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Te Aho a Māui

Original image by Sean Neakums

Te Aho a Māui

Artist Rewi Thompson
Year
Location Located between the city and the waterfront, at the entrance to Civic Square from the City to Sea Bridge
Tour directions Follow the bridge towards Civic Square (away from the waterfront). This sculpture is the 'split pyramid' that you can walk through before you go down the stairs to Civic Square.

Here Comes the Sun

Before fishing up the North Island, Maui used his grandmother's jaw bone to snare the sun and beat it until it agreed to move more slowly, giving the people enough time to get their daily work done.

Sculpture background

Te Aho a Māui means the fishing line of Māui. Māui is a hero from Māori mythology. Te Aho a Māui refers to the Māori creation myth, where Māui, using the jawbone of his ancestor Muri-ranga-whenua as a fish hook, hauled up a great fish from the ocean, which became the North Island of Aotearoa, New Zealand. The North Island is also known as Te-Ika-a-Māui, meaning the fish of Māui.

Te Aho a Māui is a pyramid, representing a mountain, split in two. The paved walkway between the two sides of the pyramid represents Māui's fishing line, unravelling from the mountain to the sea.

Te Aho a Māui was one of the five pieces of art in place when Civic Square opened in 1991. Its companion, the City and Sea Bridge arrived in 1993.