<strong>The</strong> <strong>Star</strong> Thursday <strong>September</strong> 9 <strong>2021</strong> 14 NEWS Former pub to open as art studio • By Susan Sandys THE FORMER Hororata Hotel will open to customers once again. Once iconic for its pies and being a landmark pub, the building is now home to pottery tutor Frank Hakkaart and fiance Sarah Handley. <strong>The</strong>y have named it <strong>The</strong> Artist’s In, with the spelling of “In” intentional, as they don’t want people to think it is still a hotel. Rather, it will be a potter’s studio and art gallery, selling the work of Hakkaart and fellow Selwyn artists. <strong>The</strong> old pub was damaged in the <strong>September</strong> 4, 2010, earthquake and has not operated as a hotel since. Hakkaart and Handley bought the building about 10 months ago. <strong>The</strong>y are undertaking long-term renovations, and expect to open the gallery later this year. Hakkaart said they were looking forward to opening, although ironically have had to turn some people away. “<strong>The</strong> number of times we have had people turning up at the door, they are wanting a beer or wanting to use the TAB or whatever. We are having to say: ‘It’s been 10 years mate’.” • By Maddisyn Jeffares STICKING TO a routine is recommended in lockdown, even for penguins. Keepers at the International Antarctic Centre have been playing radio music for the centre’s little blue penguins to keep them attuned to what would normally be noisy surrounds. <strong>The</strong> birds, which are one of the centre’s main attractions, are used to the sound of large crowds, especially during their feeding time. Before this latest lockdown, the penguins saw hundreds of visitors a day, but now see fewer than four – their three keepers and a maintenance worker _ so staff have resorted to music to make up for the absence of crowds. Antarctic Centre general manager Todd Schmidt said a rotating roster of three keepers continued to work on site to care for the 17 birds, all of which are rescue penguins with injuries or disabilities that mean they could not survive in the wild. “<strong>The</strong>y require hands-on care,” he said, and keepers had a special bond with them. “<strong>The</strong> penguins are everything to the penguin keepers.” <strong>The</strong> centre’s attractions also include huskies, which are contracted in from Southern Huskies NZ. Southern Huskies owner Joe Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz Little blue penguins beating lockdown blues CARE: <strong>The</strong> International Antarctic Centre’s little blue penguins have the radio to listen to in the absence of visitors. <strong>The</strong> huskies are exercised twice a day. Murray said the three adult huskies (and a pup in training) have been locked down with him off-site, and were “itching to get out and see people”. Murray has been using a dry sled or rig to exercise the huskies and keeps them fit with five to 10km runs morning and night. He said the dry sledding also helped to build and maintain the huskies’ unity as a working team. “<strong>The</strong> dogs love putting their harness on knowing it’s time to work.” <strong>The</strong> centre had tweaked its attractions last year in response to the Covid-19 pandemic’s border closures, re-orienting itself to local visitors. Schmidt said centre staff had been “blown away” by the following increase in visitor numbers. Before the latest lockdown, the centre averaged about 100 visitors a day on weekdays, up to 300 on weekends, and in the last school holidays had more than 500 visitors a day. “This lockdown may be a bit of a momentum killer, so we hope that comes back,” he said. It would likely take a while to regenerate those numbers again, “but right now we are staying positive”. <strong>The</strong> centre has received $180,000 from the Department of Conservation’s Wildlife Institutions Relief Fund, a fund set up to provide short-term support for wildlife institutions heavily impacted by the Covid-19 response. THE BEST THING SINCE SLICED BREAD. For first home buyers only :) Includes: • 1.99% p.a. fixed for 1 year • $2,000 Cash boost • $1,000 towards House & Contents Insurance with SBS Insurance • $1,000 for your Lifestages KiwiSaver * • SBS Visa Credit Card with up to $2,000 interest free for 24 months ** 0800 727 2265 sbsbank.co.nz/firsthome-combo Advertised interest rate applies to existing homes only (no new builds) and is subject to change. First Home Loan and Residential lending and eligibility criteria, minimum equity, terms and conditions and credit fees and charges apply, including a 1% HNZC premium fee for First Home Loans. 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Thursday <strong>September</strong> 9 <strong>2021</strong> <strong>The</strong> <strong>Star</strong> 15
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