Awapuni School, Gisborne

Special places in Gisborne

Art in public places

Interested people in Gisborne have formed the 'Gisborne Art in Public Places Charitable Trust'. This committee has organised lots of artwork to make the town an exciting place to visit. These are some of the art works.

The millenium tile wall

This is the millennium wall made by all the children in Gisborne for the year 2000. Children painted their faces on a tile and it was fired in a kiln. Then they were stuck on a long wall near Gisborne Wharf. They make a nice place for visitors to come to.

Read me a story, Grandad

This is a statue of a man reading to a boy. It was made by an artist in Christchurch called Don Patterson. The Art in Public Places Committee in Gisborne commissioned him to make it and raised money for the statue. It sits in Peel Street, opposite the H.B. Williams Memorial Library.

Whakairo

This statue is at the information centre where many visitors come. The committee wanted to make the entrance inviting. It was made by Simon Lardelli. It is made of totara and steel. The word Whakairo means "carving" in Māori.

Whales' teeth

These are pictures of the sculptures representing two whales' teeth commissioned by the Art in Public Places Committee. The artist was a Gisborne man, Seymour May.

The whales' teeth cost $23,668 and are made of clay and the pictures are carved onto them.

On one there are pictures of grapes, maize, the town clock, AMP building, the sun, the sea and the people that make Gisborne special.

On the other are pictures to represent Gisborne's Māori people.

These whales' teeth represent a gateway to the city.

This is the whale tooth with Māori patterns. It also has a tuatara on it.

This is a picture of Shannen and Lauren standing in front of the whale's tooth. You can see the pictures of the people on it and the grape vines.

By Shannen and Lauren.