Ten years on from when my painted piano first made its appearance in Pilot Bay over summer, it’s still proving to be a focal point for people to connect, have picnics, and sing to the cruise ships as they leave port.

After finding the piano, now 129 years old, on TradeMe for $30 in November 2013, I then took a bunch of photos of sunsets, surf, pohutukawa, paddle boarders and surfers along with the piano to The Incubator Creative Hub.

There it was wonderfully transformed by The Incubator artists Simone Anderson, Wendy Pedersen, Constanza Tagini Nightingale, Rosey Armstrong, Katherine Steeds, Lisa Meehan, and Jannine Spiers. Resenes provided the paint.

Constanza Tagini Nightingale, one of the seven artists at The Incubator who painted the Mount Maunganui Beach Piano. Photo: Rosalie Liddle Crawford.

Herb’s Autos attached the wheels, which cost $450, funded by Stewart Fleming who owned Mount Backpackers.

On opening night a group of family and enthusiastic supporters turned up, including my mum Pat Liddle and my jazz pianist sister Andrea Pooley.

Of course, Andrea and I played ‘Jaws’ when another sister Carole Meredith went for a dip.

Since then hundreds of people have been by, smiled, stopped to chat, met others there, had picnics, sung, brought along musical instruments.

There was that time Gareth Morgan played a few tunes while talking about his cat

In November 2015, a seal started turning up, seemingly just a coincidence, but it seemed to loll happily in the water just off shore from the piano, delighting people who were out enjoying the boardwalk and the setting sun.

Once Australians even turned up with a table, tablecloths and napkins.

Four Australians, keeping things classy with a table, napkins and a tablecloth.

The following night, a group of Kiwis, after seeing the posh photos on Facebook, decided they couldn’t allow Australians imply that we Kiwis don’t know how to do it fancy.

They came down to the boardwalk with not only tablecloths and napkins but also platters of fine food.

Bill and Ann Ellingham,  and David and Bernadette Bridgens, from Bethlehem, with chairs, table, tablecloth, napkins, and platters of food, while Andrea Pooley provides live piano music for their evening seaside soiree.

In the very first week of the Mount Maunganui Beach Piano arriving in Pilot Bay on the newly installed boardwalk, what I call the ‘Pilot Bay Piano Appreciation Society’ formed among neighbours along The Mall, passing my top hat between houses to collect up enough to pay for a council busking licence to help keep things legal.

A group of Pilot Bay neighbours and their friends, who have been dubbed the 'Pilot Bay Piano Appreciation Society'. Photo: Rosalie Liddle Crawford.

One time a millionaire and a homeless guy sat on the bench-seat next to the piano, chatting away about life, each unaware of the other person’s lifestyle.

Another time Shirley Lee came along to sit on the seat that was carrying a plaque with her late husband’s name ‘Ron’ on it.

She lived nearby and had been feeling lonely. A young mother passed her newborn baby to her to hold, and they sat together on the seat while Shirley found herself suddenly surrounded by a warm friendly family who spent the evening with her chatting and laughing and enjoying the music.

Shirley sadly passed away over the last two years but her seat is still there.

There have been heartfelt tears and passionate singing from those who have stood around the piano singing a rousing version of ‘Now is the Hour’ as cruise ships sailed out of the Tauranga harbour, and also many ‘Happy birthday’ songs sung.

Some excellent singers and musicians have turned up and enjoyed singing and playing.

A wedding party once came along to take photos – there’s even been a marriage proposal at the piano!

Tauranga Mayor Stuart Crosby busting out a tune he remembered from childhood, in February, 2015.

A Waikato 11-year-old turned up one summer desperate to learn to play. So I encouraged him to practise one hour a day and learn off YouTube if he couldn’t get a piano teacher in the Waikato.

He returned five years later as a young man with facial hair to show what he’d learned – now a stunningly proficient and skilled pianist and with news he’d secured a scholarship to play not only the piano but other instruments in Poland. Amazing!

Andrea Pooley and Carol Power at the piano as the sun set. Photo: Rosalie Liddle Crawford.

It’s those moments, when you see a spark lit in someone as they see their own potential that is so rewarding to me.

People say “I wish I could play the piano like you” to which I reply “well you can, just practise for one hour a day for 10 years, that’s all you need to do”.

As with most things, it’s primarily about focus, hard work and stickability, rather than just talent. For me, playing piano has helped me grow my brain back after a serious head injury.

Three people with severe head injuries and difficulty communicating have been brought to the piano in wheelchairs by family members and found a connection.

Many passersby and picnickers in Pilot Bay.

In one case, a man’s ability to start using a hand again following a serious accident was strengthened as he reached out to play the piano keys. It was a heartfelt moment for family, with those of us watching finding our eyes fill with tears.

Recently a 19-year-old appeared beside me at the piano. I’d last seen him when he was 14 years old. Since then, he’s been practising an hour a day on his keyboard, and is doing a mathematics degree at Auckland University. He’s a phenomenal pianist.

One time, after a week of rain, there was only one night where the weather was fine enough to roll the piano down to the beach.

Rosalie Liddle Crawford with her beach piano in Pilot Bay. Photo: John Borren.

On arriving, a young man strode up to say he was from Turkey, had seen a photo of the piano on Facebook and had decided to travel to New Zealand as part of his big OE.

He landed at Auckland Airport and immediately travelled to Mount Maunganui where he walked along the boardwalk hunting for the piano. Suddenly there it was! It was remarkable as the next few nights were once again wet, so it was the only night I’d rolled the piano out.

People ask if the piano is always there in Pilot Bay. Firstly, it’s not a great idea to leave a piano out in the rain, or the hot day sun for that matter, so piano at the beach is weather dependent.

Narin Watene on ukelele and Rosalie Liddle Crawford on the beach piano singing Glen Campbell's 'Try a little kindness'.

The beach piano season runs in the evenings during Daylight Savings time from around Labour Weekend to about Easter.

There’s a Facebook page ‘Mount Maunganui Beach Piano’ with updates, and usually people plan their evening picnic to coincide with a cruise ship leaving, a sunset and an enjoyable evening with live music.

The sunsets in Pilot Bay are often stunning.

With summer ahead and people able to get out and about again after the Covid years, it’s a great community spot to meet up and enjoy an evening with a picnic and sunset.

Serenading out a cruiseship with 'Now is the hour' in March, 2014.