Rowi

 

At Franz Josef along the main street is this sculpture with a kiwi sitting at the top on an egg. The plaque says:

This Rowi sculpture commemorates the 50th anniversary of the Westland Tai Poutini National Park 29th March 2010 commissioned by Franz Inc and sponsored by various local businesses.

The Rowi Kiwi is only found in the nearby Okarito Forest.

Linking up with Through my lens, Tuesday Treasures, My corner of the world, Wordless Wednesday.

Waitūkei

One from Rotorua this week. This bronze sculpture was unveiled in 2001 to mark the new millenium. Supported by both the Millenium Trust and the Rotorua Energy Charitable Trust, Waitukei was made by Rotorua artist Lyonel Grant. His inspiration for the sculpture was the people of the area and the rich melding of Maori and European cultures. It was crafted from bronze over a 2 year period and depicts 2 symbolic figures, one male and one female.

Linking up with Our World Tuesday, Travel Tuesday, Tuesday Treasures, Through my lens, My corner of the world and Wordless Wednesday.

Defining Horizons

Along Taupo's waterfront is this sculpture named "Defining Horizons" by Graham Bennett. Made from a combination of stainless steel, Cor-ten and mild steels it symbolises journeys of discovery in New Zealand.

The artist said he wants viewers to make their own interpretations of the sculpture, but for him it has many overlapping ideas.

He said "I was thinking of Polynesian migration, Cook's voyage of discovery and families ancestral journeys, but it could be interpreted as any form of way-finding".

The upper components of it which point in different directions symbolise the longitudinal divisions of the globe which divide the Pacific Ocean and the latitudinal divisions inspired the ribs which give it a nautical feel.

Linking up with Skywatch Friday.

Karangahape Rocks

I've been wanting to take a photo of this sculpture for ages, when I lived in Auckland many years ago I wasn't really interested in it but now I think it's just so weird and unusual. Here's what I found out about it:

Greer Twiss's bronze 'Karangahape rocks' (1967–69) sits in a park on the corner of Auckland's Karangahape Road and Symonds Street. It is a water fountain but the flow is modest – Twiss had the water trickle gently down the grooves in the large discs so it would not spray out in high winds. The water feature broke down in the late 1980s and was only repaired in 2012. 

It's like a focal point where it's located, at an intersection of Grafton Bridge and is easily seen if anyone is sitting in their car at the traffic lights. Greer is the Godfather of contemporary sculptures, for more than 50 years he has made them, exhibited, been collected, been commissioned, taught, been reviewed and written about. He has also been a pioneer of cast metal here in New Zealand and has also held exhibitions overseas.

 Linking up with The Weekend Roundup and  Weekend Reflections.