The Bath House, home of Rotorua Museum, closed until further notice. Image: Su Leslie 2019
The 2016 earthquake centred around Kaikoura in the South Island, left its mark on many other parts of New Zealand.
Seven hundred kilometres away, the much-loved (and much-photographed) 1908 Bath House in Government Gardens, Rotorua, was deemed unsafe for use and closed for earthquake strengthening.
North Wing, The Bath House, Rotorua. Image: Su Leslie 2019
The processes of working out how strengthening can be done, how long it will take — and how much it will cost — are underway.
Meanwhile, there are no visitor voices in the rather lovely galleries, and no footsteps on the parquet floors.
Posted to Silent Sunday
Zimmerbitch 
What was this before it was a museum? A public bath house? Privately owned? Beautiful building.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Public bath house. Rotorua has an abundance of mineral pools and therapeutic mud and stuff. The government built the Bath House as pretty much its first venture into tourism. Why the Mock Tudor design, I have no idea, but it really caught on and there are lots of other, similar buildings in the town.
LikeLiked by 3 people
Thanks!
LikeLiked by 1 person
The baths closed in the 1940s and the building had a number of other uses. The museum and art gallery began occupying parts of it in the 1960s
LikeLiked by 4 people
Thank goodness such an historic building was not demolished
LikeLiked by 1 person
True; it’s such a shame it seems to be taking so long to figure out how to fix it (or maybe how to pay for the repairs)!
LikeLike
Guess it will be very expensive
LikeLiked by 1 person
I would think so ☹️
LikeLiked by 1 person
Very great shot
LikeLiked by 1 person
We saw this fabulous building on our trip in 2017 and were actually in the South Island for the earthquake in 2016! It’s such a shame, I hope it can be reopened sooner rather than later.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Was it open when you were there in 2017?
The Kaikoura earthquake has had far-reaching consequences for NZ; did it affect your holiday travel much?
LikeLiked by 1 person
No it was closed up then too. The earthquake didn’t affect our travels but scared all our relatives back home when they heard we were close by. It was awful for the local people though and their livelihoods.
LikeLiked by 1 person
My mum gets worried for us every time there’s an earthquake too — even though she knows we’re in low-shake Auckland.
And you are right; it has had a huge impact on locals. Some still have no clear way forward as regards damaged homes and businesses.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wow, I have been to Rotorua a number of times but never seen this place. I hope they get it back up and running.
LikeLiked by 1 person
So do I. That whole style of architecture — in The Bath House, the tourist info centre and the church at Ohinemutu — is quite special and very “Rotorua.”
LikeLiked by 1 person
What a lovely building Su, I do hope they restore it. We are having the same problem with the Prime Minister’s residence on Sussex Drive in Ottawa, Canada. It wasn’t an earth quake that caused it either, it was neglect. These old buildings are part of our heritage.
Leslie
LikeLiked by 1 person
I hope so too Leslie. I know we can’t save every piece of heritage, but some just too special to abandon
LikeLiked by 1 person
I agree…
LikeLiked by 1 person
I love the mini turrets on the wings. It’s such an interesting building. I can only imagine what magic awaits inside.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It is lovely inside too – though the tea rooms front centre were a bit wasted as a nightclub in the early 90s. I know this from experience 😂😂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Such a beautiful building! Too bad it takes them this long to do the renovations.
LikeLiked by 1 person
They haven’t started — sounds like they are still figuring out how to fix it. And of course how to pay for it 🙁
LikeLiked by 1 person
Amazing (and quirky) building. I hope it can be rescued soon.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Definitely quirky!! It’s been shut for nearly two years, and the sign outside doesn’t offer a great deal of hope, suggesting that it’s both technically complex (and by extension) very expensive ☹️
LikeLike
That’s a shame 😟
LikeLiked by 1 person
Such a beautiful place! Shame but, better safe than sorry!
LikeLiked by 1 person
True 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
Seven hundred kilometres away? Really? Such a shame the earthquake had an effect on what looks like an Arts and Crafts designed building. You have to wonder how many more buildings are unsafe within that range! A lot of people’s homes I imagine!
LikeLiked by 1 person
After the Kairoura earthquake, there was a major reassessment of the Earthquake Code, with both tougher requirements, and an updating of the level of risk in different parts of the country. Lots of public and commercial buildings in both North and South Island towns have been shut for repair. The deadline for earthquake strengthening is 2030, and the costs will be prohibitive for many landlords, especially in small towns where rents aren’t high enough to cover the cost. So within 20 years, a lot of NZs heritage architecture will probably disappear.
In general, houses are much safer because they tend to be timber-framed and have little or no masonry.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That sounds like you need a lot of fund raising! It would be a dreadful shame to lose buildings like this one and if they aren’t open then they can’t collect any revenue and are more likely to fall into disrepair. I understand the H&S issues but then the government needs to put some money behind the scheme. Do you have a National Heritage organisation in NZ?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Many of the buildings are listed with Heritage NZ, and protected, and a lot of government money is being spent. More worrying is the small town high streets which can’t be given the same kind of protection. Individual buildings may not warrant it, but the overall effect of multiple old buildings gives towns character. Many of them will probably be demolished ☹️
LikeLiked by 1 person
I guess living in a country prone to earthquakes has its challenges.
LikeLiked by 1 person
We’re relatively immune in Auckland, but yes, Christchurch and Kaikoura have made us more aware of our vulnerability.
LikeLiked by 1 person
And THAT is why I never wanted to live on the west coast. I just hate it when the ground moves.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m not crazy about it, but there really isn’t anywhere in NZ that’s totally immune. Auckland is in a very low earthquake zone (relative to further south), but we’re built on a massive volcanic field. The last major eruption was about 600 years ago and we got a whole new island in the Hauraki Gulf out of it!
LikeLike