Rotorua's Essential 50: Day 20 - Get a ta moko

Ta moko artist Richard Francis (left) working on one of his masterpieces. Photo/Supplied

Richard Francis has come a long way from his humble beginnings of winning a Year 3 art competition. A Te Arawa descendant, Mr Francis grew up in Gisborne and knew from an early age he had two great passions. "My mum was from there, she's Irish, and my dad was from Rotoiti. It was awesome growing up by the beach. All we did as kids was play sports and rugby. Gizzy Boys is a staunch rugby school. So pretty much, I went to school to do art and play rugby. I lived the good life."

Although Mr Francis is well known for his Maori art it was a picture of farm life which started him on his journey into the art world.

"I won an art award when I was Standard 1 (Year 3) at a little wee country school at Mangatangi School just south of Auckland. . .

"That's where I got the first inkling that I was good at art. Because it was a little country school I did a scenery of horses and sheep and tractors."

Mr Francis' talent for Maori art was recognised by one of the best in the industry not long after that.

"When I went on to high school, I was lucky enough in my sixth form to have Derek Lardelli as my art teacher and so I had Derek for two years at high school and he just enhanced what I already had."

After leaving school Mr Francis was enticed to be a founding student at Mr Lardelli's Maori arts school in Gisborne.

"What happened was Derek knew we were all out on the dole . . . and what he did is he went into the polytech and he started a Maori arts course there.

"He came and hand-selected us and he got us all off the dole and put us on this course ... in 1993, he called it Toihoukura and now it's one of the most renowned diploma of visual arts in New Zealand."

The 43-year-old's talent has taken him around the world and his clientele includes sports stars such as Wairangi Koopu, Jared Waerea-Hargreaves and Issac Luke.

"The most famous person is Astro from UB40. He's been in twice and he texts me at New Year's and drops in on Facebook . . . He's more than a celebrity, he's a mate.

"A lot of the guys I've done in the NRL, like Issac Luke I did him when he was 16. I did these guys before they became famous.

"There is a bit of a thing going around with the NRL players, if you want to make it, that you have to come and get a moko from me," Mr Francis joked.

While his passion for art has kept him busy, he has still continued his other love, sport.

The artist, who has his studio above Fat Dog Cafe, has coached his son Matagireia Yates-Francis since junior level through to coaching the Rotorua Boys' High School under-15 side - a side he took to a national sevens title this year.

As for ta moko being an essential thing to do in Rotorua, Mr Francis said it wasn't just the art of ta moko which was essential but Maori culture as a whole which made Rotorua special.

"I think we've got to hone in that Rotorua is the cultural hub of New Zealand and a ta moke is a cultural experience and receiving something like that in its permanency is a constant reminder of that or memorabilia for when they do go back to their homelands."

The Rotorua Daily Post Essential 50 lists the city's must-see, must-do and must-try activities and experiences, thanks to reader nominations.