PremiumJoanna WaneSenior Feature Writer Lifestyle Premium·Canvas·30 May, 2026 08:00 PM7 mins to read‌Matt Gregory has headed the Mercury Theatre's $24 million restoration project since it began in 2017. Photo / Michael Craig

Ghosts of the past are hidden in the rubble of Auckland’s oldest surviving theatre.Deep in the bowels of the Mercury Theatre, a secret underground tunnel runs below the stage.

Off to one side, tucked discreetly into the wooden foundations, sits a small box draped in midnight-blue velvet and