Toi Tu Whenua. Rotorua. New Zealand.
S 38° 04.345 E 176° 10.445
60H E 427557 N 5785827
Motorists entering Rotorua from State Highway 5 are greeted by a magnificent aluminium sculpture called Toi Tu Whenua beside the main highway.
Waymark Code: WMAQ5K
Location: North Island, New Zealand
Date Posted: 02/10/2011
Views: 2
A new $200,000 entryway feature greets motorists and visitors entering Rotorua from State Highway 5.
The official launch and unveiling of the Tarukenga entryway into Rotorua took place in July 2010 and consists of five separate artworks and an information site spread over 1.75km of State Highway 5 on the main northern route into Rotorua.
As the highway continues towards Rotorua a series of pou (posts) by Lewis Gardiner link the carvings to his 5m high brushed aluminium artwork at the rest area called Toi Tu Whenua.
Mr Gardiner said his work was inspired by the whakatauki (proverb) "whatungarongaro te tangata toi tu te whenua," - "as man disappears from sight, the land remains".
The Artist: Lewis Tamihana Gardiner represents Te Arawa, Ngati Awa, Whanau a Apanui, Ngai Tahu Maori iwi / tribes.
He was born and raised in Mataura, Southland, but returned to his family land at Rotoiti near Rotorua in 1989.
Lewis Gardiner is regarded as one of the most innovative and respected Maori jade artists of his generation.
The aim with this artwork was to remind locals and visitors to Rotorua to respect the environment and to act as guardians of the land for future generations.
After winning the bi-annual Mana Pounamu Awards for contemporary Maori design in 1999, 2001, and 2003, his unique sense of design and use of inlay, coupled with his ability to envision large-scale works — often using several varieties of jade — has set Gardiner apart and his work is now valued by collectors in New Zealand and throughout the world.
Title: Toi Tu Whenua.
Artist: Respected Māori artist and carver Lewis Gardiner, of Rotorua
Media (materials) used: Brushed aluminium.
Location (specific park, transit center, library, etc.): Tarukenga entryway to Rotorua, SH5.
Date of creation or placement: July,2010.
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