These magnificent bronze sculptures by Rotorua artist Lyonel Grant were completed in 2001, and stand in Government Gardens. The two figures, one male, one female, were inspired by the mixing of Māori and European cultures in Rotorua.
Government Gardens is quintessentially English, with its formal borders, manicured lawns for petanque and bowls, grand Tudor museum and the art deco Blue Baths.
It began life as part of a 20-hectare gift to the Crown in 1880, from local iwi Ngāti Whakaue, for the establishment of Rotorua and “the benefit of the people of the world”.
This once swampy, geothermal area still contains many sites significant to Ngāti Whakaue, including a fenced-off, bush-covered pool, that was once part of a boiling geothermal chasm, used as a burial pit for warriors killed in battle, so their bodies would never fall into enemy hands.
The most eye-catching feature of the park is the iconic Elizabethan category 1 heritage building that housed the museum. First opened as a bathhouse and spa, it is currently closed for earthquake strengthening and expected to re-open in three years time. Meanwhile, the museum guides have turned Government Garden guides.
This is the Maori heads up close & inscriptions from the artist:
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