'It's not about me! – it's about photographs, an exhibition and history,” Alf Rendell reminds us.

But actually, it's quite a bit about Alf.

Alf Rendell – Tauranga's living history. Picture by Tracy Hardy.

Because when his interactive photo exhibition ‘Alf Rendell – Historic Tauranga from above 1946-2006' opened at Creative Tauranga last week, he was on hand to add a personal live narrative to his black and white images – colouring in the detail from memory.

He's a small man with a big persona and an even bigger reputation.

'My age is irrelevant,” he insists.

No it's not – because Alf is 97 and he's holding a public exhibition of his work when most men of his years are coddled in a retirement home with a blanket across their knees.

Again, Alf tries not to let this be about him and tosses a photo of The Strand on the table.

It features a spectacular bed of flowers. 'The Strand looked better then, than it does now,” he adds.

And that's the point. He's a living anthology of Tauranga – a living artefact – living history.

Alf is a cultural treasure asset, but that escapes him.

'I am more concerned whether people will be the slightest bit interested in my photographs,” he says.

Alf was born in the midst of a world war, survived a depression and another world war, and he's lived the historic moments captured on his folding 120 Zeiss Super Ikonta from the open rare cockpit of a Tiger Moth biplane.

'And I was shooting backwards,” he says.

His recollection and commentary brings life and hidden meaning to pictures frozen in time.

His casual observations give them added dimension and he's learned, lucid and fascinatingly entertaining about it.

'That's the sand spit,” he says refocusing the discussion on the exhibition.

He's pointing to a white promontory on another aerial.

'It's Sulphur Point before it was reclaimed and became Sulphur Point – and the reclamation stretches right to the brink of the channel.”

That's the story the picture doesn't tell you.

'How's your health?” I ask, because his eyes are bright and his complexion is perfect – hardly a blemish or wrinkle to reflect the decades of wear.

'I am a bit silly in the head.” He is not.

'And there's my house,” he declares producing another aerial. It's a prime bit of realty on Harbour Drive taken when there was just a smattering of houses.

It's a photo of scattered rooftops, the birth of a suburb – but when Alf tells you he paid 1500 pounds for the section and the land value has increased 700 times, the photo becomes historically and economically significant.

Aside from photos and capital gains, Alf's elevated living room window frames Mauao and he watches every ship that slips through the gut.

'And what do you eat?” I ask, seeking his elixir of life. 'Snarlers and onions,” is his reply.

Alf scans his photos and reels off names, dates and places with consummate ease, which is good for a man who claims he can't remember a thing he said five minutes ago.

It's an extraordinarily significant, historical offering from this senior lens man – 40-odd images shot during 78 years. And it's rich with stories about us, who we are and where we came from.

Alf looks at his watch, but he's not contemplating a Poppa nap.

When many of his age are getting meals on wheels, this indefatigable nonagenarian is driving himself to lunch at the yacht club with his mates. 'And yes I might have a glass of wine,” he adds.

And with apologies to Alf – the 97-year-old with the delicate shutter fingers has a vice-like handshake, which is another good thing in a man.

Alf's photograph exhibition is at Creative Tauranga on Willow St until January 5. For details, call: 07 928 5270.