Dome Cinema

Ask any local where to go for a one-of-a-kind experience in Gisborne, and chances are their answer will lead you through the doors of the historic Poverty Bay Club building. Dome Cinema is the sort of place you simply have to experience for yourself to fully understand the spell it casts on each of its visitors – but we’ll do our best to set the scene for you.

In simple terms, this is a cinema and music venue with a full bar, tapas and pizza offering. But as soon as you step inside, one thing is clear: we’re not in Kansas anymore. Sultry and low-lit, the bar and dining space has an old-world elegance with quirky pockets blended into the setting. The walls are covered in a collection of glamorous portraits of empowered women, with projectors casting moving images onto various corners of the room. A single red rose features on each table, velvet textures dominate, tasselled lampshades flirt with their neighbours and a mirrorball casts dancing light everywhere. It’s fun, romantic and utterly enchanting.

The venue was established in the late noughties by Sally Shanks who still runs it today with as much infectious energy as day one. When Sally first stumbled across the empty space, she knew it was shockingly underutilised, but it wasn’t until she noticed the lack of windows that everything clicked. The room was destined to be a theatre – and she would be the one to make it so. Set under a ceiling of three breathtaking stainglassed domes with comfy beanbags scattered across the red carpet, today the room hosts a programme of new blockbusters, nostalgic classics, arthouse films and documentaries, as well as regular live music shows.

Hospitality plays a huge role in every movie session here, with Sally and her team showing each guest to their assigned beanbag, complete with a cosy blanket to wrap up in. At intermission, servers walk through the door delivering pre-ordered pizzas, fries or sweet treats to the small round wooden tables next to each possie. Delicious tapas and an extensive cocktail menu can also be enjoyed in the dining room or beautiful garden area (no movie ticket needed).

Locals will readily tell you that life in Gisborne would be wildly different without this cinematic experience. You know what they say… There’s no place like Dome.