A $2000 photo wrap now hides the charred husk of the former Tekapo Tavern.
The charred husk of the Tekapo Tavern is no longer the first sight for visitors to the tourism hotspot. A $2000 wrap featuring photographs of the Takapō/Tekapo landscape, taken by photographer George Empson, has been installed around the devastated building, which has sat untouched in a prime location on State Highway 8 since being gutted by fire about 18 months ago. Mackenzie District mayor Graham Smith said he had been in touch with the building owner, Barak Investments, which aimed to lodge a consent application to demolish and rebuild the tavern by the end of the month.
They have been insulated, reinforced and refurbished to withstand Mackenzie’s harsh weather conditions. Waymouth expected they were expensive but has no idea of the actual cost. Two of the buildings are joined together for teaching and the third is a community, space library and kitchen. Meanwhile, work on the $380,000 pool project started in 2015 as the pool was considered too shallow. It was dug out and changing rooms refurbished as a well as a dual door linking it to the reserve next door for community use was added.
George Empson/Supplied
George Empson s image used in the school display. It was finished based on compliance. The pool is 15 metres by 5 metres and will be used by pupils and members of the community, Waymouth said.