Boon street art: Hamilton group offers walking tours dedicated to local murals

A work by mural artist Gembol (Gemma Yiannoutsos) created during the Boon Street Art Festival 2021. Photo / Danielle Zollickhofer

Hamilton-based charitable trust Boon Arts is inviting art lovers to take a walk on the wild side with the launch of its street art walking tours.

Boon Arts have beautified the city since 2017, but not everyone knows the stories behind the murals, or even how many lurk in the hidden alleyways of Hamilton which is where the walking tours come in.

Tour organiser Sasha McLaren says the tours are “the perfect opportunity” to take in the vibrancy and creativity of Hamilton.

“People love discovering or rediscovering parts of the city they’ve never seen before. Sprinkled throughout is some of the rich history and kaupapa of Boon Arts, including some surprising stories of the whos and whys behind how these stunning murals came to be.”

The tours run four over one hour, during which knowledgeable Boon guides, many of them artists themselves, share the secrets of some of the more than 70 murals around Hamilton.

Love the Centre, a campaign by the Hamilton Central Business Association and Hamilton City Council has sponsored the tours, which are on every Saturday through Spring, from September 2 until November 25.

Tours leave from Love The Centre, 10 Garden Place at 2pm, and take people around a two-block radius. For bookings and tickets visit Eventfinda.

Boon Arts also offer a range of private tours, including ones that have a muralist as an exclusive guide and include a tour of their art studio. Private tours can be arranged by contacting Sasha at sasha@boonarts.co.nz.

The Details

What: Boon street art walking tours

When: every Saturday from September 2 to November 25, at 2pm

Where: start from Love The Centre, 10 Garden Place

Tickets: Adults $30, online via Eventfinda.