After months of intensive work on the foundations of Rotorua's iconic Bath House building, the popular mud bath basement has re-opened to the public.
Rotorua Museum of Art and History Sales and Marketing manager Jo Doherty said people visiting the museum may have noticed the dramatic changes to the south wingextension of the museum during the past six months.
"It has been transformed from a muddy hole in the ground to a seemingly completed building, but there's still a long way to go," she said.
Internal construction work will continue until April, and the building will then be handed back to the museum for the installation of exhibitions and taonga (treasures), in time for its official opening in August.
"Whilst all this very visible work has been going on, a small team from Grouting Services has been beavering away, strengthening the foundations so the Bath House building will still be standing another 100 years from now," Ms Doherty said.
During the last few months, 184 tonnes (7400 bags) of cement have been pumped into 500 holes drilled into the ground beneath the museum.
Other exhibitions on this Christmas at the Rotorua Museum are Use and Beauty, a ceramic collection by Stan Jenkins featuring works by Mirek Smisek, Peter Stitchbury and Len Castle. Cascades, curated by Barry Dabb, features art works by William Hodges, Colin McCahon, Mark Adams and Christine Hellyar. Entry is free for Rotorua residents.
