I suggested in an earlier post that little had changed around my hometown and its neighbours. But I soon discovered that is not true. A quick drive through Riverton showed a huge difference to my last visit.

Soon after our arrival in Southland and before I went to Riverton, I noticed an article in one of the free local newspapers. A lot of effort had gone into the preparing and painting of murals around the town. Reading the article and seeing a couple of murals didn’t prepare a person for the beauty now emblazoned around the town. Street artists, as part of the South Sea Spray exhibition, completed work at the end of November. I missed some murals, but the ones I found are magnificent. People will go to Riverton now not only to visit one of the most unique museums around, but also to take in these murals.

The talent of the artists brightening up Riverton is obvious. The murals are captivating. I understand a similar project is also planned for Invercargill and Bluff. Move over Katikati, the southern regions are catching up with their own murals to tell stories of their towns.

Personally I see one problem with these murals. Their arrival in town has dated the two stories I set in Riversleigh. While I used poetic license and changed the name of my town in “The CEO Gets Her Man” and “Return to Riversleigh” – anyone who knows Riverton would have recognised so much of it within my stories. Perhaps I’ll set another story in the area. If so, I will be including these amazing murals.