Stone statues make tracks for the CBD
The first of several sculptures for Upper Hutt’s shopping area has been lifted into place.
A stone face carving, Mau Moana, was set on a purpose-built foundation on the corner of the Main St and Pine Ave, on the edge of the car parking next to the Noel Leeming store, on Friday morning.
It is one several works donated to the city by Ernest and Shirley Cosgrove, the former owners of the Efil Doog garden and outdoor art gallery in the Akatarawa valley.
Ernest Cosgrove, a long-time contributor and benefactor to Upper Hutt arts and culture, died in July.
The city council has long indicated its plans to develop a city sculpture trail and the artworks were donated by the Cosgroves with this in mind.
A sculpture advisory panel was set up by the council in 2013.
This included councillors and community representatives.
A main task was to identify the CBD locations for the sculptures but the process has taken longer than expected.
The first donated work to be located in a public space was a pig placed near the entrance to the Expressions Arts and Entertainment Centre in the middle of 2015.
Another work from the Efil Doog garden was placed in the in the water near the edge of the Te Haukaretu Park duck pond at Maoribank a month ago.
City infrastructure director Lachlan Wallach said several more statues would arrive in the central business district over the next few weeks
‘‘Some will be right in the centre of the shopping, around where the ANZ is and also in the Centre Walk,’’ he said.
‘‘It’s all part of our ongoing city enhancement project.
‘‘We have got a few more things to do to improve this and when its done we will put out information to bring people’s attention to it.’’
The arrival of Mau Moana has meant other changes to the Main St art.
Two artificial trees with plastic coloured leaves near the new statue would be relocated to open space around the corner, near the Upper Hutt City library, Wallach said.