Museum lights set to shine

The switch will be officially flicked on the lighting upgrade to the Rotorua Museum's exterior tomorrow evening. Photo/File

The switch will be officially flicked on the lighting upgrade to the Rotorua Museum's exterior tomorrow evening.

The long anticipated outdoor colour LED lighting upgrade has been completed, thanks to generous funding support from the Rotorua Museum Centennial Trust (RMCT), and will enable a vast array of lighting effects at the flick of a switch.

Similar to other iconic buildings like Auckland's Museum and Sky Tower, and international landmarks like the Eiffel Tower in Paris, Rotorua Museum will now be able to illuminate the Bath House building to mark significant occasions.

The lighting upgrade signals the final phase of the $22 million Centennial Project which began in 2006 with the museum's viewing platform, then in September 2011 with the completion of the Don Stafford wing.

"The floodlighting alone will be a tourist must see," said RMCT Chairman Lyall Thurston.

"Full marks to museum director Stewart Brown and his team for coordinating the massive installation and keeping everything on track."

The official 'flicking of the switch' will be undertaken by Rotorua MP Todd McClay sometime after 7pm tomorrow.

"Our Bath House building is one of the most photographed buildings in New Zealand, it's iconic and this new lighting is an initiative we can all be proud of. It's destined to blow Rotorua's socks off," said Mr Thurston.

"In terms of cost saving, RGB Colour Change LED's combine top of the line performance with energy efficiency, reduced installation and maintenance costs, so it's a win-win."

"The heritage status of the Bath House building also plays a part in all decisions we make. Ensuring the integrity of our building was not compromised was top of our priority list," said Mr Brown.