Stone Sculpture Donated for Coastal Walkway

A sculpture carved during last month’s Te Kupenga Stone Sculpture Symposium has been donated to New Plymouth District Council for installation on the Coastal Walkway.

Pohutukawa Summer by Putaruru artist Jocelyn Pratt was bought by Bruce Richards, who then gifted it to the district so it could be enjoyed by everyone.

“I love the sea and I think the Coastal Walkway is the best thing I’ve ever seen,” says Mr Richards.

“I came to New Plymouth 40 years ago for three months and I’ve been here ever since. I love the place and I wanted to give something back.”

Mayor Peter Tennent was thrilled to accept the sculpture on behalf of the district.

“Bruce is a well-known local identity,” says the Mayor. “He’s a director of Staples Rodway Taranaki Ltd, a trustee of the Taranaki Arts Festival Trust, deputy chair of the TSB Bank, a keen walker and a mad keen surfer.

“He is clearly very passionate about this community and the coastal area and it’s great that he has directed that passion into something that will be enjoyed by locals and visitors for many generations to come.

“The stone sculpture symposium is a fantastic event, generating interest from visitors and locals alike. I have fielded a huge number of calls from folk wanting to see at least one of the works from the latest event kept for future enjoyment – and Bruce has made that possible.

“This is a very generous gift and the sculpture will fit into the Coastal Walkway perfectly,” says the Mayor.

Mr Richards hopes the donation will encourage more people to make similar gifts over the coming years.

“I have a vision of a sculpture being donated every year of the stone symposium so that 40 years from now we have a Coastal Walkway dotted with artworks that reflect the changing nature of art over the decades,” says Mr Richards.

In carving Pohutukawa Summer, Ms Pratt was inspired by the Coastal Walkway and the way pohutukawa leaves curl up in the summer heat.

The sculpture will be installed beneath pohutukawa trees next to the children’s playground by the Te Henui bridge.