On Sept 9th 2011 I left Aotearoa on a journey – and with me an 8kg mauri stone that would embark on it’s own journey…
But back track a little to April 2011. I had been asked to create a mauri stone to travel to Istanbul for an exhibition Uncontainable, Second Nature – Te Kore Rongo Hungaora. So I returned home to my maunga to choose a stone especially for this journey.
The stone’s origins are Taranaki maunga on the West Coast of the North Island, Aotearoa NZ – gathered from the Waiwakaiho river which runs down the mountain, through the landscape and out to the sea. When I first stepped into the river, it wasn’t long before I saw this stone – saying pick me pick me!
So I walked to the stone, did a short karakia to the awa and to the area, giving thanks for allowing me to take this stone on a journey and then picked it up and took it away for it’s next journey.
It was unlike most of the stones I gather from the sea and rivers. This stone was textured and rough, quite weathered and smooth in bits, it had a history, I could tell, there were many stories already within this stone.
And I always wonder, where has this stone come from? How was it formed? What shape was it before it ended up in the river? Who else held this stone like I do know? What energy does it have? Lots of curiosity questions…
So next stop was home to Gisborne and over the next couple of months, the stone would absorb a lot of rain and elements, taking in the East Coast air before embarking on it’s next journey to the Sunshine Coast Australia.
Floating Land 2011 – Boreen Pt, Sunshine Coast Australia was the venue – and what a stunning place this is, a natural biosphere protected and untouched is the best way to describe this place. If there was one place I could live in Australia, it would be here! So beautiful and the space that I had, was very spritual and added to the gentleness and wairua of the workshops that I would run here.
And as you can see in this photo, the mauri stone, held centre attention during my workshops, providing topic for discussion, healing energy and a spirit of curiosity and growth. These children for some of the many that came in co
This stone was to find it’s place within the exhibition Uncontainable, Second Nature – Te Kore Rongo Hunga Ora