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Kotuku Gallery, Whataroa: The Most Beautiful Maori Carvings and Jewellery
You can get Maori bone and wood carvings, also pieces of wearable art made of pouanamu (greenstone; jade) in any tourist shop throughout the country. But I have never seen more beautiful bone carvings than in the Kotuku Gallery in Whataroa on the West Coast.Especially the pieces made of bone and adorned by paua shell and so called tea staining (a special kind of engraving) are extraordinary pieces of wearable art. As they are unique and rather massive, they come at a price - from about NZ$ 220 to 265.You can also get smaller items - and much bigger ones, and also made of the famous West Coast greenstone, called pouanamu by Maori, or jade, or of rimu - including a two metre long waka, a Maori war canoe ;-) So you have a whole lot of items - and a big price range.The artist is Kereama (Lou) Armstrong. He was born in Rotorua and has been carving for 40 years. Most pieces they sell in the...
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