Master carver's burning legacy celebrated at Waiohiki fire event

A sculptural tribute to late master carver Hugh Tareha depicting him with a hammer and chisel in hand. Tareha died in May. Photo / Simon Shaw

A celebration of life is not complete with a bit of light and warmth, and the Waiohiki Creative Arts Village's Earth, Food and Fire festival took that to the next level.

A crowd of more than 1000 people came to see 30 fire sculptures made by local artists and live music with three performances from fire artists on Friday.

The event culminated in a ceremony where a 4m-high sculptural tribute to the village's late master carver, Hugh Tareha, was set alight by members of his whānau.

Tareha died in May, but left a legacy of his work across the entire region, from figures shaped from tree stumps beside State Highway 50 at Waiohiki golf course near the village to one of his final works, a redwood Anzac sculpture in Rissington completed by another carver he was collaborating with, Chris Elliot.

Event organiser Neill Gordon said the sculptural tribute to Tareha was made by Havelock North artist Ricks Terstappen and sculptor Lance Greaves.

He said most of the fire sculptures, including a Ferris Wheel of Fire, were the work of Terstappen, while Greaves and sculptors John Woodham, Asaki Kajima and Katie Metcalfe were also involved.

Fire artists combined poi, staff and other tools with artful movement to create spectacular visual effects. Photo / Simon Shaw

"As dusk fell our field of fire was a magical sight and the cool, still evening was perfect for warming yourself by a fire," Gordon said.

"The free community event went off without a hitch and our first aid crew had absolutely nothing to do, not even a sticking plaster was required."