Stop 1
Tuia Te Muka Tangata 168 Bank Street, Regent, Whangarei 0112, New Zealand
By Charles and Janine Williams from Auckland / NZ Location: 168 Bank St Charles and Janine say “Represented in our design are the differing accounts of the local mountainous terrain of eastern Whangārei which speak of five brothers to some and to others a story of an unfaithful partner. Despite these differences, the five maunga (mountains) appear in the stories of all local people in some way and our design acknowledges these Iwi accounts.
“Mount Manaia (set apart in a darker shade) and the local Hātea river are acknowledged by the use of kaokao and triangular shapes. In Māori mythology the Manaia is depicted as having the head of a bird, the tail of a fish and the body of man - the use of the Kōtare (Kingfisher) acknowledges this motif and its origins.”
Stop 2
Tena Ko Te Tumanako Mo Toku Iwi - Hope For 43 Quayside, Whangārei, Whangarei 0110, New Zealand
MY PEOPLE By Mike Tupaea from Whangārei, NZ Assisted by Bub Dewes and Isaiah-Matthew Rameka Location: Te Manawa The Hub, Town Basin “The mural is about weaving Rangiātea (heavens) together with the whenua (land) through karakia. The central figure is a Tohunga standing in karakia holding a Kō, which in this case is a taiaha fashion into a cultivating implement.
It is lashed together with a foot piece which represents Rongo. The Kō in this
mural is titled Hohou A Rongo (to lash together with peace). The trees symbolise Whakapapa. “The roots of the trees are Manaia forms which symbolises the Mana of our Tūpuna (ancestors) that we carry and represent.
The branches of the trees have kowhaiwhai patterns referencing future generations. The pūngāwerewere (spider web) is catching the kōrero between the physical and the spiritual lie at the foundation of the mural. The mural has three layers which have been hand cut.”
Stop 3
Untitled 17 Finlayson Street, Whangārei, Whangarei 0110, New Zealand
By Askew One/Elliot O’Donnell from New York City / USA (originally Auckland, NZ)
Approximately 25 local children, youths and parents painted the lower half in a workshop held by Askew. The remaining are 3D scans of parts of Whangārei.
Stop 4
Kotahitanga – Unity 72 John Street, Whangārei, Whangarei 0110, New Zealand
By Earnest Bradley from Whangārei, NZ Location: 70 John St
Stop 5
Respect Tomorrow 72 John Street, Whangārei, Whangarei 0110, New Zealand
By Bryce Williams and Jasmine Fuller from Whangārei, NZ Location: Corner of John St and Dent St “I decided to paint a weave pattern with this significant text and the help of my fiancé, Jasmine Fuller.
The blue represents Whangārei’s beautiful waterways and the ocean, and the green represents Whangārei’s lush native forests. These threads of Whangārei are woven together with a balanced text ‘Respect Tomorrow” within.
My take on Humanity is that together as a community we look after our resources including the waterways and the forests to ‘Respect
Tomorrow”.
Stop 6
Candice 00:00,02 18 Butter Factory Lane, Whangārei, Whangarei 0110, New Zealand
By Dourone from Spain and France Location: Behind the ASB, Butter Factory Ln
Stop 7
Manaia 18 Butter Factory Lane, Whangārei, Whangarei 0110, New Zealand
By Mateus Bailon from São Paulo, Brazil Location: Behind Quest Apartments, Butter Factory Ln This is Bailon’s depiction of Manaia, which is a mythological creature in Māori culture, and is a common motif in Māori carving and jewellery.
The Manaia is usually depicted as having the head of a bird and the tail of a fish and the body of a man, though it is sometimes depicted as a bird, a serpent, or a human figure in profile.
Stop 8
Opening Up, Sharing The Colours 47 James Street, Whangārei, Whangarei 0110, New Zealand
COMMUNICATION IS CONNECTION By Gina Kiel from Wellington, NZ Location: 26 James St Gina describes this mural as “Opening up, Sharing the Colours, Communication is connection” which fits well with the Festival theme of ‘Tuia te muka Tangata’ or ‘Weaving the threads of Humanity’.
