Credit: Cam Feast
An imposing nine metre high Pouwhenua (Maori carving) at the entrance to the Wairakei Golf Course near Taupo was unveiled at a dawn ceremony today marking the opening of a multi-million dollar sanctuary that has been developed on the 180 ha property near Taupo. Three resident carvers at Wairakei Terraces - a local Maori tourism venture at Wairakei – and three Tainui carvers with affiliation to Ngati Tuwharetoa spent the last five months working on the Pouwhenua. The carving features Tane Mahuta – God of the Forest – and 30 native birds that are perched on a vine of life that twists up the pole. The pole is topped by a New Zealand eagle – Hokioi.