IF anyone was wondering about the balloon dog floating in front of the council pumphouse near the amphitheatre – yes, it is another collaboration by Whakatāne High School Mural Club and Whakatāne Youth Council.

Youth councillor and mural club member Nate Parsons said after the success of their floral mural, Puāwaitanga, painted on the Chorus building in Kopeopeo in March, the mural club had been keen to tackle more projects.

With funding from Keep Whakatāne Beautiful Committee and encouragement from councillors and council staff, the pumphouse at the eastern end of Whakatāne Rose Gardens was selected.

Nate, together with Nico Bruce and Jasper House, came up with the idea for the balloon dog painting. Nate said it recognised that the riverbank is known as a popular place for people to walk their dogs.

While the project started with just the balloon dog on one wall of the pumphouse, it has flourished to include the rest of the building and the tunnel entrance to the River Edge Park Miniature Railway.

Native flora paintings now merge the pumphouse into the background greenery behind the amphitheatre.

“It will make the balloon dog really pop and cover up any graffiti that would detract from the painting,” said school library manager Lisa Hay, who was helping out on the mural.

“The idea is that the balloon dog looks like it is floating in the sky,” said Nate.

The club sought permission from Eastern Bay of Plenty Model Engineers Society to paint the entrance to the tunnel, making it look like a traditional brick railway tunnel.

Nate said the mural club had plans to continue beautifying Whakatāne. His ambition was to eventually create a map online so people could locate all the murals, including QR codes to lead people to find out more about the painting.