34. Pikimairawea
Māui’s Hook

“In Taranaki, it is said, Māui Pōtiki is the ancestor who caught the great fish Hahatewhenua otherwise known as the North Island of New Zealand. In doing so, he employed the use of a sacred jaw bone of one of his ancestors as a hook. With blood from his nose as bait, powerful karakia (prayer) and sheer determination, he achieved the impossible. In this piece I have tried to convey a sense of drama, while maintaining a certain practicality. The main components of a working matau (hook) being present.”

David Taylor