Moai Statue - Wellington, New Zealand
S 41° 20.300 E 174° 47.595
60G E 315355 N 5421334
A 3.2 tonne sculpture of an Easter Island Moai, a gift from the President of Chile, stands alone on the south Wellington Coast, looking out to sea.
Waymark Code: WM4Y47
Location: North Island, New Zealand
Date Posted: 10/12/2008
Views: 39
Rapanui, Easter Island, is part of the Republic of Chile.
Moai were traditionally sculpted by the first-nation people of Rapanui, who are Polynesian.
Their language and many of their customs resemble those of the Maori people of New Zealand.
This Moai was chosen as a gift by the President of Chile because it symbolically acknowledges the ancient Pacific connection between the tangata whenua of Aotearoa and Rapanui.
Sculptor Tevo Pakarati, from Rapa Nui, carved a piece of hinuera stone into the Moai in Wellington's Te Papa Amphitheatre where it was unveiled, and then blessed by Te Papa’s Whanganui Iwi Kaumatua, George Waretini. The Moai was then moved to it's permanent home on the south Wellington coast.
Country or International City that Gave the Gift: Chile.
Country or International City that Received the Gift: Wellington, New Zealand.
Website Verifying this Item as a Gift from Another Country or International City: [Web Link]
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