Waipā Public Art
Outdoor
Waharoa
Artist Unknown
Artwork details
Description
This waharoa formed part of the art commissioned specially for the opening of the Don Rowlands Centre in 2010.
It stands to the left of the main entrance of the building and acknowledges local Māori occupation of this location and its history.
The plaque reads: “In the year 1830 Te Waharoa, Chief of Ngāti Haus, assisted by Ngāti Koroki Kahukura and Ngāi Te Rangi, defeated the Ngāti Maru at the nearby site of Taumatawiwi. Fearing a counter attack he ordered the burning of his dead warriors on the original site of these rocks now covered by the lake, to prevent any indignities to their bodies.”