It stretched from the just outside the Whanganui i-Site, through the River Traders market and along the boardwalk, reaching as far as Guyton Street.
And the chain of 2000 plastic shopping bags strung out on a line on Saturday morning certainly caught the attention.
The event was staged by the Plastic Bag Free Whanganui group who are seeking a ban on single-use plastic bags in the town as a starter, and eventually want them consigned to history completely.
Earlier this year members of the group spent an hour outside each of Whanganui's four big supermarkets and counted the number of plastic bags shoppers carried out.
That's where the 2000 comes in - Saturday's chain representing one hour's supermarket shopping in the town, which adds up to about 2.8 million bags a year.
The useful lifespan of a plastic bag is estimated at 12 minutes but, in fact, they live forever, eventually pervading the environment as tiny pieces of plastic. As a fossil fuel-based product, they never degrade or break down, making them a major pollutant.
Group Spokeswoman Robin Williamson said the striking display had had the desired effect of getting people to talk about the issue.
"I think it was a great success judging by the conversations we were having with passers-by," she said.
"Some of them had no idea about the problems plastic bags pose to the environment ... they just did not realise
"So it was good to be having those conversations and raising awareness."
She said it had taken many evenings for volunteers to string all the bags together, but it had been worth it.
The event was supported by Whanganui Green Party candidate Nicola Patrick and three visiting Green candidates, including former professional dancer and TV presenter Hayley Holt.
The Plastic Bag Free group are now hoping to put on a movie evening as a fundraiser, with a film focussed on plastic pollution.
Ms Williamson said they also wanted to do some educational work in school, and they are running a petition calling on Whanganui District Council to pass a bylaw banning single-use plastic bags.