Central Otago’s small native skink species are having a big impact on Alexandra’s Half Mile, thanks to Dunedin artist Pearl Barry.

Pearl has lent her illustrative skills to Central Otago’s reptilian wildlife, namely the McCann’s skink, as part of the Chorus Cabinet art programme, which is designed to add colour and creativity to New Zealand's many neighbourhoods.

The little lizard brought Pearl back to Central Otago, to the site where she has been carrying out her research at the University of Otago for a Master's of Science in Ecology, and is due to finish in November this year.

"When I learned about the Chorus Cabinet art programme, I instantly knew I wanted to participate. As I scrolled down the list of available cabinets, I chose the one I felt most drawn to, a cabinet near the Half Mile reserve in Alexandra. My master's research at the University of Otago led me into the mountains and gullies of Central Otago, where I had encounters with some of the six gecko species and 11 skink species native to the region,” she said.

"I knew I wanted the mural to celebrate Central Otago's gorgeous reptilian wildlife, so I collaborated with Central Otago District Council community development advisor Rebecca Williams and the Half-Mile Recreation Reserve's restoration team to design a mural that features a McCann's skink atop a schist outcrop embraced by the climbing vines of New Zealand jasmine (Parsonsia heterophylla).”

The McCann's skink is a fairly common skink that can be seen where there is good shelter to hide from invasive predators, including mice, rats, cats, stoats, and hedgehogs, or where trapping is taking place. 

As a life-long artist and ecologist, Pearl said she was always looking for creative opportunities to make ecological knowledge accessible to communities where it matters most.

"My hope is that the mural inspires curiosity about the native animals and plants of Central Otago, and that folks who pass by it stop and explore Half-Mile Reserve to witness its transformation into a haven for native wildlife."

McCann's skink have large, stable populations and are listed as ‘not threatened by the New Zealand threat classification system’, but only thrive where introduced predators are scarce.

This is the final mural of the 2023 round, which saw a total of four cabinets across Central turned into works of art. 

The cabinets are in Cromwell, Galloway, Roxburgh and Pearl’s work of art on Aronui Rd in Alexandra, near the intersection with Old Golf Course Rd.