G R E A T B A R R I E R I S L A N D
| Great Barrier has always lurked on the edge of my consciousness; on a really clear day at Ngunguru, in Northland, if you could see the Barrier, you knew that rain was coming soon. |
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When I went to Great Barrier Island in 2006, I found that nothing was as I expected. Soaring needles of rock were sticking up like vertebrae all along the skyline of Hirakimata, the backbone of the island. | |
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| Just outside of Claris, tiny Pitokuku stands like an ancient pyramid, with a single eye-like cave near the top. The core of an ancient volcano, the hill is known locally as Peter Cook, Peter Cuckoo or Pitokuku. Climb Pitokuku, and you'll find a sign that directs you to "the real Pitokuku" - Pitokuku Island. |
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Pitokuku Island may or may not have been the subject of cruel target practise in the war years, from a cannon mounted on Pitokuku, the hill. Pitokuku Island is part of a group of three bush clad, broken rocks that huddle off Kaitoke Beach like a curious island family. | |
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| By contrast, Rakitu Island further up the coast is huge. Rakitu floats, hovering off the coast like a giant geological version of the cathedrals and villas of Venice. A smaller, black-rock island in Harataonga bay echoes the shape of Rakitu looming in the distance. |
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Rakitu II 2006
oil on linen 1000 x 600mm
Awana 2006 oil on linen 1000 x 600mm
