A village with heart
You'll find old-world appeal in this vintage-inspired shopping and community complex, with its unique cobblestone streets and charming historic buildings.
You'll find old-world appeal in this vintage-inspired shopping and community complex, with its unique cobblestone streets and charming historic buildings.
Words Sue Hoffart Photos Jess Lowcher + Salina Galvan
Extraordinary moments happen remarkably often beyond the steel gates that separate The Historic Village from ordinary Tauranga life.
Children with disabilities discover their voices on stage at Detour Theatre, while men wielding hand tools address mental health issues inside the Men’s Shed workshop. At the resident chapel, marriages are conducted beside woven tukutuku panels that previously stood in an old Matapihi church. After dark, artistic careers are launched at gallery openings and new musical talent is discovered at lively gigs.
And every day, people in need receive practical help, counselling, mentoring or even a new job thanks to the myriad of social service organisations that operate from the Village.
Village manager Blair Graham and his team manage the 5.5ha Tauranga City Council-run property, with its sweeping lawns and tracts of native bush, boutique shops and character buildings.
Jewel in the crown
Eight years into the job, Blair’s main focus is looking after the resident community groups and retailers who help to attract more than 200,000 visitors each year.
“This village has heart. It’s a jewel in the crown of the Te Papa peninsula,” he says, describing the way vibrant cultural festivals and corporate events unfold alongside everyday kindnesses. At the recently revitalised Village Cinema, (activated by The Incubator), for example, Sonic Cinema run a relaxed cinema experience for all ages where the cinema is adapted to the audience's sensory requirements and comfort.
The cinema, which can be transformed into a cocktail venue or lecture theatre for corporate groups, is one of five indoor function offerings on site. The Village Hall, which was renovated late last year, is a cathedral-like space with purpose-built lighting and sound systems.
“The thing about hiring a Village venue is that it ticks the corporate social responsibility box because it helps fund all the innovation and collaboration and good things that happen here.
“We host a lot of weddings here, too, partly because our 60-seat chapel has all the charm of a small country church. In fact, my brother was married there 22 years ago and I was best man.”
Sometimes, bridal parties choose to wed in the adjacent amphitheatre, amid tranquil native bush, perhaps with a Whipped Baker cake made onsite and old-fashioned lawn games afterwards.
Festive spirit
Other visitors come seeking entertainment and international cuisine at the city’s annual multicultural festival or the Diwali festival, with its lanterns and incense, swirling saris and spicy food.
During the day, people attend appointments or hui, conduct business or browse the boutique shops that sell everything from vinyl records to vintage or designer-made clothing, gemstones, lead lighting and art. In the evenings, dance lessons and upholstery classes kick off. The weekend crowd is different again as families, cyclists and joggers step off the neighbouring Kopurererua Valley walkway for coffee and treats.
“Early on, we discovered Pokémon geocache players were coming here at night to play the online game.”
Blair’s domain is also part of the city’s wellbeing precinct, with Tauranga Hospital, St John and the TECT Rescue Helicopter service all housed a few minutes’ walk away. Time and again, the centre manager has seen families of people dealing with serious health issues find their way from the hospital to the Village for scones and tea and solace.
“There’s a slower pace of life here. The sun streams into the cobbled streets and it’s a little bit like stepping back in time. It calms people
Baked with love
Baby Albert Cooper was six months old when his mother Fran almost died of meningitis.
The mother of five and Whipped Baker proprietor – Fran co-owns The Historic Village bakery with husband and fellow baker Aaron – has never forgotten the people who saved her life. That’s why any café leftovers go straight to nearby hospital emergency department staff or ambulance officers across the road.
However, leftovers can be tough to find at the incredibly popular eatery, which specialises in “really luscious, sumptuous food that people can’t help but dive into.”
On the day the café launched in 2015, the husband and wife team employed a single barista. That first morning, the customer queue stretched out the door and down the street. Now, the seven-day-a-week business employs 18 extra staff, offers catering services and still struggles to meet demand. Aaron and Fran still frequently start work between 2.30am and 3.30am and all their children help in the business.
“We’ve always been known for our doughnuts and custard slice. We’re very old-school bakers, not people who like fancy food and stuff you can’t pronounce. It’s just good, wholesome, fresh-baked food. Everything is made 100 percent from scratch.”
Fran and most of her family are lactose-intolerant, which means they cannot consume much of the food they produce.
“I can’t eat it myself, but I just like feeding other people. I bake to make people happy.
“And being part of the Village is like being part of one big family. I feel like we’re the village kitchen. I love the atmosphere, love the people. It’s like going home every day.”
Cult cinema club
For many, winter is a time to hunker down, but those dark evenings are a great opportunity to get out and fill your brain with a bit of culture
WORDS TALIA WALDEGRAVE PHOTOS SALINA GALVAN
For many, winter is a time to hunker down, but those dark evenings are a great opportunity to get out and fill your brain with a bit of culture.
Each time I visit the Historic Village, exciting things are happening, and in this chapter on Tauranga’s sweet slice of history, I explore the evening offerings available over the cooler months.
The Village Cinema plays host to Tauranga’s newest club for film buffs: Cult Cinema, run by event organisers Kimberley Cleland and Melanie Mills. The girls met while working on ‘Night Owl Cinema’ - the New Zealand interpretation of the All American Drive Thru.
MM. “Most of our events slow down after summer, so we wanted to offer an alternative over autumn and winter. That’s where the idea for Cult came from.”
KC. “Once we had a project, we needed a venue. Mel asked if I’d seen the cinema in the Historic Village and it was so coincidental, because I’d actually just held an event there.”
