The Hilly
The Hillcrest Tavern was once a great venue for live bands. Their support for local music was shown in 1993, when they offered $1000 in prize money to initiate the first Contact 89FM Battle of the Bands. It was also the venue for the inaugural Band Experiments in 2000. Many touring acts also played here, typically supported by local bands.
Through the 1980's the pub was known as The Tavern Hillcrest, but to students at the time it was more commonly referred to as H-Block - a block the University of Waikato has had on its building plans since its inception (between G-and I-blocks), but still lacks in 2006. Around the early 1990's the bar changed its name to The Hillcrest Tavern. By this time the term H-Block had largely faded from the student vocabulary, being replaced by The Hilly. By the mid-to late-1990's The Hillcrest had become less popular with the student population, who began to migrate into the city. Factors contributing to its demise included the university outgrowing the size of the bar, and a closing time of 11pm enforced by being located in a residential area. The Hillcrest (or whichever name you remember it by) was destroyed in 2006 to build a shopping complex.
