In 1924, established watercolourist Margaret Stoddart left the Christchurch winter behind to spend several weeks in Tahiti. In Pape'ete, the capital, and on nearby Mo'orea, she painted bright watercolour sketches of markets, shady avenues, churches and houses at the sea’s edge or nestled into tropical bush. Returning to Christchurch in August, she exhibited her watercolours. After sending two of the Tahiti works to Paris in 1925, according to the Auckland Star she was encouraged by “requests for her biography and the history of her paintings from several Parisian journals interested in Art”.

(Te Wheke, 2020)