Travel Theme : Statues

Rotorua is the home of Maori culture in New Zealand and the intricately carved statues are everywhere.

Maori Art – meaning and symbolism (click on link for more information)

“It is sometimes assumed that every cut in a piece of Maori carving must have a meaning, but in fact probably much of it is purely decorative. The number of carvers of the nineteenth century who had been taught by pre-European experts makes it highly probable that most of the teachers’ knowledge was passed on to the pupils. There is no convincing evidence that the knowledge was too sacred to be handed on, as much information about equally sacred matters was revealed even to Europeans in the early days of the European settlement. It is a reasonable conclusion, therefore, that either the amount of symbolism in carving has been greatly exaggerated or that it had been lost by the time the Europeans came to New Zealand.

It is important to note that the figures in Maori carving, with very rare exceptions, are not religious, but secular. They do not represent idols, but rather renowned ancestors of the tribe.”

This imposing statue stopped us in our tracks as we drove by. We had to take a closer look.

He was behind a type of palisade fence and the hot steam of the thermal activity swirled around him. Again it would cost to go in for a closer look.

But look what we saw down the road. This we had to investigate.

Clouds of steam were hissing and roaring. With a certain amount of trepidation we drove on.

It was an awesome sight and sound. The ground shuddered as the raw thermal energy was being channelled into pipes and converted into electricity.

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In Palmerston North we saw more Māori carvings in a park outside the Museum.

To see more statues from Ailsa’s “Where’s my backpack” click on this link