Kupe Group by William Trethewey, 1939/1999

The winter darkness was with me throughout this morning's run. Not raining, and the wind was (for Wellington) a gentle breeze. On the waterfront, on the seaward side of the Boatshed and the Star Rowing Club, is this sculpture, which has an interesting history.

The original work, titled The Coming of the Maori (1939), greeted visitors to the Centennial Exhibition in 1939-40. It stood at the end of a pool, and was constructed of painted plaster. After the Exhibition, the piece was moved to the Wellington Railway Station where it suffered decades of vandalism. In 1986, it was moved to the Wellington Showgrounds and then eventually to Te Papa (the New Zealand National Museum). The original was cast in bronze in 1999, and unveiled on this site in 2000.

The piece consists of Kupe Raiatea, the great Maori explorer and discoverer of Wellington harbour, his wife Hine Te Aparangi and the tohunga Pekahourangi.

Legend has it that when Kupe, his wife and the tohunga (wise man/priest) first saw Aotearoa (New Zealand) from his waka (canoe) which was called Matahourua, his wife Te Aparangi cried "He ao! He ao!" (a cloud! a cloud!).

The country was therefore named Aotearoa ([land of the] long white cloud).