But pupils at Maori Hill School can now see the marine life without getting so much as a toe wet.
Teacher Sarah Freiburger spent the summer holidays painting a mural of a harbour scene on a wall next to the junior play area.
Miss Freiburger said she wanted to beautify the area as well as educate pupils about biodiversity and raise awareness for conservation.
She wanted the children to think about how special the underwater world was.
The mural is at eye level for children and features New Zealand fur seals, little blue penguins and Otago shags.
The wall was the first thing the junior pupils saw when they arrived at school.
Miss Freiburger estimated it took her about 70 hours to complete the painting.
It was her first time painting a mural at that scale.
She usually painted landscapes on canvas for her small art business.
‘‘It’s all self-taught, but I have been doing art all my life.’’
The pupils thought the mural was lovely, and Miss Freiburger was an ‘‘awesome’’ artist.
