NZ visual diary - entry 29

Waharoa - Aotea Square

Waharoa ("gateway" in Te Reo Māori), created by the Māori sculptor Selwyn Muru, is a public art sculpture located at Aotea Square on Queen Street in Auckland. The Auckland Art Gallery provides this biographical sketch of the artist.

The sculpture anchors the square both visually and culturally.

I can remember when I first saw this magnificent artwork. It was December of 2007.

My wife and I, along with our younger daughter, had come to New Zealand for the first time to visit our older daughter. We were staying at the Elliot Street apartments just off of Queen Street.

On the first morning of the Auckland portion of our holiday, I set out to explore and started at the nearby Aotea Square.

The sight of the towering sculpture (seven metres in height) left me speechless.