The Mine Bay Māori Rock Carving of Ngatoroirangi by Matahi Whakataka-Brightwell on Lake Taupo, North Island, New Zealand

© Evgueni Zverev/Alam

Info. The Mine Bay Māori Rock Carving of Ngatoroirangi by Matahi Whakataka-Brightwell

We’re on New Zealand's North Island, looking at the Ngatoroirangi rock carving in Mine Bay, by Māori artist Matahi Whakataka-Brightwell. This artwork is part of a larger collection of carvings on the edge of Lake Taupo and has become a big tourist attraction despite being accessible only by boat. The artwork, which took four years to make, is a tribute to Māori ancestors and guardians, and the integral roles they play in the Indigenous Māori culture.

The Māori are the Indigenous Polynesian people of mainland New Zealand, having arrived in the islands from Polynesia in the 14th century. Over centuries of isolation, they developed their own distinctive culture, language and mythology. As of the 2018 census, the Māori comprised about 16% of New Zealand's total population.