Natalie Couch

Wairakei 2017

Wairakei 2017
Intaglio print (1/1)
636 mm x 775 mm (framed)

By Natalie Couch
Ngāti Tūwharetoa

Wairakei acknowledges Kuiwai and Haungaroa who sent the four baskets of flame from Ruaumoko to warm Ngātoroirangi when he ascended Tongariro Maunga and was struck by the cold.  The sisters sent their siblings Te Hoata and Te Pupū who plunged deep within the earth and arose in several places in Aotearoa, including Wairakei. These healing thermal waters have nurtured our people for centuries, and continue to be of great spiritual significance.  This artwork acknowledges their importance and is a mihi to our ancestors who had the abilities to perform such rituals.