Decorative Whanganui bus shelter, Rangiora St library to be celebrated

Artist Claire Bell sits on the double-decker bus that will take people to the bus shelter she has decorated. Photo / Supplied

A free double-decker bus trip next month will celebrate a decorated bus shelter and the first birthday of Castlecliff's Rangiora St library.

The glass bus shelter outside the library has been engraved with images of the flora and fauna of the Castlecliff dunes by artist Claire Bell. It will be blessed and celebrated at 1.45pm on Saturday, July 4.

The library hub celebrates its first year at the same time, with a gold coin sausage sizzle and finger food from the Citadel Cafe. The Koha Shed team will be there to give away toys and winter clothing.

The bus will leave from outside the Tramshed at 29 Taupō Quay at 1.30pm, returning at 3pm. Those aboard will need to reserve their seats, by emailing anique.jayasinghe@whanganuiandpartners.nz.

Whanganui performer and transport enthusiast Anthonie Tonnon will be aboard acting as conductor. He is Whanganui District Council's representative on Horizons Regional Council's passenger transport committee.

He's keen to talk to passengers about Whanganui bus travel, past and present.

"The double-decker bus trip will be a unique experience, as it will travel the two historic tram routes to Castlecliff. These routes became the basis of the Greyhound Bus routes from the 1950s, and much of our housing has been built around them," he said.

The glass engraving technique Bell used on the bus shelter was pioneered by John Hutton, who was originally from Whanganui. He completed the glass mural on the Great West Screen of England's Coventry Cathedral in 1962.

Bell had lots of visitors to her studio as she did the engraving. A visit by Aranui School can be seen in the short video What they saw in a Castlecliff studio on Whanganui District Council's YouTube channel.

Whanganui's bus shelters are a joint effort by the Horizons and Whanganui councils. Horizons decides where to put them and installs them, and Whanganui District Council maintains them.

Horizons transport manager Rhona Hewitt said glass bus shelters are good for visibility and safety, but can be vandalised. She hopes the mural will deter vandalism.

She's also hoping those at the celebration will notice additions to the weekly bus timetable - on Saturdays, public holidays and at the end of work days.

Travel on Whanganui's buses is free at present.