2012 highley commended Heritage restoration award.

"While of timber construction overall the Office facades imitates traditional stone construction on 3 sides which never fails to draw comments from tourists and visitors alike. It is one of the best examples of this type of building in New Zealand. The Office has been converted to accommodation as adaptive re-use and after the damaging 2011 earthquake it was carefully restored using native timbers sourced in Akaroa for recreating the mouldings. Extensive strengthening was carried out and the main facade tied back into the main structure."

I had the delightful opportunity to stay in this beautiful accommodation while undergoing the project.

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The idea behind the main bathroom mural was simply to breathe a bit of fresh Akaroa air into the bathroom. "give people something to look at as they relax in the spa bath'

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The small original shipping window facing Church Street was a playful idea I came up with while living on-site.

Due to the nature of the architecture and the height of the window, it's only natural to cup one's hands up against the window to peek inside, into the closet.

Now the peeking is through a keyhole inspired by the boat the first French settlers came on - and inside there's a sky scene.

The stepping of the installation provokes curiosity, as different angles from the eyes show different details of the birds and their beautiful feast of stolen fish and chips.  

 A public hidden gem of curiosity, perfectly at children's height and sure to bring in the big kids.