Waikowhai Coastal Walkway

Excerpt from He Kohinga Toi – Auckland Public Art website.

Artwork details

Production date: 2017

Medium: Stainless steel, fibreglass resin

Credit line: Auckland Council Art Collection

Description

Positioned at rest areas along the Waikowhai Coastal Walkway, the panels of this artwork are integrated into the handrails. Each patterned panel is made of stainless steel and red fibreglass. The three tukutuku (ornamental lattice-work) patterns signify the abundance, health and guardianship of the Manukau as a traditional food basket for mana whenua (tribe with historic and territorial rights over land).

Intended to be a continuous trail from Onehunga foreshore around the northern shoreline of Manukau Harbour, this boardwalk section of the Waikowhai Coastal Walkway links Taumanu Reserve in Onehunga to Bamfield Reserve in Hillsborough. The Onehunga foreshore was once known as Te Puhaetanga o Te Ata (the blowing back of Te Ata), referencing the strong wind and water currents coming off the Manukau Harbour and up through the estuary.

Sitting between Māngere and Maungakiekie maunga (mountain), the Manukau Harbour connects the southwest to the northwest region: Ka hi te Manuka describes this landscape, capturing the two maunga and the harbour. The geometric designs utilise tapatoru tāniko (triangle shaped finger-weaving) patterns, incorporating aramoana (zigzag lines) which depict the sea and currents that connect the south and northwestern regions. The harakeke (flax) pattern reflects the fishing industry and the history of food gathering in the region, while the waharua (small double diamond shapes) represents the two entrances into the Manukau Harbour.

Location: 125 metres east of Bamfield Reserve, on the Waikowhai Coastal Walkway.

https://www.aucklandpublicart.com/search?artwork=4148

For more information on the process check out the manufacturers website Solid Composite here!