Misty rain greeted a good number of volunteer mural-painters who turned out last Saturday to begin a wall-brightening project on the seafront building at Awatoto.
While the rain did not deter the committed artists of all ages, it did hold things back a little when it came to applying paint.
"The weather
did impact on it but we still got a good turnout of people," said artist and project co-ordinator Sallie Dunford, from Creative Living Skills Charitable Trust. "And we got some painting done."
The outing was the first stage of a mural-painting programme designed to highlight the Bay's scenic attractions, and also to beautify locations which had become targets for graffiti vandals.
The Awatoto site was chosen as it was on the main highway into Napier and the finished mural would be seen by people arriving in the region.
Those who took part last Saturday worked on 10 large boards which, when completed, would be affixed to the building's wall.
They were the first of 80 boards which would be painted and then linked across several sites around Napier.
Ms Dunford said later stages of the mural programme would take place closer to, and in, the city itself.
She is aiming to have the murals completed by the time the Rugby World Cup arrives in town - along with large numbers of visitors. "The final ones will have goalposts in them," she said.
While older participants wielded the paintbrushes, youngsters were encouraged to leave their artistic mark by placing their paint-covered handprints on a section of the wall.
Some also unintentionally ensured mum and dad would have a bit of laundry to do later.
