With most of the stairs now in place, the creative side of Tauranga City Council's Access to Water project has begun.

Artist Elliot Collins only has a few days to finish painting the letters into the sides of the steps, before the cofferdam is pulled out next week and the water takes over.

Working among men and machines, Elliot has been steadily colouring in the Maori words that have been sandblasted into the stairs' faces.

They're part of a karakia describing the area's history and the story of Mauao, which will also include an English translation.

Access to Water project leader Morgan Jones says the idea is to have a few lines on each step, descending into the water. At different times only certain sections will be visible, with the entire poem only being seen at low tide.

The Maori words will be in black, while the English will be in colour – yellow, blue, white and green, which Elliot says he picked after spending time in the Tauranga environment.

'The story begins in darkness, and the night,” he says, referring to the Maori lettering. 'The colours show it moving from darkness into light.”

He likes the idea, too, of sunrise hitting the steps (and the karakia) every morning. The font has been specially designed by Alistair McCready to flow better with common Te Reo words and letter partnerships, such as ‘wh' and ‘ng'.

The stencils used for sandblasting.

Elliot laughs when asked about the working conditions.

'I'm used to doing things solo and quiet. I think this is my first job wearing a hi-vis vest.”

Ngati Tapu tangata whenua advisor to the council Puhirake Ihaka is pleased to see the observance of things pertaining to tangata whenua in the tidal stairs.

'We have had input in terms of the design,” he says. 'But we have always seen this as part on overall project ensuring tangata whenua have a cultural presence on the waterfront.

'We're hoping this will just be stage one of an ongoing project.”

Puhirake Ihaka, centre, with Elliot Collins and Morgan Jones.