Donations sought to restore Taupō's modern Māori rock carvings

Taupo Rowing Club school rowers at the modern Maori carvings at Mine Bay, Lake Taupo. A fundraising appeal is underway for the carvings' restoration.

The Mine Bay Māori Rock Carvings in Lake Taupō, one of the North Island's national taonga and biggest tourist attractions, needs your help.

Master carver Matahi Whakataka Brightwell is the creator of the rock carvings, a towering 14m high sculpture of the great navigator and high priest Ngātoroirangi.

This masterpiece is one of New Zealand's most extraordinary contemporary Māori artworks.

Brightwell wants to lead a small team to improve and restore the smaller carvings that surround the giant carving of Ngātoroirangi to return them to their original state.

As well as the work to tidy and repair the carvings, there is the need to train a new generation of carvers for the artwork's future maintenance as Mr Brightwell is now in his 70s.

The sculpture of Ngātoroirangi, and the smaller sculptures of tūpuna (ancestors) and kaitiaki (guardians) nearby were created in the 1970s by Brightwell and a team of four others — Jono Randell, Te Miringa Hohaia, Dave Hegglun and Steve Myhre.

It was created at the request of Brightwell's grandmother, Te Huatahi Susie Gilbert, who asked her grandson to create a likeness of Ngātoroirangi to create a permanent connection for her family to the land.

With no suitable tōtara tree available, Mr Brightwell travelled on to Lake Taupō for inspiration.

Master carver Matahi Whakataka Brightwell, artistic creator of Taupo's Maori rock carvings at Mine Bay.

The importance of the sculpture to Brightwell, his iwi and to the Taupō district has spanned generations, with tourists from all over the world travelling out on Lake Taupō to take a picture of his masterpiece.

Nowadays the sculpture is considered one of New Zealand's most extraordinary artworks and a major drawcard for visitors to the area.

It is also a major representation for the Māori people in the tourism sector.

Acquiring enough funding to create and restore can be a struggle, so local tourism operator Chris Jolly Outdoors, which runs scenic cruises to the carvings, is asking New Zealand to support Brightwell by donating to help with the renovation and restoration of this national taonga over the next few months.

A Givealittle page has been set up here.