Points of View Virtual Tour
Take a virtual stroll through the Lane Gallery and explore the history of New Plymouth’s urban streets.
Puke Ariki’s Points of View exhibition (2019) told a story of intergenerational collecting and changing street views within central New Plymouth.
It all started in July 1939 when Tony Thorne (an employee of the New Plymouth Engineers Department) stood with a glass plate camera photographing intersections.
In 1992 Tony's grandson Bob Murray discovered the glass plate negatives. A keen photographer himself, Bob developed the negatives to reveal 82 street views of New Plymouth's Central Business District. He then retraced his grandfather’s steps, rephotographing the same views in 1999 and again in 2019.
Follow their journey through this interactive tour with added features. Discover 35 never-before seen photographs from 1939 and delve into the stories of our central city and beyond through Word on the Street, our ongoing series exploring the origins of Taranaki street names.
Images on loan from Bob Murray’s private collection.
- Date
- Ongoing
- Location
- Online
Step back in time
Tony Thorne recorded central New Plymouth streets from multiple viewpoints in 1939.
Visit our digital gallery to explore 35 extra photographs from his collection that weren’t included in the Points of View exhibition. Can you recognise any of the buildings that are still standing today? Click or touch the information button to learn more about each location.
