By Virginia Winder

Francis Dillon Bell's panorama of New Plymouth. Image from the Puke Ariki Pictorial Collection.

Five years of detective work have led to the return home of a 160-year-old painting starring New Plymouth.

The watercolour by Sir Francis Dillon Bell was gifted to Puke Ariki on 8 November, 2005, by the TSB Community Trust, which brought it for $225,000.

Puke Ariki manager Bill Macnaught said he was delighted with the painting, titled New Plymouth Panorama, February 15, 1845.

"There are very few Sir Francis Dillon Bell works in institutions in New Zealand, so the commitment shown by the TSB Community Trust to this region's wealth of history by gifting such a rare work of art to the Puke Ariki collection is deeply appreciated," Mr Macnaught said.

Trust chairwoman Colleen Tuuta said the painting was hugely important to the region. "I think this is where it belongs and the trust felt that as well," she said.

"We had a look at it and thought it would be a good investment for future generations…and that it should come back to Taranaki because it was being sought after by others around New Zealand."

Ms Tuuta said Bell's Falls on Mt Taranaki and the New Plymouth suburb of Bell Block were both named for the artist. Bell was the nephew of New Zealand Company director Edward Gibbon Wakefield.

The 205mm x 675mm watercolour on paper is painted from Mt Bryon Reserve, on Octavious Place. It captures Mt Eliot, where Puke Ariki now stands, overlooking the mouth of the Huatoki Stream.

Auckland art dealer John Gow found the panorama - and five other Bell pictures - after some serious detective work.

It all began when the John Leech Gallery director heard that some important topographic paintings of New Zealand had been sold in a country sale just out of Paris, France.

"They went for an awful lot of money at this auction."

But nobody knew the identity of the buyer, believed to be an old master dealer whose wife had Kiwi connections.

"We spent five years tracking him down and finally got to him…" Mr Gow then convinced the owner to allow the Auckland gallery to sell the six unframed works for him.

The paintings had been kept in a vault in the United Kingdom. "I was just amazed by their condition and how important they were, particularly the panorama. For their age, they are just extraordinary."

The other pictures were also of New Zealand but only the panorama was of Taranaki.

During a phone conversation with Taranaki Festival of the Arts director Roger King, the subject of New Plymouth picture came up.

"He said, 'I think this should come back to Taranaki' and I said 'I'd love it to', but I wasn't aware it was possible. At that stage another museum had heard of it and they were keen," Mr Gow said.

"I said, 'look, Taranaki can have first crack as far as I'm concerned'."

From there, the TSB Community Trust stepped in and a sale was negotiated.

"It's a great story," Mr Gow said.

"It's kind of nice because it occurred in the year where we (the John Leech Gallery) are celebrating our 150th year of being in business in New Zealand.

"That panorama is one of the most significant 19th century images that we've handled from a point of view of the history of New Zealand."

Mr Gow said the painting was a once-in-a-lifetime find. "History can be changed by discoveries like this."