Taranaki’s sealife comes to the shore with Destination Play taking shape

Lewis Vincent on a octopus sculpture. Photo / Supplied

Taranaki’s distinctive sealife will soon be living on shore at Destination Play at Kāwaroa as volcanic river boulders are sculpted into kina, starfish, pufferfish, a hermit crab, octopus and other marine elements.

Destination Play at Kāwaroa, which is being led by the Taranaki Foundation in conjunction with Ngāti Te Whiti, NPDC (New Plymouth District Council) and NP Partners, will come to life with construction beginning in spring this year.

The design inspiration for Destination Play was the carved stone sculpture of a seal chasing a kahawai by Silvio Apponyi.

This sculpture, created during the 2020 Te Kupenga International Stone Sculpture Symposium, reflects the concept of play and celebrates the rock pools and marine environment at Kāwaroa.

Seven Te Kupenga artists are creating more than 10 stone sculptures that will be part of Destination Play’s unique narrative in the sensory stimulation zone. Mike Griffin is carving three kina shells, with two already completed. He says these will create three interesting and tactile forms for Destination Play.

“This is such a cool project to be involved in, contributing something special to our local community. It is satisfying to work with other stone carvers from Te Kupenga and have the opportunity for our work to be enjoyed in a public space.”

Taranaki Foundation chairman Bryce Barnett says progress is happening at pace behind the scenes to transform Kāwaroa Park into a much-needed community space devoted to providing a fun, exciting, accessible, and family-friendly space for all ages.

“Many people can’t access the rocky foreshore and reef. This is about bringing the reef up into the play space in a creative, sensory and enjoyable way to show the rich sealife in a unique way.”

Te Kupenga Stone Sculpture president Alan Axten says it has been incredible to see the diversity of all the works coming to life

“The members of Te Kupenga got fully behind this community project. It was very fitting that these pieces are formed by rocks from Taranaki Maunga and are being used to build the narrative showcasing the special qualities of Kāwaroa reef.”

Bryce says the construction of Destination Play will start in spring 2023 and will be built in stages.

“This is partly because of the ongoing fundraising effort, and also because of the complexity and scale of the project. In the current economic climate, fundraising has been challenging.

“We are delighted to have had overwhelmingly positive community engagement, from families sending in drawings and designs they would like to see featured, to donations made directly to us ranging from $20 up to $150,000. Every little helps and it’s been tremendously uplifting to see people offer what they can.”