Suddenly the advertising for Foresters Hall ceased, and a new announcement appeared for the Plaza Rink which was to open shortly with a “silent floor”. No change of location for the Foresters Hall rink was advertised, so it is unclear as to whether the Plaza Rink was to be run by the same people but just in a new location. The Plaza Rink opened in late May and was offering three sessions daily. It took only a week before their prices were lowered and the sessions were dropped to twice daily. It can be assumed that the music is no longer provided by live bands, as their advertisements offer “good music” as opposed to a specific band name. There doesn’t seem to have been a carnival per se, but there was a “skating evening” which consisted of races of all kinds, including a wheelbarrow race.
The 1933 season started quietly. Sessions remained at two per day and the fees remained stagnant. For the first time in Masterton, however, a game of basketball on skates was on offer! As netball was known as women’s basketball until 1970, and some of the goal shooters were women (indicating mixed teams) it is highly likely that the game on offer was not basketball as we know it today. These games were played alongside fixtures of men’s hockey and appeared to have a good following as many of the matches were against a Petone team. By the start of July, basketball on wheels was becoming so popular that Masterton had enough players to fill two teams. Enquiries were made regarding organisation of the best Masterton hockey players to travel to Petone to compete. It appears as if that failed to materialise, as no further information was provided about the teams or skating in general, until a note in mid-November that the rink was closing for alterations and a change of management.
When the new rink was opened by Roy Hills, it was under the name of The Regent Skating Rink (Late Plaza). It appears that the idea of a winter-only skating season was over, as this was the first time a rink was open this late in the year, let alone opening for the first time. The new rink provided learner sessions two nights a week, three-night sessions, and promised a “splendid floor and excellent music”. A review was published reiterating those points and mentioned the bright decorations and appreciation of the improvements.
It was later announced that the rink would close on the 2nd of January and would remain shut for the following two months of upcoming hot weather. The grand reopening night was to be held on March 10th, 1934, just five nights after the violent 7.6 1934 Pahiatua Earthquake. Only Saturday nights were on offer to begin with, before learner lessons were added on to Thursday evenings.
After April got underway, more days were added to the schedule. Private bookings were on offer on Mondays, Thursdays were reserved for learners, and Wednesday and Saturday provided normal rink usage. In May, special sessions for children were added on Saturday afternoons. June saw the announcement of an upcoming grand carnival, promising to include costumes, games and novelties. The night must have proven a hit, as a further carnival was later advertised to take place in November – this time supplying supper to the patrons. Not much is heard from the rink for the rest of the year, including any sign of the usual summer shutdown. The town may have been distracted by the October Southern North Island High Winds, which wreaked havoc throughout Wairarapa with buildings damaged, floods and stock losses.
Although the rink reopened in 1935, there was no advertising after the initial opening announcement. The space was used for a furniture auction later in the year, but there were no newspaper entries regarding skating itself.