Remember when Tauranga had waterslides and a marine park at the beach? Or when the visiting circus would parade elephants down The Strand?

Supercut Projects is excited to be bringing a special interactive heritage exhibition titled Echoes: Tauranga Moana to the Baycourt Community and Arts Centre X Space from May 19 – 27.

The kaupapa of Echoes: Tauranga Moana is to encourage the community to discover and learn about its past, with the interactive experience featuring hundreds of photographs of places, people, events, and objects.

When viewed together, they offer a unique glimpse into the extraordinary history of Tauranga. The images have been hand-selected from three local archives - the Tauranga Heritage Collection, Tauranga City Libraries Pae Korokī and The Elms Foundation Collection.

Within the exhibition, the public will be drawn towards hundreds of projected images, and a sensor will allow the audience to interact with the experience. Visitors can also become part of the exhibition by uploading photos of themselves, friends and whānau via the hashtag #echoestgamoana.

Over the seven days, Echoes: Tauranga Moana will grow as these photos are added – the community of today joining the echoes of our past.

The experience has been created by Wellington-based creative studio Story box who are known for their dynamic digital projects, including the Mana Moana water screen works on the Wellington waterfront, and Ahi Kā, the immense projections on Te Papa Tongarewa for Matariki 2020.

Supercut Projects Director Sonya Korohina says, Echoes: Tauranga Moana is special, it shares the whakapapa of our city and our people.

'Those who have lived here for years are going to be moved as they may recognise friends and whānau. Others, our tamariki and new residents, will be fascinated to see how the city has changed over the decades.”

Supercut Projects works with artists and creatives to develop experiences such as Echoes: Tauranga Moana and in June will open a major public artwork, ‘Midnight Sun' by Sara Hughes.

This is in partnership with Tauranga City Council and will be on Willow Street. Echoes: Tauranga Moana has been generously supported by Creative New Zealand, Tauranga City Council, Cooney Lees Morgan, and Baycourt Community and Arts Centre. For more information visit @echoestgamoana