Originally known as the *Aotea Square Water Sculpture*, this large-scale sculpture and fountain first appeared as a volcano pushing up through the surface of Aotea Square. It was commissioned for the site in 1980 following a water sculpture competition, sponsored by Auckland City and the Auckland Savings Bank.

Made of bronze sheets, wood and steel in concrete, the sculpture was designed by artist Terry Stringer to reflect the volcanic activity of the city, New Zealand's wilderness and the high-rise buildings surrounding Aotea Square. *Mountain Fountain* was removed from Aotea Square in 2008 to make way for redevelopment works. After consultation with a number of groups, the public and the artist, it was relocated to the forecourt of Holy Trinity Cathedral in Parnell. The current location provides an urban setting where the fountain complements the architecture of the cathedral and the design of the forecourt. It also fulfils architect Professor Richard Toy's original vision for the cathedral – to have an artwork located next to it.

"I was trying to suggest another of Auckland's volcanoes pushing up through Aotea Square. The work offers all the delights of hills and mountains. It has waterfalls, pools and streams and the pleasant sound of falling water is an integral part of it," says Stringer of the artwork.

Mountain Fountain

With hand on hip, leaning on a plough, this statue of Robert Burns represents the poet as an ordinary man. In one hand he holds a book, and in the other he holds a pen signifying his profession. He stands on top of a large plinth made of Coromandel granite inscribed: "To the eternal memory of Robert Burns 1759 - 1796 the peasant bard of Scotland, the strong advocate of universal freedom and the brotherhood of man."

The statue was a gift to the city of Auckland from J. M. Mennie, who was the President of the St Andrew's Society and proud of his Scottish roots. Mr. Mennie had also donated the nearby bandstand in the Auckland Domain in 1912. This monument had the distinguished honour of being the first Robert Burns memorial installed in the North Island in 1921.

The statue is a copy of artist Frederick Pomeroy's 1896 Robert Burns statue located in Paisley, Scotland. Another 1905 copy of this statue resides in the Botanic Gardens in Sydney, Australia.

Robbie Burns

The shape and form of John Edgar's sculpture recalls ancient monuments, steles, often used for funerary or commemorative purposes and generally made in stone or timber.

Edgar refers to stones as the bones of the land, formed over long periods of time. Transformer is very much a contemporary sculpture imbued with tradition and sense of the past, rich with ideas open for interpretation.

There is no specific person or event being commemorated. The two elements are cut from Coromandel granite and simply rise from their foundations enabling the viewer to get close. Across the road is a traditional commemorative work installed in 1921. It is a bronze statue of Scottish poet, Robert Burns (1759 –1796), standing upon on a tall base. Edgar's choice of Coromandel granite for his sculpture pays homage to tradition whilst elevating the medium from a base material to the artwork.

The tall stele of Edgar's work stands beside a smaller form suggesting that perhaps that it has fallen and been rounded by weathering. The two elements are embedded with bands of red granite reminiscent of digital markers, yet undecipherable by us.

Transformer

Looming as a great kāhu pōkere (black hawk) this sculpture commands its place in Pukekawa / Auckland Domain. The kāhu pōkere is a kaitiaki (guardian) symbol that features in the histories of Ngāti Whātua and Tainui. In Māori lore manu (birds) were the tangata whenua (first inhabitants) of Aotearoa (New Zealand) and were regarded as its kaitiaki.

Fred Graham's *Kaitiaki*, made of steel plate, looks across to Pukekaroa, a small scoria cone west of the nearby Auckland Museum. In 1940 Princess Te Puea Hērangi planted a tōtara tree on this cone to commemorate an 1828 peace treaty and settlement agreement signed by Ngāpuhi, from the north, and local iwi (tribal people) Ngāti Whātua. The Domain's Māori name Pukekawa (hill of bitter memories) refers to the battles fought by these two iwi.

Terry Stringer

Mountain Fountain

"A monumental bronze mountain with waterfalls and pools, inspired by Auckland's surrounding volcanoes and the wilderness of New Zealand."

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