Nearly 100 years after opening the Rotorua Bath House, now home to Rotorua Museum remains uncompleted.

Although it stands as one of New Zealand’s most iconic heritage buildings, significant features of the original plans are missing. When the Bath House opened in 1908 the building was only partially constructed. As a result of funding shortages, the extreme northern wing and most of the southern wing were not built.

The Rotorua Museum Centennial Project will complete the Bath House building to its original proposed specifications and provide greatly enhanced museum facilities. The new museum features will include a resource and research facility, two new galleries for temporary and short term exhibitions, a children’s discovery centre, a re-developed Tarawera Gallery and an expanded Te Arawa Gallery.

The fundraising efforts for the project have been driven by Rotorua Museum Centennial Trust. The Trust was established in 2006 and has now achieved the $22 million funding target.

Stage I of the three stage project, the Viewing Platform, was completed in March 2006. Stage II, the North Wing extension, opened in November 2008. Stage III, the South Wing, is due to open in August 2011.

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Dr Arthur Stanley Wohlmann’s 1902 water colour shows the original vision for the Bath House.

centennial-development-2LATEST NEWS AND IMAGES

Stage II of the project is now complete, and Stage III is well underway.
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