Best of the Web: Painting the town proves a fun idea

Sandy Ryan, manager at Connecting Communities Wairarapa, sprays a message in front of the Wairarapa Community Centre.

A light-hearted piece of street art has proven one of the most popular items on the Wairarapa Times-Age Facebook page.

Spraypainted stencilling on the footpath in random locations, with words visible only when it rains, has attracted over 6000 views on Facebook.

Connecting Communities Wairarapa created large stencils with "I (heart) Masterton" and used a water-resistant spray to mark the heartfelt expression in various locations around Masterton.

The move follows a similar exercise with children at Henley Mens Shed, where youngsters created rain-resistant patterns on concrete pavers.

The timing was ideal for Connecting Communities, with Masterton enjoying a surge of civic fervour and promotion by council think-tank MyMasterton, which this week organised a Masterton promotional insert into the NZ Herald for Auckland readers.

And, in equally good timing, it rained the following day, with the happy expressions clearly visible.

"Great idea," said Caroline Jamieson. "Paint the town, now let's make Masterton the place to be."

Brigitte Marulli De Barletta said the message made her smile when she saw it in the morning.