Ask Phoebe: Harbour views for gallery sculpture that once graced city park

Hiroaki Ueda's work <i>Opened Stone 1971</i> was located in the forecourt of Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tamaki for more than 35 years. Photo / David St George

In the days before the Auckland Art Gallery was enlarged and altered a statue stood in the small park to the left of the main entrance. The statue looked Japanese. It took the form of two plinths of red marble topped with a curved slab of red marble. It vanished at the time of the alterations and has not reappeared. Has it been relocated, is it in temporary storage, or has it been "filed away" and forgotten? Paul Lynton, Takapuna.

The sculpture is Opened Stone 1971, by Japanese artist Hiroaki Ueda.

It is one of five works by Pacific Rim artists that were commissioned by the NZ Society of Sculptors and Painters for the 1971 International Sculpture Symposium, celebrating Auckland's centenary.

Ueda's work was located in the forecourt of Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tamaki for more than 35 years. During the redevelopment it was removed, in 2008, and transferred to council's art collection in 2010. Since then research has been undertaken on 18 potential relocation sites and with a variety of stakeholders.

Last month, the council obtained the final approval needed to install the sculpture in Manukau Domain, Lynfield. The Puketapapa Local Board strongly supports this location where it will be welcomed and enhance people's experience of the coastline. It also creates new opportunities to tell different and evolving cultural stories about the artist, the work and its new contribution at the Manukau Domain.

Contractors are expected to install the work early next year. Manukau Domain is a park surrounded on three sides by coastal bush, overlooking the Manukau Harbour. A network of public paths links the domain with other reserves located along the coastline from Wairaki St Reserve to Hillsborough Reserve.

I was crossing Beach Rd just on the corner of Anzac Ave and almost got run down by a cyclist on the footpath. This is at the back of Scene 1. The footpath has been upgraded and split into two and signage indicates footpaths are for pedestrian and cyclists' use.

Are there any rules around the use? I was close to being injured and wondered if there was a requirement for the cyclist to at least have a bell on the handle bars to ring so that pedestrians are aware. There was definitely no indication of the cyclist slowing down. Louise Smith, Auckland.

The Transport Agency's fact sheet on road rules and equipment for cyclists states that if you are cycling on a shared path, you should be courteous to pedestrians. Often pedestrians can't hear cyclists approaching, especially from behind or the side. Call out politely or use a bell if you have one.

It has been noted in the press that bicycle bells are hard to find. A site called bellsandwhistles.co.nz appears to offer everything from the double-action chrome-topped "ring-ring" bell to the lightweight flick-type bells that just go "ting!"

Tell us

Do you have a question for Phoebe? It can be about transport or any Auckland issue. Email askphoebe@nzherald.co.nz