Those who venture under Ōamaru’s Thames Street railway bridge can now follow in the footsteps of the extinct Dinornus robustus (or South Island giant moa).

A small group of volunteers, led by Buggy Robot Gallery’s Martin Horspool, were hard at work on Tuesday afternoon on the first steps of the Ōamaru Underland Artscape project to bring the massive bird back to life.

The group is creating a trail of about 60 actual-size moa footprints along the footpath which runs under the bridge, along Ōamaru Creek, while another Ōamaru artist, Matthew Wicks (aka Wicksey), has been commissioned to the task of bringing some of the 3.6-metre moa into the area as well.

Chalk outlines have been made using a stencil of preserved footprints found in Central Otago, and a primer coat of paint will be followed by the finishing touches courtesy of Martin, as soon as possible, volunteer Cara Tipping Smith says.

Cara, who chalked some of the outlines, says it was a rewarding afternoon.

“It’s great to be out of the office, doing something for the community. Even just playing a tiny part feels good.”

This project is the first of five community-led “pathfinder projects” to be piloted, aimed at unlocking the potential of central Ōamaru. People from different corners of the community have all been volunteering their time to work together on the projects, with the Waitaki District Council's involvement.

Matthew Wicks works his moa magic. Photo: Martin Horspool.

Wendy Jones (front) and Cara Tipping Smith at work marking moa footprint chalk outlines. Photo: Martin Horspool