NZ Sculpture OnShore: Lunch boxes, whales and buckets of fun

Christchurch artist Sam Harrison's Gretchen focuses on the human form and is crafted out of plaster and steel.

Auckland's NZ Sculpture OnShore is back for its 10th exhibition this week.

Beginning on Thursday, more than 100 sculptures will be able to be viewed as part of the biennial outdoor exhibition at the Fort Takapuna Historic Reserve.

The sculptures, set against the backdrop of the Hauraki Gulf, include a special children's exhibition featuring pieces by 15 Auckland schools and art groups at the site's underground fort.

Exhibition curator Rob Garrett said "video and performance" played a part on the sculpture trail this year.

"We are also proud to show work by our leading sculptors of stone, wood, glass, ceramics and bronze," Mr Garrett said.

Admittance to the trail costs $5 to $15, while children under 5 get in for free. Family passes can be purchased for $35.

Works include a cluster of small figures - titled Unsettled - by Auckland artist and primary school art teacher Juliette Laird.

John Ferguson's eye-catching Blooming Buckets is also on show. Artists Donna Turtle Sarten and Bernie Harfleet are hoping their Feed the Kids Too display will help raise funds for hungry children.

The bright collection of 6000 hanging empty lunch boxes - symbolising a proportion of the 270,000 Kiwi children estimated to live below the poverty line - is sure to be an exhibition favourite.

Exhibition curator Rob Garrett sits alongside Feed the Kids Too by Donna Turtle Sarten and Bernie Harfleet. Photo / Jason Oxenham

"Our aim is to fill each lunch box with a nutritional lunch and to feed 6000 kids," the pair stated in the exhibition's description.

"Everyone who buys a lunch box effectively purchases a share in the project, thus enabling us to buy food to fill the boxes and then distribute them to kids in need."

Graeme Hitchcock's bronze Flying Ties figures and Jack Marsden Mayer's Humpback Whale - made from driftwood over a steel frame - are also attractions on the trail.

Sculptor Sam Harrison's Gretchen, composed of plaster and steel, is also on display.

All work exhibited as part of NZ Sculpture OnShore is for sale, with proceeds donated to Women's Refuge.

NZ Sculpture OnShore
*Outdoor sculpture exhibition at Fort Takapuna Historic Reserve, 170 Vauxhall Rd, Devonport.
*November 6-16, 10am-6pm daily. Last entry at 5.15pm.
*Entry is $15 for adults and $5 for children. Free for under-5s. Students and seniors $10. Family pass for up to two adults and two children is $35.
*Public transport: Bus, cycling and walking routes to location. Visit www.nzsculptureonshore.co.nz/planning-visit/travelling-event/ for more details.
*Parking: Disability and general parking available on site. Spaces also available on surrounding streets and carpark opposite Narrow Neck beach.