A SWIFTMANTIS mural on the walls of Parkland School in Kelvin Grove, Palmerston North, portrays Kevin, the stray who became the beloved school cat, his unusual right eye breaking from green into rustic red, orange and gold. It holds a 4.5 rating from six Google reviews.
Murals reward a slower look than most quick photo stops. Street artists habitually tuck symbolism into their work — background colours echoing a subject, native birds and beetles hidden round the edges — and the artist's own notes often explain what you are looking at. Public art is free, outdoors and open through daylight hours, and chasing painted walls is a pleasant way to see a city's quieter suburbs. Where a mural sits on school grounds, weekends and holidays are the considerate time to call by.
Round the other sides of this one, a huhu beetle, tui and honey bee wait for anyone who makes the trip.