Lazarus, the real-life Hercules Morse (as big as a horse), greeted his bronzed-self with a sniff when Dame Lynley Dodd's Hairy Maclary character sculptures were unveiled this morning.

Hercules Morse was the first to be revealed by Prime Minister John Key on Tauranga's Waterfront, as the public got their first glimpse of the eight bronze Hairy Maclary and Friends fixtures, created by sculptor Brigitte Wuest.

Prime Minister John Key with Bitzer Maloney, one of the bronze statues, today. Photos: Tracy Hardy.

'I remember reading all of those stories to our children so it's great to be able to unveil the sculpture here in Tauranga,” said the PM.

'I think this is going to be a place where people who've read the books are going to come from all over New Zealand and around the world to look at the sculptures first-hand.”

The process began five years ago, with Brigitte and Lynley chatting via Skype on a regular basis to create the bronze animals.

Dame Lynley Dodd couldn't believe her sculptures were finally being unveiled this morning.

'So much effort and hard work from so many people for the last five years have been all about my book characters,” she said. 'It's a humbling and overwhelming moment.

'Very few authors get to see their work immortalised in bronze, and certainly not launched by the Prime Minister.

'I feel touched, excited and very much honoured to have my characters displayed on the Tauranga Waterfront. I trust that the animals will behave themselves - although I can't speak for Hairy Maclary.”

Lynley enjoyed working with Brigitte on the project to recreate her two-dimensional characters into three.

'We discussed such ticklish things as the problem of portraying Bottomley Potts' spots on a bronze surface, how to make eyes come alive, whether or not Hairy Maclary's teeth would infringe OSH regulations, or if Schnitzel von Krumm's pointy tail was likely to stab someone.”

She thanks Brigitte for realising her characters so precisely.

'My characters now seem to have taken a life of their own,” she added.

Brigitte says it's been an amazing project to be part of.

"It's fantastic to finally see Hairy Maclary and his friends reach their Tauranga Waterfront home,” she explained.

'I can't wait to see the reaction from visitors of all ages, and their animals, to the sculptures. Tauranga has a new public art work they can be very proud of."

It was TECT that put up the initial $30,000 to get the sculpture off the ground, and donated another $70,000 in February 2014 to move the project forward.

City Care also donated $100,000, with other major funders including the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment and a collective donation from three of the Tauranga Rotary Clubs.

TECT, which is a foundation partner in the venture, paid the $85,000 required to finish the $800,000 project.

Creative Tauranga chief executive Tracey Ruddock-Gudsell referred to the Prime Minister as 'the icing on her cake” at today's official unveiling.

'This is a very big day for me and my team who've all stood behind me for a number of years. It has been a long haul but very worth it.

'I think we will see a lot of people here in regards to tourism, you just watch those cruise ship boats this season.”

Tauranga MP Simon Bridges also attended the unveiling.

'This isn't just going to be something that our children can come and see, I think it's going to be something that will go around the world like the Peter Pan in London or the Little Mermaid in Copenhagen.

'I think we will see many people coming to visit these world-famous faces in Tauranga statues.”

Tauranga Mayor Stuart Crosby says one of the main ideas of the development was to bring people back to the waterfront.

'I think we've landed a very great spot for the Hairy Maclary characters, where people of all ages and nationalities can have this wonderful experience.”

The sculpture includes Dame Lynley Dodd's characters Hairy Maclary, Scarface Claw, Slinky Malinki, Hercules Morse, Muffin McLay, Bottomley Potts, Schnitzel von Krumm, Bitzer Maloney and Zachary Quack.

John Key with Dame Lynley Dodd on The Strand.