The Meeting House

On a recent visit to Taupo, I called into the Taupo Museum where I was most impressed by the display of this beautiful carved wharenui (meeting house). It's named Te Araha Rongoheikumi. If you remove your shoes you can enter - but not with a camera of course - so you'll just have to believe me when I say it was beautifully lit on the inside, to show off the incredible carving detail. There's a hint of that in the blue light washing up behind the wharenui in the main entrance hall. I love the addition of the burgundy leather sofa to the mahau (front porch). For any international readers not familiar with Maori architecture and culture, the wharenui was traditionally, the central building of a Maori village and now, of a marae. It literally means "big house" and depending on its use, it can also be known as the wharehui, whare tipuna or whare wananga. The wharenui is where a tribe records its history in carving, painting and weaving; it is a building that symbolises and important tipuna (ancestor) and major parts of the building represent parts of the ancestor's body. The amo for instance - the two major vertical carved poles at the front of the building - represent the legs of the ancestor, standing firm on the land.

Church Glass

I'm a big fan of churches. From an architectural point of view, they're one of my regular photographic subjects and when it comes to Maori churches, there is so much more to be inspired by. One of the largest and most ornate is St Faith's Anglican Church on the banks of Lake Rotorua at Ohinemutu in Rotorua itself.

Te Hahio o Te Whakaporo

The Church of the Faith

I love that almost every available surface is decorasted - either carved, painted or woven; and that the windows are embellished with beautiful Maori designs.

One of the most distinctive features at St Faith's is the Galilee Chapel Window, which features a life-size figure of Christ wearing a kiwi feather korowai (cloak). The figure is sandblasted on plate glass and by virtue of its placement, it appears as though Christ is walking on the waters of Lake Rotorua behind the church.

Architectural Detail

Carved Highlights

Turangawaewae Marae

Ngaruawahia, Waikato

Click on Turangawaewae Marae in the label line below

To find out more about this important Waikato marae.

New Book an Important Milestone

Book Cover Image courtesy Penguin Group (NZ).

At last a book that charts the course of Maori architecture! I spied this handsome volume just last week – “Maori Architecture – From Fale to Wharenui and Beyond,” written by Dr Deidre Brown and published by Penquin Group (NZ). It’s the first book that focuses on the genesis and form of indigenous buildings in New Zealand, exploring the vast array of Maori-designed structures and spaces, how they have evolved over time and how they tell the story of an ever-changing people. It covers everything from early Polynesian settlement, the introduction and influence of Christianity and Western technology, the buildings of religious-political movements (Ringatu, Parihaka and Ratana for instance) to post-war urban migration and contemporary architecture. In addition to the authoritative text, over 130 lavish photographs give the book visual punch. Deidre Brown is a Maori art and architectural historian of Northern Ngapuhi, Ngati Kahu and Pakeha descent. Her previous books have also been ‘winners’ – literally in the case of Tai Tokerau Whakairo Rakau –Northland Maori Woodcarving (2003), which won Best First Book Award, Non-Fiction at the 2004 Montana New Zealand Book Awards. Brown has also written Introducing Maori Art (2005), Maori Arts of the Gods (2005) and Te Puna: Maori Art from Te Tai Tokerau Northland (2007, co-edited with Ngarino Ellis). She currently works as senior lecturer at the School of Architecture & Planning, University of Auckland. http://www.penguin.co.nz/

Maori Design in Architecture

Rotorua. May 2009. Ajr

A few weeks back I posted a small piece about the use of traditional Maori design elements in contemporary western architecture – namely on the exterior of the grand Tudor building that now serves as the centre for Rotorua Tourism. It is not surprising that in a city that has always had a strong Maori presence, many buildings have been beautifully embellished with traditional Maori design elements. This is another example – on the exterior of the Rotorua Citizens’ Club – a sturdy Art Deco-style building in the centre of town. And on the subject of Maori architecture, look out for tomorrow’s post about Dr Deidre Brown’s beautiful new book, “Maori Architecture.”