Century of Christmas spirit
Christmas has come early for a much-loved Santa cave in Palmerston North, with a cash injection of $100,000 put into a restoration that celebrates a century of Christmas spirit.
Santa’s Cave opens tomorrow, with new backdrops of original photographs of the Collinson and Cunninghame’s store where the cave was first displayed in 1918 as a pick-me-up after World War I.
The displays have all had an overhaul and the carousel, which engineer Bernard Linsley said was always a crowd favourite, would be up and running after a $20,000 donation from Margot Thompson. Thompson is a greatniece of Collinson and Cunninghame founder Leo Collinson, and has dedicated the gift in memory of her grandmother Doris Dixon. Linsley said it would be wonderful to see children enjoying it again.
‘‘It’s really cool because this has been idle for two years and to get it all certified now is great. I can’t wait to get people in and to see the reactions.’’
The rest of the refurbishment was funded by grants.
Linsley said he was proud to say all of the work was carried out by local businesses.
‘‘We started off with a blank canvas, got busy with researching and then decided where to go with the people that we have here. It’s been a great, fun project.’’
The refurbished Santa’s Cave carries a strong theme of how it was originally portrayed in the Collinson and Cunninghame store, with items from the store being brought out of Te Manawa’s stored-away collection.
The train is another display, harking back to the early 1900s, which has had a facelift.
‘‘We have opened up the railway that was all closed in. Smoke comes out the chimney now.
People can blow the whistle. The whole thing is interactive and digitised, and people can stop at the train at the station, open the carriage doors and hear people talking. It’s really neat.’’