October 01, 2015
Descendant leads Waitere restoration
A descendant of Tene Waitere is leading the effort to restore the Ngati Tarawhai master carver's work in the Rotorua Government Gardens.
Rob Rika says the work could take three months to complete.
A blessing to start the work was held this week at the Prince’s Gate archway.
The carvings were created for a palisaded fenceline surrounding a model Maori village at the 1904 New Zealand Expo at Hagley Park in Christchurch.
They were shipped back to Rotorua in 1907 and split between the Government Gardens and the Maori Arts and Crafts Institute at Whakarewarewa.
Mr Rika says he's helped by having some of his tupuna's original chisels handed down through the family.
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