Alan Benbow (left) of the former Dannevirke Enterprise Trust, with Pat Herbert, Pat Sargent and Judy Swenson. Photo / Christine McKay
Alan Benbow (left) of the former Dannevirke Enterprise Trust, with Pat Herbert, Pat Sargent and Judy Swenson. Photo / Christine McKay
After a quarter of a century of friendship, fantasy and laughter, the fairies and elves from Dannevirke's Fantasy Cave are still as lively as ever.
On Sunday, more than 150 people gathered in Dannevirke to celebrate the 25th year of the tourist attraction which began as a Christmas Santa's cave.
Manned by a dedicated group of volunteers known as Cave Dwellers, the Fantasy Cave blossomed from an original idea by members of the Dannevirke Art Society, initially supported by the then Dannevirke Enterprise Trust.
The Cave Dwellers have been an upcycling, fancy dress-making team from day one and current president Ces Edwards said it was amazing to realise all the people at Sunday's event had contributed over the 25 years. "It blew us away," he said.
"Scrounging and the Cave Dwellers went hand-in-hand," Judy Swenson, the first president of the cave, said.
"Our materials were scrunched-up newspapers, cardboard, plaster of Paris and nylon fishing line. Nylon stockings made beautiful butterflies stretched out over wire and children's toy boxes were also raided to build displays."
Mrs Swenson said the cave challenged the abilities of the small group of women who learned how to use drills, jig-saws and hammers.
"Their tool boxes grew and their husbands sheds were missing a few things," she said. "However, after the women saw my undercoating skills, they decided I was better at the administration side of things."
Two of the original members,, Pat Herbert and Pat Sargent, are still Cave Dwellers. And the name Cave Dwellers is thanks to Mrs Herbert's husband.
"My husband answered our phone one day and told the caller, 'oh no, she (Pat) isn't here. She lives in the cave'.
"And we did too because we only had three weeks to get things up and running," Mrs Herbert said. "We learned skills we didn't know we had."
Tararua District Mayor Roly Ellis said the town should thank those three or four people who had the foresight 25 years ago to open the Christmas Cave, the forerunner to the cave. "Eighteen months ago the Cave Dwellers went through some pretty horrible times, but they came through it," he said.
Ron Watts (left), Liz Edwards and Doug Scott. PHOTOS/CHRISTINE McKAY
The cave was forced to close for a couple of weeks after their major sponsor, the ANZ Bank, moved to new premises. However, an understanding landlord and the arrival of NZCU Baywide saw the doors open again.
"The ANZ had paid our power and rent, but I don't know if their head office knew that," cave treasurer Malcolm Peffers said. "Now we're able to keep our heads above water and are sitting pretty with a few bob in the bank."
And it's the thousands of visitors to the cave who put their money into the coffers of other businesses, Suresh Patel, chairman of the Dannevirke Chamber of Commerce, said.
"The Cave Dwellers have given 25 years of fantastic service to our community, but I don't think we realise what the Fantasy Cave contributes and the spin-off for businesses."
Alan Benbow, of the former Dannevirke Enterprise Trust, which supported the cave in its early years, said one word epitomised the volunteers - initiative.
He said they showed initiative by picking up the idea of the Christmas Cave and now the Fantasy Cave was a tourist destination.
Ron Watts and Doug Scott helped out in the early days and both said the tourist attraction had put the town on the map.
"It's an achievement," Mr Watts said. "I'm pleased it's grown and lasted the distance."
With armloads of mannequins carried up Dannevirke's High St to the cave and plastic flagons which became a castle, the Cave Dwellers have always been ingenuous.
"You always knew you were going to have a good day when you pushed open the work room door to discover lots of laughter, the effect of the glue guns the women were using," Mrs Swenson said. "Our visitor numbers were in the thousands and during our town's midnight madness at Christmas, we had 600 people through the cave in a three-hour period." "
By the numbers
• The Fantasy Cave is credited with injecting more than $1 million into town's economy.
• In the past three years, numbers have remained consistent at 10,000.
• The cave opened in 1989 and, since 2002, more than 180,000 have visited.
• The Cave Dwellers were the winners of the inaugural Tararua Trustpower Community Volunteer awards but, recognising the high calibre of their entry, they were asked not to enter again - to give others a chance. Instead, Trustpower gives the Fantasy Cave a $500 cheque every year.
