Mayfair Theatre (Kaikoura)
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Address:
80 Esplanade Kaikoura 7300 or P O Box 209, Kaikoura 7340 Contact Person: John Wyatt or Jaydin Shingleton Email: [email protected] Phone: 03 424 9272 (Mayfair), 02102983950 (John W) Website: www.themayfair.org.nz |
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Details
Capacity: 129 seats; 95 in main auditorium, 34 in small auditorium
Screen: DCP (from Nov 2013) + 3D. Good sight lines
Sound: excellent sound system
Seating: new seating installed in 2020; comfortable and (slight) reclining.
Snackbar: Liquor licence for special occasions
Accessibility: fully accessible from street level, with internal lift to upstairs (for the great views!)
Capacity: 129 seats; 95 in main auditorium, 34 in small auditorium
Screen: DCP (from Nov 2013) + 3D. Good sight lines
Sound: excellent sound system
Seating: new seating installed in 2020; comfortable and (slight) reclining.
Snackbar: Liquor licence for special occasions
Accessibility: fully accessible from street level, with internal lift to upstairs (for the great views!)
4 It has Geoff's Review
A long-established, art deco-style cinema which has graced the sea-frontage Esplanade in the coastal fishing/tourist town of Kaikoura since 1934.
It was purchased by the Kaikoura community in 1984 and in the ensuing decades it has been run by a small management team, supported by a committee. Community efforts also enabled a switch to digital in 2013.
The Mayfair serves the local population of 4,000 but 10,000 people passed through its doors in 2014 and 7,000 in the first half of 2015, suggesting that it is also an attraction for tourists who flock to town for the stunning scenery, and nautical adventures such as whale-watching.
The film programme alternates between mainstream fare and art house titles.
I was pleased to be able to tour this cinema in June 2015 as it has featured on the front page of this site since it began. You can't miss the Mayfair as you drive along the foreshore of Kaikoura, with its very distinctive pink and black decor, and you shouldn't. It certainly has one of the best views in the world.
2017 UPDATE: The Mayfair suffered badly in the most recent earthquake to strike the South Island but plans are underway to re-open this lovely little cinema. http://www.stuff.co.nz/marlborough-express/92360581/scottish-celebration-to-launch-fundraising-for-mayfair-theatre-revamp. In the meantime, screenings take place, on a regular basis, at Cafe Encounter in Kaikoura township.
Watch out for the full details on the Mayfair Theatre Facebook page or at http://www.mayfairkaikoura.co.nz/
2019 UPDATE : we visited Kaikoura on December, en route to a South Island tour of cinemas. There is progress on returning the Mayfair to life: the day we visited, the framing for the external walls was being lifted into place. See the Blog here for photos.
2020 UPDATE; the Mayfair Theatre, incorporated into a grand new cultural centre, re-opened on November 19, 2020 (see Blog)
2021 UPDATE: I was taken on a tour of the resurrected/refurbished/re-imagined Mayfair on July 20 by John and Sandra Wyatt. It was gratifying to see that their dedication to this place has been recognised through the J+S Wyatt Exhibition Suite, which has added another dimension to the building. Two well-designed screens (a 95 seat auditorium, with two wheelchair spaces + a 34 seat auditorium, with curved screen) now occupy the space where there was once a rather time-worn single screen--before the earthquake destroyed all but the facade and a digital projector.
The full name of The Mayfair Arts & Culture Centre-Te Whare Toi o Kaikoura (The Mayfair for short) indicates the multi-dimensional uses of the new building, encompassing foyer, new sound, lighting and projection systems, a live performance stage, two cinemas and art/meeting space. It has recently won a number of architectural awards.
Future plans include a cafe space, with liquor licence. Despite all the dramatic changes, the old pink and black facade remains, with a new balcony ensuring that this remains the cinema with one of the best views in the world.
The NZ Lottery Grants Board was a major funder of the new Mayfair but it was also a community affair. The local Kaikoura Community OpShop, for example, raised $200,000 for the re-build.
A long-established, art deco-style cinema which has graced the sea-frontage Esplanade in the coastal fishing/tourist town of Kaikoura since 1934.
It was purchased by the Kaikoura community in 1984 and in the ensuing decades it has been run by a small management team, supported by a committee. Community efforts also enabled a switch to digital in 2013.
The Mayfair serves the local population of 4,000 but 10,000 people passed through its doors in 2014 and 7,000 in the first half of 2015, suggesting that it is also an attraction for tourists who flock to town for the stunning scenery, and nautical adventures such as whale-watching.
The film programme alternates between mainstream fare and art house titles.
I was pleased to be able to tour this cinema in June 2015 as it has featured on the front page of this site since it began. You can't miss the Mayfair as you drive along the foreshore of Kaikoura, with its very distinctive pink and black decor, and you shouldn't. It certainly has one of the best views in the world.
2017 UPDATE: The Mayfair suffered badly in the most recent earthquake to strike the South Island but plans are underway to re-open this lovely little cinema. http://www.stuff.co.nz/marlborough-express/92360581/scottish-celebration-to-launch-fundraising-for-mayfair-theatre-revamp. In the meantime, screenings take place, on a regular basis, at Cafe Encounter in Kaikoura township.
Watch out for the full details on the Mayfair Theatre Facebook page or at http://www.mayfairkaikoura.co.nz/
2019 UPDATE : we visited Kaikoura on December, en route to a South Island tour of cinemas. There is progress on returning the Mayfair to life: the day we visited, the framing for the external walls was being lifted into place. See the Blog here for photos.
2020 UPDATE; the Mayfair Theatre, incorporated into a grand new cultural centre, re-opened on November 19, 2020 (see Blog)
2021 UPDATE: I was taken on a tour of the resurrected/refurbished/re-imagined Mayfair on July 20 by John and Sandra Wyatt. It was gratifying to see that their dedication to this place has been recognised through the J+S Wyatt Exhibition Suite, which has added another dimension to the building. Two well-designed screens (a 95 seat auditorium, with two wheelchair spaces + a 34 seat auditorium, with curved screen) now occupy the space where there was once a rather time-worn single screen--before the earthquake destroyed all but the facade and a digital projector.
The full name of The Mayfair Arts & Culture Centre-Te Whare Toi o Kaikoura (The Mayfair for short) indicates the multi-dimensional uses of the new building, encompassing foyer, new sound, lighting and projection systems, a live performance stage, two cinemas and art/meeting space. It has recently won a number of architectural awards.
Future plans include a cafe space, with liquor licence. Despite all the dramatic changes, the old pink and black facade remains, with a new balcony ensuring that this remains the cinema with one of the best views in the world.
The NZ Lottery Grants Board was a major funder of the new Mayfair but it was also a community affair. The local Kaikoura Community OpShop, for example, raised $200,000 for the re-build.