The new artwork at the entranceway to the steps on Tamaki Drive, leading from Mission Bay to Bastion Point, has been blessed.
Five mosaic medallions, created by artists Graham Tipene and John Botica, were officially blessed on Friday 18 March.
The artwork reflects the five themes of:
- Air – our flying history: The first flying school in New Zealand established at Mission Bay and the return of native birds
- Sea – our sailing history: A canoe to represent the earliest ships with compass points in the background pointing to the early European sailing traditions
- Land – the coastal forest: The tūī, and the kowhai flowers, abundant again after revegetation of the area
- Place – Our Mission Bay
- People – All who are here now and who came before us.
The Ōrākei Local Board hopes the art will make the accessway to Bastion Point more visible and clear, and an attractive site for visitors and locals.
Local board member and arts portfolio holder, Kate Cooke, says the upgrade is also identified for development in the Tamaki Drive Master Plan. The plan aims to transform Tamaki Drive from a road corridor into a multi-purpose area.
“The dawn blessing took place under clear skies with the Ōrākei Local Board, Ngati Whatua o Ōrākei, community groups, council staff and contractors who had worked on the project,” Kate says.
The two selected artists, Graham Tipene and John Botica, gave a brief outline describing the meaning of the medallions they had created at the blessing.
