Description:

True uniqueness can only be found within. This tuakiri is crafted by an ancestral spirit, unique to Rotorua. It flows through its people, its whenua, its lakes, its whakapapa. Shaped by pūrakautanga, freezing to his death on the summit of Tongariro, the chant for warmth from Ngātoroirangi to his sisters Kuiwai and Haungaroa, ignited a trail of geothermal eruptions from Hawaiki. His chant courses through every detail of this tuakiri, wrapping its warmth around all who engage with it. It acts as a shimmering acknowledgment to the rich lineage of this place. Ko ngā pūmanawa e waru o Te Arawa – cloaked by the eight peaks, recognising the eight beating hearts of Te Arawa, those who keep the fires burning. Formed of 18 glowing droplets, reflecting the mauri ora of the 18 distinct lakes found within this place. Kauae ki runga, kauae ki raro, a frequency that coils upward, binding the earth to the sky, the physical to the spiritual. Embodied in a contemporary expression of its unique taonga, the famous luminous geysers. This place brand connects the rich past of Rotorua to its radiant future.

This mahi was completed over the course of 3 years in collaboration with Te Tatau o Te Arawa, Mana Whenua, New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute, Rotorua Lakes Council and Destination Rotorua.