New Zealand's most photographed building is getting an interior makeover.
The stonework outside the Dunedin Railway Station had a spruce-up a few years ago and now the ornate entrance hall is also being lovingly restored to its former glory.
The booking hall boasts impressive stained glass windows and an intricate mosaic floor made up of 750,000 tiles.
"Outside of here, you'll travel far and wide before you'll find a floor as intricate as it and I suppose that's one of the reasons so many people come to see it," said Donal Hickey, a Wainwright & Co artisan.
All those footsteps are taking a toll on the floor tiles.
"Well the blue glass especially, traffic over the years has damaged and chipped them."
For the past four months, Hickey has been working late, replacing tiles and restoring the floor to its former glory.
There are more than 600 ceramic and glass tiles in each of these mosaic sections, and all have to be cut by hand.
"It's quite slow. Obviously it's monotonous. I quite enjoy the challenge," said Hickey.
The stairs too had seen better days, damaged Royal Doulton nosings being recreated by an English company.
It was once the busiest train station in the country. These days it's the departure lounge for Dunedin Railways, which runs scenic trips to the Taieri Gorge.
"It's amazing being in this building and people come down here for the photos and then they can come out on the train trip as well," said Craig Osborne, Dunedin Railways chief executive.
Hickey expects to complete the Southern Cross centrepiece by Christmas, proudly restoring Dunedin's famous building.
