What is it?

I was walking down Edmonton Road on my way home from my morning hike, and came into view of the Falls Café/Bistro across the carpark. Today, there was something new positioned in front of the Bike Hub, a bicycle rental/repair place.   

It was big and bright yellow.  I thought it vaguely resembled a high-power spotlight, the kind you sometimes see at auto dealerships that pan back and forth across the night sky, trying to lure in the buying-public 'moths' with its 10 million candle-power promise of vehicular excitement. But this thing had a platform around it and some round parts that didn't make sense if it was a spotlight.  

Hmmm.  I had my camera of course; wouldn't leave home without it. I had intended to follow the sidewalk to the corner and and walk around the Bike Hub area, but changed my plans.  I had to get up close and personal with whatever this new thing was.  And there was no one else near it. I'd have it to myself.  

I noticed that there were no power cables running to the thing.  Therefore, it needed no electricity to work.  (I did discover it was sun-powered)

The business end has eight pairs of lenses stacked vertically.  

And observe, you can look into the other end.  (Notice the big vertical wheel-shaped thing on its side and the smaller, similarly shaped horizontal wheel below that.) 

Looking closer, I can see it has a central mirror, besides the lens arrangement.  

After investigating its insides, I discovered that I could adjust the lens assembly up and down with the big wheel, or side to side with the small.    

I started turning them one-handed, bringing the device into rough alignment with the sun.  I started getting a rainbow pattern on the walls.  

That's what it is, it's a Rainbow Machine!

 

I didn't have it perfectly aligned with the sun at this point. Close, but no cigar.  

I think if I had put my camera down and fiddled with the wheels a bit more, I could have filled the interior with additional bows, but I had seen enough. I understood what it was.  

I came back again the next day when the Bike Hub was open and asked the guy working there where this had come from.  

He told me that the Auckland Arts Council had bought it a few years ago and had been placing it in similar locations all over Auckland since then.  It was Henderson's turn.  He didn't know how long it might be making rainbows here.  I'll have to return and play with it some more. Maybe get a really full rainbow inside. 

This is a pretty impressive sun toy.   -djf

Update:  I walked by there this morning, 3/18, and it's gone.  Moved on to another location. I really thought it would be here longer....Good thing I told you about it when I did.  -d