The ruru or morepork is a nocturnal native bird of prey that is vulnerable to predators. Photo / Roger Smith
The ruru or morepork is a nocturnal native bird of prey that is vulnerable to predators. Photo / Roger Smith
A new exhibition is taking flight at the Waitakaruru Arboretum and Sculpture Park focusing on New Zealand's native owl, the ruru - or morepork.
On July 9 and 10 the park is dedicating a special programme, Project Ruru, to the seldom-seen, nocturnal bird.
The Art-in-Nature Arboretum Trust, which runs the park, has teamed up with 15 artists, the Wingspan National Bird of Prey Centre, Wintec and Mitre 10 to draw attention to the ruru.
Dorothy Wakeling, who created the arboretum near the small Waikato village of Tauwhare with her husband John, says its location befits the bird - and the ruru holds a special place in Kiwi hearts.
"The park is located along the Waitakaruru Stream [and] Waitakaruru is Māori for 'owl by the water', Wakeling says. "Most nights we hear ruru here in the park and we can even see them perched on a tree limb during the daytime when they are sleeping."
The ruru is New Zealand's only surviving native owl. It is classified as not threatened by the Department of Conservation (DoC); however, ruru are vulnerable to predators like stoats and possums. It is known for its distinctive call which can be heard at dusk in forests and parks.
According to ancient Māori belief, the ruru is seen as a watchful guardian that is associated with the spirit world.
To shine the spotlight on the ruru and help it to survive and thrive, the trust has commissioned 15 artists, including renowned metal artist couple Nathan and Destine Hull, glass artist Karin Barr and ceramic artist Sylvia Sinel, to create ruru sculptures.
The sculptures will become part of a new permanent activity for visitors to the park as they are invited to find the nesting ruru.
Hamilton-based artist Matthew James with his ruru sculpture. Photo / Danielle Zollickhofer
Hamilton metal artist Matthew James, 26, is the first to complete his ruru sculpture. He used old car parts to create a sculpture that shows two ruru sitting on a branch. The branch will be attached to a tree or wooden pole so that the sculpture morphs into the environment.
The ruru sculpture is his first commissioned work that will be available to the wider public, so he says he is particularly "stoked" to contribute to the exhibition.
"I have never seen a real ruru before, but I always hear a couple of them when I am camping at Little Waipa Reserve," James says. "I am excited to be part of this exhibition that brings this bird closer to people like me who didn't have the chance to spot one in the wild yet."
Wintec students are currently making 20 ruru nesting boxes with materials donated by Mitre 10 Cambridge. Working with other organisations, the trust plans to have these boxes installed in suitable trees for safer ruru nesting places throughout Waikato.
Wakeling says the trust was working on a dedicated programme including guest speakers and activities around the bird to accompany the exhibition. She says the idea originally came from former trust co-chair Felicity Campbell.
Campbell says she wanted to highlight a bird that people often don't see because it's easy to miss them when they are up in the tree crowns.
Dorothy and John built the arboretum on the grounds of an old greywacke quarry. Photo / Danielle Zollickhofer
"John often pointed out ruru that are living in the park to our visitors. I thought it would be a good idea to invite people to see the ruru themselves, because when visitors are walking around the park, they look at the sculptures or down at the plants and not up, where the birds are," Campbell says.
Dorothy and John created the arboretum at what was a disused greywacke quarry. They bought the 17.5 hectare property in 1991 with a big mission: To rehabilitate the land and to absorb carbon out of the atmosphere in order to slow down climate change.
It is one of the few accessible permanent forest (carbon) sinks registered under the Emissions Trading Scheme in New Zealand. Since the start of their mission, the couple have planted more than 20,000 trees.
