Aviation pocket park makes landfall
Blenheim CBD’s Marlborough Mile – a walking circuit linking places of interest around the town – has reached another milestone.
The aviation-themed site in Liz Davidson Place is now complete with storyboards in place telling the region’s aviation history.
In August 1920, Captain Euan Dickson made history by being the first person to fly across Cook Strait and a scaled replica of the Avro 504K plane takes pride of place in the aviation pocket park.
The Marlborough Mile project, instigated by the Blenheim Business Association, consists of six key sites including Riverside Park, Stadium 2000 and Bythell Place, said Blenheim Business Association chair Lynette Rayner.
Each site celebrates a key element of activities in Marlborough including aviation, farming, aquaculture and wine making.
“The Marlborough Mile project was conceived to provide an opportunity for locals to engage with their town centre and increase the visibility of the history, industries and cultural influences that make the province what it is today,” Ms Rayner said.
One of the most popular sites is the shepherd and sheep bronze sculpture in Market Place Forum, made from copper by Havelock artist Tony Matthews, celebrating Marlborough’s agricultural history.
Other sites completed include the historic Echo masts at The Quays and the Tama-nui-te-rā/Sun, Earth and Moon sculpture in Adams Place.