Public Sculptures

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West Quay carvings

WAITARA'S PAST AND PRESENT DEPICTED IN CARVINGS

Artist: Rangi Bailey

West Quay, Waitara.

In Waitara there are three carvings by Rangi Bailey of Otaraua hapu, which were unveiled in June 2003. 

The main stone carving, shaped like a tear drop held in a hand, commemorates Te Wiremu Kingi te Rangitake – a Te Atiawa chief who, in the mid-1800s, resisted the sale of Waitara land to the Government. A plaque on his commemorative stone says: "We resemble the sea birds that perch upon the rock", which is taken from a letter he wrote to Donald McLean, the chief land purchase commissioner at that time. The full quote is: "These lands will not be given by us into the Governor's and your hands, lest we resemble the sea birds which perch upon a rock: when the tide flows the rock is covered by the sea, and the birds take flight, for they have no resting place."

The second stone carving is a type of balancing stone which represents all of the people who had worked in the Waitara Freezing Works. 

The third carving is a 20m long totara piece which depicts the Waitara River and its importance to the local people. It is a feature of the boardwalk which runs the length of West Quay.
  
The two stone carvings bracket West Quay, with the totara carving running between them.