One of the great ironies of Hawera's honeymoon with the Predicament movie makers is that the town's only business to have adopted the Ron Morrieson name is not benefiting from the association.
Owners Tina-Marie and Adrian Kahupukoro put the Morrieson's Cafe and Bar lease on the market only a few months before the movie company arrived. After two tough years they are disillusioned and want out.
News of the movie being filmed in South Taranaki was viewed with relief by the owners of the Victoria St premises, which has the only exhibition of Morrieson artefacts.
But Mrs Kahupukoro says she is "quite disappointed that there is no obvious spinoff coming in the door.
"When they first arrived in town a few movie people came in, but I think more out of curiosity to see what was inside. Maybe they'd heard something.
"They are very busy people and I think they tend to patronise the bars and cafes closer to the production centre.
"Morrieson's might as well have a different name for all it's doing for us; it might even be the wrong name."
The couple did not buy it because of the name, more for its location and British pub-style decor and atmosphere.
"Although we have our regulars and curious out-of-towners, we don't really get the support from the locals and maybe they won't appreciate it until it's gone. Because that could easily happen if it sells."
She says she was heartened "by a wise old man telling me: `People always come back to what they know'.
"I don't want to come out as a negative person but being realistic, I don't think the locals give a rat's arse about the Morrieson thing," she said.
"And this is the only place you can see what's left of him."
She has her own predicament: "I've thought about changing the name and theme, but then I think maybe it does help bring people in. You can't easily measure it."
What's in there is essentially everything that was salvaged from the 1993 demolition of the Morrieson house at 1 Regent St (apart from the attic that was taken off by crane and relocated to retired builder Robert Surgenor's paddock): Doors, the staircase, the fireplace, the matched lining on the bar front, the bookshelves and books, and a hand-painted montage by Tim Chadwick.
There's also a Morrieson's author board for signatures, with a lot of empty space.
Round the walls are snaps of Ron, bits of his dance band sheet music (Heart of My Heart; Abba Dabba Honeymoon, Brush Those Tears), and big original paintings by local sign-writer Rongo Kira of the covers of Predicament and The Scarecrow.
"I think locals take what we've got for granted," Mrs Kahupukoro said.
"That's how we lost Morrieson's house to a KFC." Tough times for Morrieson's owners
By RICHARD WOODD - Taranaki
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