Hastings gets 3D street art: Trip and you'll fall onto Te Mata Peak, or into a fish tank

Marc Spijkerbosch and Tracey Lee Cassin's sea creatures escape the concrete jungle of Hastings CBD. Photo / Warren Buckland

If you're walking through the centre of Hastings this weekend, you might suddenly fall onto Te Mata Peak.

Pavements in the city have been given a three-dimensional glo-up, complete with festive fish, swooping landscapes, and ground-breaking wine, thanks to award-winning artist Marc Spijkerbosch.

This week the Bay of Plenty artist has been decorating the main streets of Hastings with Hawke's Bay-specific iconography, which will remain until October 31.

A laneway on Heretaunga St West, the pavement by the Hastings rail-line fountain, and the Albert Square chessboard are the temporary homes to Spijkerbosch's 3D musings.

Spijkerbosch has been painting life into the streets of Aotearoa for about 30 years and enjoys the connection he has been fortunate to make with people along the way.

"All sorts of people can enjoy and engage with street art, unlike the paintings that hang in galleries.

"I enjoy the connection I make with people through my art, with all sorts of people," he said.

Spijkerbosch responds to both space and place in his murals and enjoys the challenge of tricking people with his trompe l'oeil (illusion) works.

"I enjoy high-illusion pieces, like the chessboard, where I paint something that is likely to be true and people are more likely to believe it," he said.

The hardest part of the job for Spijkerbosch is matching the pavement to the paint, and working with the sometimes unpredictable weather.

"We've had all four seasons in three days of painting in Hastings, which has slowed down the process a bit," he said.

But overall, Hawke's Bay hasn't been a bad muse for the artist.

"It's my first time here and my partner Tracey and I think it's a beautiful place with a real vibe. There's lots of public art here and heritage architecture - I think it's an undiscovered secret," he said.

Marc Spijkerbosch's ground-breaking bottle of wine. Photo / Warren Buckland

The street art was funded by the Hastings City Business Association and Hastings District Council's vibrancy fund.

Hastings City Business Association general manager Emma Sey said it's another means of directing foot traffic to the streets of Hastings.

Hastings City Business Association will be releasing a map on their website detailing where people can find the 3D treasures.

"We're also running a Facebook and Instagram competition with the #discoverhastings hashtag to encourage people to get photos with the artwork for a $500 prize," Sey said.

Marc Spijkerbosch's 3D rendition of Te Mata Peak is not for the acrophobic. Photo / Warren Buckland

City Centre activation officer Andrea Taaffe said that the best thing about street art is that it's inclusive.

"What's so fantastic about this is that there's no entry fee. Due to the pop-up nature of the art, it's also a surprise as to where the next piece will be," Taaffe said.

Taaffe said there is a delight to be had in the surprise of discovering street art and urged pedestrians to keep an eye out for the jigsaw of other art pieces scattered throughout Hastings city.

"Every 6-8 weeks we aim to have something new popping up in the city. It's about taking people to places in the city that they might not otherwise venture to and utilising the talent of amazing artists," Taaffe said.