Maori rock carvings

These Maori Rock carvings are at Mine Bay on Lake Taupo. The immense carvings adorn the cliff faces of the bay, towering over 10 meters high.
Although the designs appear like the remains of an ancient Maori settlement, they were in fact carved by artist Matahi Whakataka-Brightwell in the 1970s, taking three summers to complete. The dramatic works are some of the largest rock art of their kind in the world, depicting Ngatoroirangi – the Maori visionary who guided the Tuwharetoa and Te Arawa tribes to Lake Taupo over a thousand years before.

They are only viewable from the water, so we took one of the popular boat excursions to see them. It is also possible to get there by kayak, and the three kayaks in the photo arrived just as we were leaving. 

There is more information about them here.