Yesterday I visited the Waitakaruru Arboretum near Hamilton to see their current exhibition of sculpture among the trees. The arboretum was made by plantings in a disused quarry, and covers over 17 hectares (42 acres), with lovely walking tracks around the lakes, outcrops and gullies, and the plantings of many tree varieties.
The walk alone is worth going for, but it's really enjoyable and fun to come across
all of the various sculptures around the park.
In the current exhibition, Sky above Earth below, there are 37 pieces, but there are another 35 or so 'permanent' pieces throughout.
There were lots of family groups around, and there are certainly many exhibits to appeal to kids, such as this old taniwha* in a pond:
or these birds of prey dealing with a kill:
The piece I liked best was this chimney among the pines, with its connotations of the past; in this country the chimney is often the only thing left standing when a house has been abandoned to crumble and disintegrate...
I also really liked this strange thing, caught amongst the trees:
Because of the trees, the park has been declared a Permanent Carbon Sink under our government's carbon sink initiative - trees play a significant role in absorbing carbon and slowing the rate of climate change. So, there you go: intriguing, attractive - AND politically correct!
All in all it was a lovely thing to do on a holiday morning.
*taniwha - monster
What a cool arboretum!. Love the zen look in some of the photos u have.. I like that stone fireplace. Our arboretum doesn't compare w/the unique focal points that yours has.
ReplyDeleteGorgeous!
ReplyDeleteLooks amazing. There's a similar place up here called Butchart Gardens which was built out of an old quarry. It's interesting to see how we can turn a symbol of destroying nature into a symbol of nature's beauty if we want to.
ReplyDeleteLove the Kiwi Nessie!
ReplyDeleteVery pretty. Especially those orbs in the last pic!
ReplyDelete~
Wow. That is something I would love to see in person. Chimneys are the last things standing here as well when a house has been deserted. Thank you so much for this tour, I liked too many to choose favourites.
ReplyDeleteThanks all :)
ReplyDeleteKBF - to tell the truth the actual arboretum was a little disappointing - not much in the way of rare/endangered species. But the sculpture was great!
Hanny - I have been to the Butchart gardens, in another life years ago. They were stunning.
Jennifer - thanks for visiting :)
Lisa, EC - glad you liked the walk ;)
Thunder - there were quite a few orbs - I liked the black one in the water best :)
Oh my goodness, this was so much fun, that I will have to take this journey again....thanks for bringing us along on your delightful visit!
ReplyDeletethat is so cool!!
ReplyDeleteit's one thing to be wandering through the woods...you kind of know what to expect...but here...in these woods...you are surprised with MORE art than just nature's...
i love the big bird...and the spheres in the water!!
thanks for taking us there!!
Karen - I hoped you would like the walk! :)
ReplyDeleteLaura - you're welcome - after all, you take me to such lovely places, and show me stunning aspects of nature :)
what a wonderful place for an exibition! great shots :)
ReplyDeleteHeading that way today!
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