A new mural now welcomes visitors to the Otumuheke Stream bathing area after it was created this week by popular Taupō artist Gary Bennett.
The mural adds to the recently completed Otumuheke Stream project in the Spa Thermal Park that saw the popular attraction upgraded with seating, a new bridge, a café area, a viewing platform and planting. The project was a collaborative effort by Tūwharetoa iwi, Patuiwi Trust, Waikato Regional Council, Taupō Police, and the Department of Conservation to upgrade the site to ensure it is preserved well into the future.
Bennett has been painting murals here in Taupō for ten years following a Council request on how best to deal with graffiti in our district. Gary answered the call, having been commissioned to paint some, including a pump shed on Lake Terrace and a popular cricket scene in the Kaimanawa Reserve on Rifle Range Road.
Landscape architect Fraser Scott was delighted with the new addition.
“Gary’s eye for creating interesting and unique images always adds something special to our projects. With this one, his native plant artwork helps blend the structure in with the surrounding landscape, helping us to finish this project on a real high.”