Swamp Palace/Oruru Community Cinema (Peria)
CLOSED
Details
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Capacity:
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Seating:
Snackbar:
Accessibility:
Geoff's Review
The Swamp Palace/Oruru Community Cinema in the Oruru Hall on Oruru Road in rural Northland sits dark and unused in October 2011, except for a bric-sa-brac store operating out of the front room and an occasional live music performance. But because it still features on AA maps for the region, some may be drawn to venture the eight kilometres down a country road, to see why there should be a cinema seemingly in the middle of nowhere. Over the period of 1996-2009, the Swamp Palace flourished as a film venue, under the guidance of impresario Richard Weatherly, who ran everything. There was a short-lived but unsuccessful attempt to revive the cinema late in 2009 and its future looks very uncertain (even though the hall continues to serves other community roles).
But it is still worth a trip if you are visiting the beach attractions of Doubtless Bay, to see a place where going to the cinema in a fairly remote location was a reality for thirteen years–as well as taking a look at the hall, which has a long and interesting history.
The Swamp Palace/Oruru Community Cinema in the Oruru Hall on Oruru Road in rural Northland sits dark and unused in October 2011, except for a bric-sa-brac store operating out of the front room and an occasional live music performance. But because it still features on AA maps for the region, some may be drawn to venture the eight kilometres down a country road, to see why there should be a cinema seemingly in the middle of nowhere. Over the period of 1996-2009, the Swamp Palace flourished as a film venue, under the guidance of impresario Richard Weatherly, who ran everything. There was a short-lived but unsuccessful attempt to revive the cinema late in 2009 and its future looks very uncertain (even though the hall continues to serves other community roles).
But it is still worth a trip if you are visiting the beach attractions of Doubtless Bay, to see a place where going to the cinema in a fairly remote location was a reality for thirteen years–as well as taking a look at the hall, which has a long and interesting history.