'Beautiful' mural conjured up by visitors

BY DEBBIE JAMIESON

A Spanish couple touring New Zealand are literally making their mark on Riverton.

Only one week into their New Zealand travels, Vanesa Cid and Alejandro Fernandez ambled into Riverton and stopped at the South Coast Environmental Society.

Within hours they had agreed to paint a 10m mural on the building, on Riverton's main street, and stay with the society's chairman, Robert Guyton, and his family.

"We did have intentions of putting a mural on the building," Mr Guyton said.

"They just called in one day, we got chatting with them and he said he was a muralist who painted murals professionally."

Fernandez showed them some of his work on a memory stick.

"It was unbelievably good," Mr Guyton said.

Although the couple spoke very broken English, Mr Guyton managed to explain the kind of mural he was after for the organic food co-operative and environmental group.

That night the couple went for a walk to the beach and came back with an idea that immediately won the Guytons' approval.

About five days later and the result, according to Mr Guyton, is "beautiful".

"It's such a drawcard. Everyone's been coming in and having a look. It's been a great social event and brightens up the main street."

In the meantime, the couple have been approached by more groups around town and are looking at another three or four projects.

As the couple were not on working visas they were being thanked for their work as members of the Wwoofing (willing workers on organic farms) network, which had them staying with local families and being given food and board.

They were wonderful characters who had made a real impact in Riverton, Mr Guyton said.

"They've been in New Zealand for three weeks and two of them have been in Riverton. They've really loved it.

"Everybody stops and talks to them and they think it's the friendliest place."

The mural would be entered in a Resene Mural Masterpiece competition, he said.

- © Fairfax NZ News