The Blue Baths heralded a new era - men and women bathing together. This picture told the world New Zealand was progressive, modern, and open for business.
The photo now hangs in a darkened and empty room in the Blue Baths. Around it the building gathers mould, mildew and corrodes from sulphur gases rising from the ground below.
Former Blue Baths leaseholder Jo Romanes said the picture was used as an official publicity image, likely for the Tourism Department, the first of its kind in the world.
"It was quite glamorous and sophisticated."
Could be amazing with a fresh coat of paint, but making sure it will not come apart in the next earthquake is a very costly affair.