Horotiu

This representation of a kaitiaki (guardian figure) of the Te Waihorotiu stream that once flowed down Queen Street takes the form of tuna kuwharuwharu (long-finned eel). Made from patinaed cast silicon bronze, the 7.2 metre tall Horotiu corkscrews downward with it’s 'chin' resting on a layer of paver tiles that are decorated with a rivulet water pattern to represent the stream bed of Te Waihorotiu.

The belly of Horotiu has a whakairo (carved pattern) representing the migration path for the long-fin eel – from NZ rivers to the Pacific Ocean's Tongan Trench and return. It is symbolic of Te Ao Māori reverence for water and preservation of food sources.

Artists Chris Bailey (Ngāti Hako, Ngāti Paoa, Ngāti Porou, Te Aupouri) and Sally Smith (Ngāti Pākehā, Scottish) collaborated on the artwork creating this depiction of a tuna descending from Te Puna Kauariki (the springs of heaven). "Acting as a cultural wayfinder Horotiu descends from the heavens to rest in the valley" says Bailey, "Horotiu will provide a place to pause, refresh oneself with water and take inventory of the cultural landscape present within the valley."