The grand reopening of the Temuka Courthouse Museum was held at the weekend.
Spokeswoman Heather Moss said the museum had been closed for over three years while it underwent earthquake strengthening and restoration — ‘‘the whole jolly lot’’.
Mrs Moss said the restoration cost more than $600,000, and would not have happened without a substantial donation from Ritchies Transport.
The transport company, which had been established in Temuka, had donated $100,000 towards the renovations.
Historically, the museum closed after King’s Birthday weekend as it was far too cold for the volunteers to work there through the winter months, however the committee was trying to source a quote for heating the building which could extend their season.
While there was wheelchair access to the building, the committee also wanted to reseal the pathways outside the museum to make it even more accessible.
Mrs Moss said as the small group of volunteers were mostly in their 70s and 80s, they hoped more volunteers would join them.
‘‘Many hands help,’’ she said.
With things like social media to keep updated she hoped some would be ‘‘tech savvy’’.
The committee was yet to establish what hours the museum would be open, but she said committee members could come down and open the building up for people or groups to wander through at their leisure.
