Te Ana Ngāi Tahu Māori Rock Art Centre

The original art galleries of Aotearoa

2 George St, Timaru

Journey through the history and culture of Ngāi Tahu people at Te Ana, a state-of-the-art immersive cultural centre. From here book a guided tour to the Ōpihi limestone caves that reveal haunting images painted by Māori hundreds of years ago. 

The Māori rock art sites located throughout Te Waipounamu are one of the most direct and tangible expressions of the long-standing connection between the mana whenua and the land. They record tribal history from the earliest moa hunting times up to contact with Europeans, and mark the ara tawhito and mahinga kai trails used by successive generations, over many centuries. 

Te Waiatatanga Mai o te Atua The Song of the Gods

Observatory Tower, Te Matatiki Toi Ora The Arts Centre

2 Worcester Boulevard, Christchurch

Entry is free to this immersive permanent exhibition that tells a version of the Ngāi Tahu creation story, as written down in 1849 by Matiaha Tiramōrehu. New Zealand Arts Laureate Dr Areta Wilkinson (Ngāi Tahu) acted as Creative Lead for the five Ngāi Tahu artists: Turumeke Harrington (Kāi Tahu, Rangitāne), Alex McLeod (Ngāi Tahu, Te Rarawa, Ngāti Rangi, Tainui, Ngāti Porou), Kate Stevens West (Ngāi Tahu), Christine Harvey (Ngāi Tahu, Kāti Mamoe, Moriori, Ngāti Mutunga, Te Ati Awa, Ngāti Toa Rangatira), and Ariana Tikao (Kāi Tahu).   

Together, the sculptures, carvings, paintings, and soundscape bring to life a sense of the darkness from which ‘all life comes’ and humanity’s relationship with the natural world. The story centres on Papatūānuku the earth mother, Raki the sky father, and their children, from whom we all descend.

Also at Te Matatiki Toi Ora The Arts Centre is Te Whare Tapere, a gallery with a focus on promoting and supporting Māori art and artists in Ōtautahi. The space supports a range of creative projects from exhibitions, performances, and movement, to workshops, wānaka, and artists talks. Visit their Facebook page to see what's on.

Kaikōura Cultural Artwork Trail

Toi Māori on the highway

State Highway 1 north and south of Kaikōura

The creation of the cultural artwork trail along Kaikōura’s coastline was part of the massive rebuild after a 7.8 magnitude earthquake in 2016 caused major damage and uplift to the Kaikōura township and coast. This rebuild included consultation with local Māori representatives in the Cultural Advisory Group, which resulted in a plan to tell the stories and history of local iwi, Waitaha, Kāti Mamoe, Ngāti Kurī and Ngāi Tahu through art. Master carvers Riki Manuel (Ngāti Porou) and Fayne Robinson (Ngāi Tahu) created four pouwhenua (large carved pillars) and six tekoteko (small carved pillars). The trail also features vapour-blasted murals, laser-cut steel sculptures, native plantings and information panels.

As you drive along the Kaikōura coastline, pull over at the seven safe stopping areas. Take a break, enjoy the views and learn the special history and cultural significance of this area. The artwork tells the stories of Māori atua and tangata, and whakapapa from the Waitaha, Ngāti Mamoe and Ngāti Kurī hapū of Ngāi Tahu who successively settled around the Kaikōura coast over the past 800 years.