“There’s nothing to do in Taupō on a rainy day”. It’s a common misconception that Deiryn
Wallace is keen to debunk. Deiryn is the owner of Taupō’s Confinement Escape Rooms, one
of Taupō’s newest adventure attractions which opened in April. The themed escape rooms
are interactive games where players solve a series of clues in a room to ‘escape’ within 60
minutes.
“I decided to move back to Taupō after a few years working in Auckland, and I realised there
was a huge gap in the market for indoor rainy-day activities” says Deiryn. “There are lots of
things to do in our district when the sun is shining, but many of these activities are
dependent on the weather” she says.
Confinement Escape Rooms NZ is a family-owned business, with a branch in Hamilton which
opened in 2016. "The Hamilton branch have had huge success. They are more than just an escape room and offer events, scavenger hunts and take-home games. When I moved home to Taupō, Confinement NZ offered me the opportunity to open a branch here. I was quite
nervous about starting my own business, but the process has been amazing, and everyone
has been incredibly supportive” says 26 year-old Deiryn.
Hand-delivering flyers to Taupō businesses and joining business networks has helped
increase awareness of the new business. “We’ve recently hosted a Women in Business
group and the Taupō Chamber of Commerce First 15, which was a great way for us to
promote the escape rooms. We also connect with the local community over social media
and respond to any reviews we receive online. It takes time for someone to post a review,
and we want to show our appreciation. Word of mouth is so important for a business like
ours” she says.
Amplify, Taupō’s economic development agency, have helped Deiryn work through a plan to
grow the business. “The support from Amplify has been so useful. They have helped me
connect with other businesses and given me some good ideas on what to do next. It’s a
great service” she says.
Deiryn’s top tip for those interested in starting a new business is to just dive in and give it a
go. “If you’ve got a great idea that you’re passionate about, and you’ve done the research,
then just take the risk and see what happens! I never thought I would own a business, but
I’m loving it. It’s such good fun” she says.