Prehistory rock drawings and the Port Loop Road: An architectural response to reawaken Timaru

Abstract

Unknown to most, South Canterbury is home to New Zealand’s largest collection of prehistory drawings: mysterious images found on the smooth limestone overhangs scattered throughout the region’s valleys and gullies. Barely understood within the scientific community and virtually unknown to most New Zealanders, these ancient drawings sit unnoticed, slowly weathering and fading before they can be fully understood or appreciated. Today, these rock drawings are under the guardianship of the Ngāi Tahu iwi, private land owners and the Historic Places Trust. All 260 known rock drawing sites in South Canterbury are on private land, three of these sites are accessible to the public but they are not publicised or signposted. A recent surge in the New Zealand’s tourist numbers has seen many small towns and provincial centres reimagine and rebrand themselves in the hope of attracting visitors and boosting their local economies. For over one hundred years Timaru’s biggest tourist attraction was Caroline Bay, providing the perfect back drop for promenading Edwardians. But today Caroline Bay sits deserted, unused and dislocated from the town centre, brought to life only once a year by the annual Christmas Carnival. Existing attractions in Caroline Bay such as the Rose Garden, inline speed skating track, community hall and the recently completed sand dune boardwalk appear to have done little to attract people into the bay. The design research investigates how Caroline Bay can act as the new guardian of these mysterious rock drawings in the form of a large, open and free gallery with the aim of informing and preserving the drawing’s stories. The thesis also questions issues of ownership and appropriation of these prehistory drawings. In conjunction with the rock drawings this thesis also explores a large scale architectural intervention in the form of the reimagined Port Loop Road to reconnect the bay with the town. The design proposition is part tourist attraction, part anchor project and part social catalyst aimed at reawakening Caroline Bay and Timaru. This thesis argues that the real potential of Caroline Bay is not fully recognised, it illustrates that the key components needed for a unique, diverse and energetic town centre already exist, and reveals that Timaru is rich in potential and opportunity.