The New Zealand Landscape in Paint The year 1886 finds a specific focus in the work of Thomas Ball. In his painting Tararu, Thames, the landscape of the Auckland region takes shape. This work resides within the collection of the Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, a place that holds the visual history of New Zealand. Ball’s presence in the art historical record is defined by this connection to the local terrain and the development of a national visual identity during the late nineteenth century. His life and practice are anchored in the geography of New Zealand. Born in 1833, he lived through…