After more than 20 years of ideas, conversations, planning, fundraising, design and construction, Te Puna Mahara - Cromwell Memorial Events Centre has officially opened its doors, welcoming more than 6,500 people through the building over its opening weekend.
Following blessings and official opening ceremonies on Friday, Saturday belonged to the community, with a constant stream of visitors exploring Central Otago's newest home for arts, heritage, entertainment and connection.
A packed programme of entertainment saw a different local performer or creative community group bring the venue to life every 15 minutes. The RSA room welcomed music, along with a drawing and colouring space spanning all generations, preschool ballerinas delighted audiences by popping out of colourful boxes, while community choirs, circus performers, brass bands, martial arts demonstrations, yoga and breathwork sessions, dancers, bagpipers, magicians and a flash mob of line dancers entertained crowds throughout the day.
Visitors enjoyed tastings from onsite caterer Moreish Kitchen, while AWA Café maintained a steady queue from morning until evening as people relaxed and took in the spectacular views over the Kawarau River.
As dusk settled, recent Smokefree Rockquest winners Offshore brought the celebrations to a fitting close, performing to an appreciative crowd enjoying refreshments on the riverside terrace.
Cromwell Community Board Chair Anna Harrison said seeing the building filled with people of every generation was incredibly rewarding. "It’s wonderful to see Te Puna Mahara finally come alive. Everywhere you looked people were enjoying the entertainment, discovering something new and being genuinely wowed by the facility. It's a space our whole community can be proud of.
The celebrations continued on Sunday with behind-the-scenes tours running every 30 minutes, while THE CINEMA welcomed its first audiences for screenings of Minions and Monsters, Toy Story 5, Moana Live Action and The Odyssey.
Among the thousands through the doors were 11-year-old friends Olivia Manning and Karina Stephenson, both of Cromwell. Olivia was thrilled about finally having a cinema in town.
"It's going to be awesome being able to go to the movies here instead of travelling to Queenstown." Karina was equally impressed by the new Cromwell Museum.
"I loved all the treasures and learning about Cromwell's history."
The opening weekend marks the beginning of a busy programme of community events, fundraisers, exhibitions, conferences, daily café operations and a full cinema schedule. Over the next two weekends, Te Puna Mahara will also host its first three ticketed performances, beginning with CromCom Comedy Night featuring New Zealand comedy favourites Paul Ego, Justine Smith and Josh Thomson, followed by acclaimed singer-songwriter Jenny Mitchell in an intimate theatre performance, before internationally renowned sketch comedy and circus troupe Laser Kiwi brings its wildly inventive show Everybody Knows to Cromwell on Friday 31 July.
Together, they signal the beginning of an exciting new era of live entertainment in Central Otago. The overwhelming support shown throughout opening weekend leaves little doubt that Te Puna Mahara has already found its place at the heart of the community, with audiences ready to fill its theatres, celebrate local talent and welcome world-class performers for years to come.
