15/11/2025
🎬 A wonderful morning out!
Fifteen of us from the MOTAT Society spent the morning exploring The Vic Cinema in Devonport — and what an absolute delight it was.
Huge thanks to Margot McRae, QSM from the Victoria Theatre Trust for the warm welcome and a wonderfully detailed tour.
🕰️ Built in 1912, The Vic is Aotearoa’s oldest purpose-built cinema — and one of the earliest in the Southern Hemisphere still operating in its original role. It has seen several major renovations over the decades: 1929, 1989, and again in the mid-2000s.
🎭 Originally a single, grand 1000-seat auditorium, today The Vic operates as four beautifully restored cinemas, each still carrying traces of its long and fascinating history.
Some highlights from the visit:
✨ The beautifully restored mataī wood on the stage.
🌿 The recreated Kerridge-Odeon fern-pattern Bremworth carpet, capturing the mid-century charm perfectly.
🏛️ The layers of architectural and social history embedded throughout the building.
🎥 Our tour concluded with a short but spectacular new documentary (2025) about The Vic and its many iterations — the perfect way to see its past and present come together on screen.
📍 If you haven’t visited The Vic, put it on your list — it’s a living piece of Aotearoa’s film and architectural heritage.
