This impressive sculpture provides a gateway into Aotea Square, a gathering place and stage for public events. Standing at the Queen Street entrance it transforms Aotea Square into a marae or meeting place, and the Aotea Centre beyond into a meeting house. Artist Selwyn Muru (Ngāti Kuri, Te Aupōuri) chose macrocarpa wood for the archway because of its mauri (life force) and warmth, in contrast to the urban environment of steel, glass and stone. He carved each piece with a chainsaw and chisel.

To achieve the green colour on the forms near the top of the archway he treated pieces of weathered copper with vinegar. Some of the copper came from the top of the old Waitangi wharf piles, and by using it Muru acknowledges Tangaroa (god of the sea and fish) and his birthplace of Northland. The archway shows another four figures, also representing Māori atua (gods); Tamanuiterā (god of the sun), Tangaroa (god of the sea and fish), Tāne-mahuta (god of the forests and birds) and Tāwhiri-mātea (god of the winds, clouds, rain, hail, snow and storms). Representing heavenly bodies on the far left is Whetu me te Mārama (the stars and crescent moon). The body of the archway also features numerous symbols, highlighting Pacific and contemporary themes.

A haiku by renowned Māori poet Hone Tuwhare is inscribed into the work, with a te reo Māori translation by Muru. The haiku is a tribute to Tuwhare, Muru's friend and fellow artist, and a reference to the Horotiu Stream that originally ran down the valley that became Queen Street.



Stop your snivelling creek bed,

Come rain, hail and floodwater,

Laugh again.

*Hone Tuwhare*



Kaati te whenguwhenguake i raro na e te awa,

Haere mai e te ua, e te whatu, e te waipuke,

Katakatamai ano, ano ra.

*Selwyn Muru*

Waharoa

Complete with mayoral chain, shirt sleeves rolled up and fist in the air, this life-size bronze statue of Sir Dove-Myer Robinson (1901-1989) remembers one of Auckland's most colourful mayors in a characteristic pose. Auckland sculptor, Tobias Twiss, has captured the former mayor's small stature as well as his zeal and commitment to his ideals.

The memorial was commissioned to mark the 100th anniversary of Sir Dove-Myer Robinson's birth.  Robinson held the mayor's office from 1959-1965 and again from 1968-1980 – the longest-reigning Auckland mayor. Known across New Zealand as 'Robbie', he was a man ahead of his time. A passionate organic gardener and environmentalist, he fought for an urban railway for Auckland in the 1970s, an issue still important for civic leaders in Auckland.

'Robbie' overlooks Aotea Square just down the steps leading from Queen Street.

Sir Dove-Myer Robinson

This bronze artwork seems to rest on its red stone plinth; leaning back on its elbows with one knee raised and the other falling to the ground. Located on Auckland's Queen Street, the robed and hooded figure is an original bronze by Aleko Kyriakos, depicting the ancient Greek lyrical poet Sappho, from the island of Lesbos.



Kyriakos honours his subject's work by creating an almost rhythmic form, using repetitive, folding patterns, especially in the structure of the arm and the folds of the robe and hood. From a distance the sculpture appears quite solid, only revealing the finer details when closer to the artwork.



*Sappho* was commissioned in 1973 and originally located outside the Auckland Art Gallery, until its expansion in 2011. The sculpture was relocated to 360 Queen Street, where the colour is gently weathering to pick up on the red of the stone plinth and green of the surrounding grass. This artwork is also the first casting of the artist's original concept: a piece of the same name was commissioned for Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania, United States, as a bigger version of Kyriakos' original.

Sappho

EXT. SUBURBAN STREET — DUSK

Young woman crouches on the side of a quiet, semi-rural street, waiting. Light rain; it is a humid night in Auckland. Dark clouds hover overhead.

Beat-up Honda pulls up, driven by another young woman. The waiting girl runs to the car, dropping a bag on the back seat.

The car pulls out and they drive, the sun lowering on the horizon. City lights begin to appear around them.

EXT. CITY CAR PARK ROOF — NIGHT

Honda waiting alone in car park.

Two young women appear at the top of the stairs and walk towards the car. Sky black-blue, moon hangs low above the horizon.

The car doors slam. Silence falls.

Girls stare ahead.

The car starts and descends the levels of the carpark, leaving the city.

They drive, just breaking dawn follows behind them.

Obadiah Russon is an artist originally from Te Whanganui-a-Tara / Wellington. Currently based in New York City, she works between video and sculpture. Her work explores connections between the human body, contemporary spirituality and the existential impact derived from depictions of the future.

*TWICE* was part of *Wild Wild Life* commissioned by Auckland Council and curated by Mark Williams, director of CIRCUIT Artist Moving Image. *Wild Wild Life* was originally presented by Te Ahurei Toi o Tāmaki Auckland Arts Festival 2024 and installed at a series of site-specific locations across the inner city.

Selwyn Muru

Waharoa

"We are currently assessing the condition of Selwyn Muru’s Waharoa. It is more than 30 years old. If you are visiting Aotea Square, you will notice we have removed the six carvings at the top of the arch for restoration work. We will have them back in place by July 2025. "

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