The complex even has a scary room - more about that later.
Fundraising
Back in 1992 the building was priced to sell at $70,000 when Noel and accountant Michael Slade recognised it had potential benefits for the community. An incorporated society was formed and fundraising began. Numerous initiatives included selling the factory's wall blocks for a dollar each.
"Hundreds of people bought blocks," says Noel. "The support of the community was magnificent. Eventually we had a shortfall of $30,000. Then a miracle happened."
Noel and his wife Nicky owned the town's supermarket at that time and honey producer George Depenning popped in.
"He said buying and transforming the old fish factory was 'a bloody good idea' and handed me a cheque for $30,000 and we did a handshake!"
George, along with Diana Lancaster, would later get involved in movie nights.
Transforming a fish factory in to a functional multi-purpose community facility was hard work. The sturdy building has concrete floors and block walls. When operating as a fish factory it had 12 freezer rooms, conveyor belts, fish tanks – and a strong smell of fish!
Early on Diane popped a toy monkey on a shelf. Folk were amused and suddenly there were lots more. Now there are about 80, including a few gorillas, plus a monkey mural painted by Wendy Walls. These add to the quirky nature of the building and led to the name Monkey House.
Noel is a big Elvis fan. Maybe that's why there are about 30 posters of Elvis on a wall. Mention this and Noel may give you a rendition of It's now or never.
Movie nights
First patrons to arrive for a movie night may climb stairs to the back of the room and sink into comfy old sofas, lifting their eyes to a deep blue ceiling painted with stars.
This writer recalls watching some unusual movies, like the grim 1927 science fiction drama Metropolis, with a break, announced by Noel, around halftime for his handout of free lollies. Classic favourites included Casablanca and African Queen.
Originally films were on large reels and shown on an old projector.
"I remember the night the reel broke and we had to stop and stick it together again," laughs Noel.
Eventually films progressed to DVDs. One night a DVD was faulty, so the projectionist cycled home to grab another from his collection while the audience chatted. It was all part of the fun.
Scary room
Tucked underneath the Monkey House section is The Scary Room. This writer was given a tour. A narrow corridor leads to a space where black lights transform everything to an eerie white. A skeleton swings in the corner, something screeches and – OMG – the floor actually moves up and down! Then there's another skeleton shaking its bones and this one is life-size.
"Its batteries are a bit low," grins Noel, alluding to its half-hearted scream.
Fleeing the room one experiences creepy things hanging down to stroke the face. Eeeek! Noel laughs and says it's about 100 pieces of string hanging from the ceiling.
Then he mentions a purple people eater. Fortunately it's nowhere to be seen.
Noel hopes to sell the building as a going concern, retaining the two theatre spaces plus the x-ray room as well as the printer's business, offices and local radio station.
The 81-year-old says he has now reached the end of his working life and reluctantly decided to sell. But you can be sure this energetic guy who thinks outside the square will find plenty to do and still have Whitianga's community at heart.
Busy life
One of six children, Noel grew up on a rehab swamp dairy farm in Otorohanga. His mum said a prayer for the family every night and his happy memories include reading Biggles.
The Hewletts have lived in Whitianga for 40 years and bought the town's supermarket in 1981. Later they created Whitianga's first icecream parlour in an old miner's cottage. This was run by Noel's brother Ray.
After selling the supermarket in 1994, Noel decided to get involved in local body politics. He was on Mercury Bay Community Board from 1994 to 1998, then becoming a Thames Coromandel District councillor.
He believes the district council is unbalanced in its east/west representation, so the eastern side has to fight for any benefits.
"There were big changes on the council when Chris Lux was mayor. My last three years on council were the highlight for me and I also enjoyed chairing the Tairua/Pauanui Community Board. They were going to install water pipelines costing millions, but in the end we increased catchments and reservoirs on both sides and saved ratepayers a lot of money."
Noel came up with the idea of turning part of Graham's Stream in Tairua into a canal, with land each side becoming a holiday park. He saw this as a positive way to transform the flood-prone area, but maybe it was too radical to be accepted at that time.
"But if you start with a dream it can become a dream come true. I feel lucky that I'm a bit of an extrovert. I may wake up in the middle of the night with a new idea. Fortunately my wife Nicky understands me. I couldn't do anything without her."
One of the ventures he has been involved with is Whitianga's Bike Park, which Noel and brother Ray took over in 2004.
Noel says the Mercury Bay community is a special place and he believes The Health Factory has been an integral part of a journey of social responsibility.
The building is marketed by Abby from Richardsons Real Estate, Whitianga.
