The waterfront's history is now available for all to see with a series of signs now on The Strand.

The signs, which are part of the Access to Water project, use images from the Tauranga City Libraries collection, and give people to chance to learn our history while the tidal stairs are being developed.

Continuing with our thorough coverage of the waterfront project, SunLive popped down to find out more.

The signs stretch across several shipping containers, which are currently blocking off the construction site.

They cover The Strand's history from c.1860 to the present day and beyond.

The real appeal lies in looking at the paintings and photographs, which show the area's evolution from a beach through to wharf, including the reclamation for the railway.

Highlights include seeing sheep waiting to be loaded for transport to Auckland, troops returning from the First World War, and a watercolour of an 1865 canoe race between local Maori.

Project manager Morgan Jones says the signs serve the dual purpose of making the area more visually interesting, while telling the story of the waterfront.

'You can see how the waterfront and Strand have always been an important part of our identity as a city. We've always had a strong relationship to the water in the city centre, although it has been eroded over time by the rail line and parking.

'So this project is one of those important steps towards reconnecting with the area.”

There's already been a lot of interest in the signs, with people taking photographs and kids inspecting the images.

The signs will be up for the duration of the construction period.