. The RSA eternal flame would be lit on the official opening day. The RSA room has a matai feature wall, which Mr Scoones said was created from the floor of the old Cromwell hall. There were also display cabinets for taonga that had been in storage. Remaining mataī was used to frame mirrors in the toilets and used as trim on the walls, he said. The movement studio has a sprung floor, floor-to-ceiling mirror wall and storage under seating to stash gear bags, keeping the floor clear. Curtains can be drawn across the mirrors and the room used for a small meeting room. An invitation for performers to participate in the opening day attracted about 35; they will make use of the various spaces during the first weekend. The Cromwell Museum area is a work in progress but will be a melding of the familiar with modern touches. A much-loved miniature model of Cromwell town has been given a boost with, at the touch of a button, lights showing the parts that were flooded when the Clyde Dam was created. Weka footprints magically appear on the floor thanks to creative technology and moa can be heard calling through the space. The icing on the cake has to be the views across the Kawarau River from most of the building. It is not hard to imagine wedding photos being taken with that backdrop, funerals being conducted with that view soothing mourners and visitors savouring a drink or meal while soaking up the peaceful scene before them.
