Artist, ringatoi, sculptor Anton Forde (Ngāti Ruanui) – who is known for his works that connect with land and nature – has spent four years painstakingly carving a 16-metre waka from a pōhutukawa, unveiled on Saturday morning at Postage Stamp Wines on Waiheke Island.
Despite enduring interruptions caused by a pandemic, natural disaster, and other major life events, Forde has fashioned his carving after a waka tētē, a type of travelling waka, which would have been common on Waiheke.
The artist and his raw material were a match seven centuries in the making, after a 6m-tall, 700-year-old pōhutukawa tree fell on the Waiheke property of arts champions and philanthropists Andrew Barnes and Charlotte Lockhart.
The pair wanted a special artist who could give the tree new life in a different form.
“The story of the waka’s creation is very personal for everyone involved. Charlotte and I, and Anton and Ngāti Pāoa have supported each other to create a deeply connected sculpture, from the first karakia or blessing of the tree when it came down to the final whakatuwhera, the unveiling, of the waka,” Barnes said.
“To protect and maintain this incredible waka sculpture for generations to come, we set up the Onetangi Waka Trust via the Perpetual Guardian Foundation, through which we fielded our personal funding to commission its creation, with a structure to ensure its ongoing upkeep.”
The waka was blessed in a dawn ceremony at Postage Stamp Wines on Saturday morning and named Te Aroha – gifted by local iwi Ngāti Pāoa. The waka sculpture will permanently be located at the entrance to Postage Stamp Wines and open to the public.
“The pōhutukawa had stood proudly for its lifetime at the entrance to the harbour, a beacon for people coming to Auckland,” Lockhart said.
“When I contacted Anton and said, ‘We’ve got this tree. Do you want some wood?’, I never envisaged we would have such a magnificent piece. I thought he might make a whole group of art objects from it, but the journey we’ve been on is a single piece of art from this tree.
“For Andrew and me, it is largely about rejuvenation and the circle of life – it all happened in the year I got my metastatic cancer diagnosis as well.
“While the tree has gone from our home, it has been given a new birth. It represents society in general, I think, how life goes in waves, not just a constant line. It’s always ups and downs. For me, the waka represents the idea there’s always hope – when there are bad times, you hold on to hope and the good times will come again.”
Forde said it was a privilege to be asked to carve the waka and it has basically consumed his life for the past four years.
“I think everyone here in Aotearoa New Zealand connects with a waka in some way,” Forde told the Herald.
“Many important things have happened [as the waka was created] – births, deaths, marriages, sicknesses, a pandemic, floods. Through this time this work has been a constant in my life and has enabled connection and reconnection in many ways. For me it’s one of the biggest works I’ve ever done, and the last waka I’ll ever do.
“For the last four years, for every work I’ve completed, this waka has been there with me, and with Charlotte and Andrew. It’s special and it has been a privilege to be involved.”
Over the past decade Forde’s sustainably milled hardwood, stone sculptures, and installations have been shown at solo and group exhibitions in Aotearoa, Australia, Ireland, and San Francisco in the United States.
The waka will be kept close to the sea and installed at the winery, which is owned by Barnes and Lockhart.
Waiheke Island itself holds great cultural significance dating back more than 700 years, when waka would journey from Coromandel, Aotea, and Tāmaki Makaurau. People ventured to the island for sustenance, particularly fish, and would pause for replenishment at a puna (spring) on the island.
Postage Stamp is in an area where these waka would be anchored. Travellers would navigate through Pūtiki Bay and an estuary to reach their destination.
On the front of the waka sculpture is a kuaka, connecting with a significant nearby bay Kuakarau, and the bird that travels thousands of kilometres in March, returning home in summer; and a whai (stingray) that is often referred to as a kaitiaki of the area.
Represented on the back of the waka is Tangaroa / Atua of waterways, and an albatross raukura / feather. The rauawa / side gunnels connect with pakura / pūkeko footsteps connecting with the estuary and puna that have been a playground for pūkeko for centuries.
Regarding the age of the pōhutukawa, a credible estimate of approximately 700 years can be made because of the kauri harvesting activity in the second half of the 19th century that was one of the first primary industries on Waiheke Island. After harvesting, the island was largely set on fire.
Pōhutakawa and puriri often survived the intense heat as they are such dense trees. This is why many of the fenceposts on Waiheke are made of puriri. This pōhutukawa is acknowledged as one of the old ones due to its tall, straight main trunk.