The first time I saw the Village Cinema, I was told it was destined for greatness, but I wasn’t so sure. Pre-refurbishment, the interior was all shades purple and looking a little worse for wear. On my recent return, I was blown away. The Art Deco makeover has injected it with life and I felt I’d stepped into the glamorously attractive bygone era of the 1920's.
MM. “I happened to be working on a different project, when I spotted the cinema. I’d literally walked past a million times and never noticed it! It was completely under utilised.”
For Cult Cinema, the girls have created a complete cinematic experience, including an outdoor area to enjoy drinks and movie snacks before each showing.
KC. "It was a deliberate choice to provide people with an alfresco dining experience. During the day, you hardly notice the trees, but at night they light up, and the cobbled streets have you feeling as if you're in a little European alleyway.”
MM. "We've got a heater and a little restaurant bar, that was actually handmade for us by our coffee supplier and we often invites a food trucks to come along. We serve as much locally as we can - you can have a hot chocolate and a cookie, or wrap your mittened fingers around a lovely glass of beer, wine or cider."
MM. “We both come from hospitality backgrounds and just love having that interaction with our guests from behind the bar.”
As for the films, it’s all about the classics.
MM. “The reaction we get is the best part. It evokes so many emotions from people and it’s lovely to see them come back and say how wonderful it was.”
KC. “When we played Easy Rider, my father in law told me how revolutionary that movie was for his time. He was so excited about seeing it and that kind of input is always encouraging.”
ALSO ON…
The Detour Theatre is a one-stop shop for all things theatrical. From drama classes to performing, or simply getting involved behind the scenes, it’s a place where the magic happens.
If you find the family suffering from cabin fever and need to escape the four walls of home, a walk through the gardens and surrounding bush, a pit stop at the café, get involved in an art class or a shop for gifts and souvenirs – there’s plenty to do. Check out the Historic Village website for all the need to know.
For long time locals, the Historic Village spurs certain nostalgia, one that some are scared they’ve lost, but it is absolutely worth rediscovering what goes on there today.
The Incubator
“In 2013, a few of us artists wanted studios, get out of our homes, and be in a space with other artists, and possibly exhibit our work. There was nowhere really in Tauranga for artists and musicians to be together.”
WORDS TALIA WALDEGRAVE PHOTOS TRACIE HEASMAN
After writing about The Men’s Shed in the summer UNO, I convinced my editor to let me go back to The Historic Village, as there’s just so much going on. Last time I came, my interest was piqued by the big red barn of The Incubator.
Simone Anderson gives me a guided tour and explains the role of The Incubator in Tauranga.
“In 2013, a few of us artists wanted studios, get out of our homes, and be in a space with other artists, and possibly exhibit our work. There was nowhere really in Tauranga for artists and musicians to be together.
“We found this brilliant space at The Historic Village, and started looking around at filling the gaps culturally by offering adult art classes, putting on exhibitions and events.
When The Incubator opened in 2013, Simone and the team decided to have an exhibition. “We wanted it to be amazing, and for everyone to feel part of it, even if we thought we might not sell anything! The audience became the art too. We called it The Midnight Circus, and everyone came in costume. We had trapezists, fire eaters, all sorts! We wanted people to really feel enriched by it, that what we had done was worthwhile.”
“The speed with which The Incubator has grown has been completely unforeseen. The growth has been reactionary to the hunger. There was no common denominator for art in our city, just lots of fracture. The Incubator is a platform where that creativity can take place.
“We run lots of projects, supported by a collective made up of our resident artists, and a wider group of creative people who support our philosophy who volunteer a wide range of skills; graphic designers, writers, craftspeople, and theyall collaborate on our projects.”
A Grim Tale
To explain the kinds of projects they undertake, Simone hands me a copy of A Grim Tale. This beautiful book was a collaboration with The Women’s Refuge, putting together survivors of physical abuse, writers and artists. Putting such beauty behind such a taboo subject is such an innovative way to tell a story and just highlights how creatively The Incubator team likes to think.
Other collaborations around the city have The Incubator stamped all over them and one in particular is the colourful pianos we featured in the Peter Williams issue last year. “We were asked to paint one piano, we said we’d do three and we ended up doing eleven.”
A new exhibition space has just gone in and as Simone explains, it’s for emerging artists looking to showcase their work. “It is incredibly difficult to get your work into a gallery, so we wanted to provide something that catered for that.”
Behind the exhibition space are the studios of the resident artists. Wandering between them is like being in an underground cave and each one is completely unique; paintbrushes, tools and inspirational musings are crammed in like organised clutter.
The Artery
Simone leads me into the Artery, the recently acquired building next door that they use for art classes.
“When the government axed night classes in schools, people no longer had anywhere to go. We saw a huge gap to fill that creative space. These are bite sized, achievable classes, often run by our resident artists and the connect people in a social way as well as a creative way. It takes them out of isolation. Most people walk away with connections, having made new friends.”
The classes range from one day to six weeks, and cover printing, painting, ceramics and more. Classes are always changing and information is kept up to date on The Incubator website.
Time to Visit
“The Village comes alive every second Sunday and we wheel out our stage and local musicians perform. It astounds me that aside from the bar and pub scene, there’s nowhere for musicians to meet, so this is another way for us to provide that opportunity.”
Once again I walk away feeling inspired and it’s wonderful to see this space that Simone’s team have created for artists to collaborate.
“It’s not just about the Incubator as a place, it’s what we want to achieve. We want everybody to up the value of arts within the community. Art is not about retail or income, it’s about a way of life.”