Unwrapping an Icon – Episode 4: It’s the outside that counts

Friday, 27 June 2025

Brb, just googling how to become a heritage architectural specifier 👩‍🎨 Turns out there’s a lot more to the world of heritage restoration!! Here’s a peak at what the Watts & Hughes team have been undertaking to get our Rotorua Museum looking beautiful for re-opening, plus keeping its status as…

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Unwrapping an Icon – Episode 3: The 100 Year Leak

Thursday, 5 June 2025

Rotorua Museum’s roof: older than your nana’s kettle and twice as leaky! Watch the latest Unwrapping an Icon: The Hundred Year Leak! Tune in for tales from the top and find out how this historic icon is getting a watertight future.

Unwrapping an Icon – Episode 2: Wrap and Scaff

Tuesday, 27 May 2025

You’ve seen it wrapped up like a giant present — now it’s time to meet the real stars holding it all together… the scaff and wrap! In this episode of Unwrapping an Icon, we’re lifting the veil (and the wrap) on the incredible network of scaffolding that’s making the Rotorua…

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Unwrapping an Icon – Episode One

Thursday, 17 April 2025

It’s not a makeover, it’s a seismic strengthening glow-up Move over Netflix… there’s a new show in town. Introducing Unwrapping an Icon – the drama, the dust, the deep foundations 👷‍♀️ We’re going behind the scenes of the epic Rotorua Museum rebuild – hard hats, high hopes, and maybe a…

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Project Update – Infrastructure and Environment Committee Meeting (5 March 2025)

Wednesday, 5 March 2025

Hear from Will Bamford (Rotorua Museum Project Programme Manager) as he gives a build project report to Councillors. Topics covered: • 1/3 of the way through the build project (expected build project to conclude in September 2026) • Scaffolding inside the building to supports structure while being strengthened internally •…

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Iconic Museum stairs temporarily removed

The iconic Rotorua Museum dual staircases have been temporarily removed to allow for seismic strengthening of the floor and walls of the central hall. Local joinery company, Lee Brothers, have worked on several heritage projects over the years and will complete the removal, refurbishment and reinstallation of the grand stairs.…

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Tiles starting to be laid on North Wing roof

Monday, 3 March 2025

Following the completion of the strengthening roof works, the iconic terracotta orange Marseille roof tiles are being laid on the North wing! This follows the addition of strengthening structural ply to the roof frame and installation of a new ‘warm roofing system’ which adds to the robustness and longevity of…

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Heritage restoration on damaged droppers

Tuesday, 25 February 2025

Meet Tom! He is one of the talented tradesmen from Watts & Hughes working on restoring any damaged or decayed timber elements on the exterior Rotorua Museum building. Currently focused on the central and northern wings, Tom and the project architects, DPA Architects, remove the decay back to sound timber…

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Looking Back – The inspiration behind the Bath House building

Monday, 16 December 2024

As the strengthening and redevelopment of Rotorua Museum Te Whare Taonga o Te Arawa strides along, we thought we would take a little look back on why the Bath House building (home to Rotorua Museum) looks like it does! In 1901 responsibility for the spa, and the administration of the…

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Hidden Treasures – Music from the past

As the Museum project team are about to head into a well-earned break over summer, we just wanted to share some of the cool discoveries they have made while construction has been taking place this year. This record, entitled Kia Hiwa Ra!, was recorded live at Tudor Towers and performed…

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