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Kura Moana by Lisa Reihana

As part of the Aotearoa New Zealand Festival of The Artist this huge sculpture came to the Whairepo Lagoon on Wellington’s waterfront. This giant octopus – Te Wheke-a-Muturangi was chased by Kupe across the Pacific Ocean, so the story goes. In the words of the artist themselves:

“Kura Moana focuses on Te Moananui a-Kiwa, the great ocean, and its role as connector between Aotearoa and across all the Pacific nations. I have created a series of installations that invite families and communities to discover iconic locations on the Wellington waterfront in new ways, to think about some of the local histories and stories that relate to this place. It’s about travellers, those who dared to traverse the Pacific, people who seek something new, another life. Kura Moana is a treasure hunt across the waterfront and I’m hoping that kids will go on a journey to discover the different installations – there’s music, song, playful inflatable sculptures and an augmented reality experience. I can’t wait to bring this art experience to Pōneke.”— Lisa Reihana, Artist in Focus

This is one of the best sculptures I’ve seen in Wellington. I only wish I had stayed a little longer to see the sculpture lit up at night.

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Fireworks from Mount Victoria

Fireworks from Mount Victoria

For this year’s Chinese New Year fireworks I walked up to the Mount Victoria Lookout. From here you get a good view of the city centre. It was too crowded at the lookout and I didn’t like the foreground. So I walked down Lookout Road to in front of the Radio Tower. What caught my eye was the twists of Palliser Road in the foreground. Taking a wider view of the fireworks meant I captured the S shape of the road. This leads the eye towards Clyde Quay Wharf and the explosion of the firework in the sky above the city centre.

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Oriental Parade – Wellington



Oriental Parade - Wellington



This was taken from the end of the Clyde Quay Wharf.
 The white building on the left is the Freyberg Pool and Fitness Centre (my current gym). I walk along this stretch of the waterfront many times a week. In the centre is the marina, boat sheds and the Royal Port Nicholson Yacht Club. Above the gym on the left is the iconic Saint Gerard’s Catholic Church and Monastery. To the right of this are the beautiful villas perched on the hillside. A close look might reveal a red car on a platform that sticks out from the hill (hint, it’s next to the orange house). Then, of course, is the lookout at the top of Mount Victoria. There are about 300 metres between the boat sheds and lookout, 200 metres vertically.

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Lanterns of the Terracotta Warriors

Lanterns of the Terracotta Warriors

A few weeks ago the Terracotta Warriors came to Te Papa, New Zealand’s national museum. Outside the museum’s main entrance were the lanterns. These life-size, brightly coloured lanterns are lit up at night. Commissioned for the Beijing Olympics in 2008. There are 38 figures and two horses.