Stop 9
Untitled 6 John Street, Whangārei, Whangarei 0110, New Zealand
By Swiftmantis and Ephraim Russell from Palmerston North / NZ Location: Behind Event Cinemas, John St
Swiftmantis explains “I first met Ephraim Russell in Palmerston North, both tattooing at a local streetshop. I didn’t know how to spray paint back then but Ephraim was already an established Graffiti and Street Artist so I ended up learning a lot from him over the years, just yarning in our breaks. Years later we’re both doing large scale murals independently but never got a chance to actually collaborate on one until now. From the start, we really wanted a photographic depth-of-field look in our rendering, so the focal points are sharply detailed while the out of focus
area are more blurry and soft. We started the concept by photographing everything ourselves.
We photographed the Kitten and Weta from an upward angle so when we scale them up to the size of a 9 metre wall it really looks like they’re looking down on you from street-view. “These two creatures are unusual companions, and reflect the unusual relationships we encounter in life. The unexpected friends we meet along the way that challenge and change our paths, and together help weave the threads of our future. “This idea is often embellished in many cinematic motifs, and since the mural is painted on the Whangārei Cinema we thought it would be fitting to encapsulate the whole freeze frame moment with a film- reel border.”
Stop 10
Alex And Carmilita 49 Walton Street, Whangārei, Whangarei 0110, New Zealand
By Lisa King from Adelaide, Australia Location: 49 Walton St Lisa says “This mural is titled ‘Alex and Carmilita’ “The brief for this festival was ‘Weaving the threads of Humanity’ The response was to build a portrait of my partner, Jarrad Jackson’s father Alex Herewane who has strong Māori blood but also houses indigenous Australian roots.
Thus the perfect human for the weaving of the threads and the interconnection of the people of the lands, both Polynesian and Indigenous Australian together in unity as one. “Alex’s very proud Māori sister ‘Aunty Carm’ passed away unexpectedly three months ago and so it felt right to build a piece where I could bring a little bit of her back to the Homelands. This one’s for you beautiful Herewanes.”
Stop 11
Hongi - The Breath Of Life 106 Cameron Street, Whangārei, Whangarei 0110, New Zealand
By Millo from Rome, Italy Location: Back of the Police Station, Lower Cameron St “A hongi is the traditional Māori greeting in New Zealand. It is done by pressing one’s nose and forehead (at the same time) to another person.
During the hongi, the Hā, or breath of life is exchanged and intermingled. The breath of life is also considered the sharing of both parties’ souls.”
Stop 12
Selenaia 5 Hannah Street, Whangārei, Whangarei 0110, New Zealand
By Fin Dac from Dublin / Ireland Location: 10 Hannah St Fin says “‘Selenaia’ was my take on the Street Prints Manaia theme ‘weaving the threads of humanity’. A split image highlighting the dual ethnicity of model Selena Bellingham.
Her clothing and adornments reflect both her Māori and Filipino heritage as well as the attributes
associated with them.”
Stop 13
Untitled 5 Hannah Street, Whangārei, Whangarei 0110, New Zealand
By Amanda Valdes from Miami / USA Location: Inspired by Māori mythology and Tāwhirimātea: the god of weather, thunder and lightning, wind, clouds and storms.
Stop 14
Kotahi / Uno 82 Robert Street, Whangārei, Vinetown 0110, New Zealand
Paola Delfin, from Mexico City, Mexico Paola says “A few weeks ago, I had the great pleasure to share some time in this beautiful country and be part of this experience, taking place in Whangārei, home of Ngātiwai “descendants of the sea” and descendants of Manaia. More than 1000 years ago they navigated the oceans coming from Hawaiki nui and also from the Americas as many Māori tribes believe, arriving in Aotearoa in
Māhuhu-ki-te- rangi, their Iwi’s waka. “They shared with us their beliefs, reminding us of the importance of honouring the past, our ancestors, those who built the events that made us who we are, and gave us a heritage.
To also remember that no matter where we come from, in the end, we are all connected, we have always been.”
