Two new bus shelters in Broad Bay are about to get a fresh look.

Experienced local artists will soon paint colourful murals on the shelters as part of the Peninsula Connection project. Each shelter will feature the Te Reo Māori name for the area, Whaka Oho Rahi, along with the street name.

Thomas Hancock is painting the shelter at the corner of Matariki Street in a fresh, contemporary design that sets outlines of native fauna against local colours to evoke a feeling of harmony between land and sea.

The shelter at King George Street will be painted by Aaven Junior, whose bold, energetic work celebrates the lively spirit of Whaka Oho Rahi, with elements such as a teapot, gumboot and umbrella hidden in the design. In acknowledgement of Te Rūnanga o Ōtākou as mana whenua, Aaven’s design will use “Ōtākou Red” as the key colour – this was also used on Ayesha Green’s Octagon sculpture Kō te Tūhono.

Otago Peninsula Community Board Chair Paul Pope says, “The Peninsula Connection project has brought new opportunities to celebrate cultural and artistic aspects of our community that enrich the Peninsula and its stories.”

“The new bus shelters are a welcome addition to the community, and to have new young artists involved is particularly exciting. The public painting of bus shelters has been a part of the Otago Peninsula since the first were painted by the late John Noakes. It’s become a signature part of our landscape for locals and visitors alike.”

The murals were selected by a panel with representatives from the Otago Peninsula Community Board and Te Rūnanga o Ōtākou in an open process.

The shelters will be closed when the artists are working on them, but the bus stops will continue to be used for picking up and dropping off passengers.

Work on the Broad Bay section of the Peninsula Connection is progressing well and is on track to finish around the middle of the year. Work in the Portobello township should be complete in April.

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