When the Rotorua Museum closed because of earthquake damage, officials expected the building to be reopened in a week or two.
But one year on, its doors remain closed and its fate unknown.
The category 1 heritage building, which is more than 100 years old, was closed without warning on November 18 last year after cracks appeared in parts of the building following the 7.8-magnitude earthquake that struck the South Island four days earlier.
The damage was limited to the historical, central part of the building and included cracking and movement in walls, ceilings, floor slabs, beams and columns.
At the time, Rotorua Lakes Council arts and culture director Stewart Brown said the closure was just a precaution and they were "erring on the side of caution to ensure the safety of our staff and public isn't put at risk".
Less than a week later, Brown said the museum would be closed for at least another week.
By December 2 it was revealed Rotorua's most recognisable building would be closed indefinitely and about 20 jobs would be lost.
Earlier this year the Detailed Seismic Assessment of the building showed it fell well below earthquake safety standards, with most of the building being assessed at 15 per cent of the National Building Standard. Buildings that are at 33 per cent or below are considered earthquake-vulnerable.
Assessment by engineers showed repairs were needed to the roof and there was substantial timber and joint deterioration.
It was also noted the internal pumice walls, which have no steel reinforcement, would be "seriously compromised by certain movement".
Last month, four options were revealed for the repair of the building, though it will not be known how much each option will cost until at least January.
The four options include a range of repair methods from the complete deconstruction of the museum's north wing to replacing the building's heavy roof or installation of steel frame structures within the unreinforced walls.
Option four was the preferred course of action at the time the options were revealed, which included replacing the old, heavy roof with one that is about one-fifth of the weight.
In response to questions from the Rotorua Daily Post, Brown said many permanent exhibition items remained in the museum's south wing, which was above the earthquake safety threshold.
"About 100 items are now in storage, having been removed from other parts of the building. This includes items from the permanent Taking the Cure exhibition, which was based in the north wing, and the 10 marble Summers sculptures which had been in the museum for more than 100 years.
"What happens with these artworks in the long term will depend on decisions made regarding the museum."
He said it was not possible to say how much revenue had been lost as a result of the museum's closure, but revenue had averaged about $2.1 million annually since 2014.
"We're looking for ways to generate some revenue and one of our most popular previous exhibitions, AEIOU, has been prepared as a touring exhibition. Revenue from that will contribute to future exhibitions."
Brown said the museum team had hosted 48 events, exhibitions, tours and educational programmes attended by more than 34,000 people in the past 12 months.
"Our volunteers have been fantastic, taking free daily tours through the Government Gardens which about 3000 people have enjoyed to date and these continue, weather dependent, starting outside the museum at 11am and 2pm daily.
"We continue to provide educational programmes, which more than 7570 students from around the country have attended during the past year. More than 60 per cent of those students are locals."
Rotorua mayor Steve Chadwick said patience was needed to ensure the building's repair was done properly.
"We all love our museum and it's sad to see her closed but because of the complexity of this historic building, we need to take the time to do everything properly. We need to take a long-term view and we need to remain patient to allow the experts to do the work that will support our decisions.
"I remain very confident all the right steps are being taken so that we can make the right decision for our community."
For more than two decades resident Ann Somerville guided people through the museum.
She said she "felt the museum's closure more keenly" than she did when it first closed.
"It's been a grieving process. At first we thought it would reopen in a couple of weeks but then months went by and there was the slow realisation that this will not be an easy fix.
"I very much feel the loss of it. Volunteering at St Faith's I meet a lot of the kind of people who would visit the museum and they are really disappointed by its closure."
In the past 12 months the museum has had a spattering of one and two star reviews on TripAdvisor, with international visitors saying they were not aware the museum had closed.
But Destination Rotorua chief executive Michelle Templer did not believe the museum's closure had much impact on Rotorua's visitor numbers.
"We are extremely fortunate that Rotorua has so many other quality experiences for holidaymakers to enjoy.
"The Rotorua Museum is an iconic building and one of the most photographed in New Zealand. Even though it is not currently open for visits, it is great to see so many of our visitors still take advantage of the 'beyond the walls' tours or admire the architecture and share photos of this building that means so much to the people of Rotorua."