"From the good and the great to the lowest of the low, she bridged a gap," says Georgina Beyer of transgender trailblazer, Carmen Rupe. Find out more in this episode of Eyewitness.

"From the good and the great to the lowest of the low, she bridged a gap," says Georgina Beyer of transgender trailblazer Carmen Rupe.

Carmen was born Trevor Tione Rupe in 1936 and grew up in the small North Island town of Taumarunui. She was one of a family of ten, and was brought up doing 'the kinds of chores a girl would do.'

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Carmen realised she was different when she was about eight-years-old, and explored her trans identity throughout her teens and early twenties, taking direct inspiration for her name from one of her idols, Spanish Romani dancer, Carmen Amaya - the first female flamenco dancer to do footwork largely reserved for male performers.

Also a keen flamenco and belly dancer, Carmen had a variety of jobs before she headed off to the bright lights of Sydney's cabaret circuit, and the infamous red-light district, King's Cross.

But on returning to New Zealand in the late sixties, Carmen was keen to add some spice to Wellington's nightlife scene. She set up a number of businesses including cafes, a brothel, a curio shop, and a nightclub.

One of her most popular businesses was Carmen's Coffee Lounge - a late-night international cafe, which ran from 6pm to 6am.

Georgina Beyer, New Zealand's first-ever transgender MP, arrived in Wellington when she 16-years-old and felt at home as a patron at Carmen's establishments.

"She had a beautiful spirit and a wairua and although she was this extraordinary person, she had this compassion for those who were down and out and underprivileged," says Beyer from her Wellington townhouse.

The Balcony on Victoria Street also attracted a steady stream of punters. It seated up to 400 people and focused on variety shows. There were striptease performances, drag queens and crossdressers, flamenco and comedy acts.

Busy round the clock, these were destination hotspots and Carmen made a concerted effort to employ people from the rainbow community at a time when job opportunities were limited.

"The law worked against us so we had to live in this twilight zone," says Beyer of the prejudice that prevailed at the time.

"Camen was an omnipresent figure...she protected us from the haters and homophobes," says Beyer.

"She was an awesome presence and had very little judgement of you."

Carmen was a savvy businesswoman who knew how to attract attention. She was often seen gliding down Cuba Street in designer ball gowns, and she knew every single shopkeeper by name…

Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details