Sculptures by Guy Bowden

Guy Bowden of Tawapou Coastal Natives, Tutukaka not only has a passion for growing native plants, he also is a very talented sculptor.

Tuna whakaheke

A little while ago my wife was saying I was unhealthy and I needed to do more exercise. I decided to go walking around the farm. My first walk was along the drive of our property, which was a bit too boring. The next day I decided to take a more cross country route and check out some old twisted Puriri roots and trunks which I knew were lying at the bottom of a gully.

I don’t now if it was while looking at the Puriri or while crossing a swamp, or the fact that I had just recently been listening to a radio programme about eels and how they are now under huge threat and could disappear completely, that I came up with the idea of the eel sculpture.

I am one of those fortunate people who can visualise what I want to make in three-dimensional pictures so then it is only a matter of setting to and doing the work to carrying out my ideas.

When Tutukaka Marina underwent a major extension 1996-97 much of the old foreshore was transformed into boat berths. I was one of some few fortunates who managed to rescue the timbers from The Old Fisherman’s Wharf.

The sculpture is entitled Tuna whakaheke, the name given to eels when they migrate out to sea to breed, which is the last thing they ever do in their lives.

This has inspired me to do more sculptures and I find I now have to be constantly creating something.
I must go for my third walk one day.

Upokororo

This is my second wood sculpture, just completed. Although the idea almost certainly grew out of the first one, I really consider it to be a step up. It took many more hours to complete and has more happening and detail to it.
As you would expect, I have always had a strong interest in nature and as a young child growing up on the farm I would spend hours playing and catching the creatures in the creeks. When we (Tawapou Coastal Natives) began sponsoring the Northland Farm Environmental Awards I became more and more aware of the immense pressure we are putting on our water ways through the intense farm practices in this country.
This work represents what has been lost and what may yet be lost if we do not protect our waterways.
This fish swimming over the top of the log are life size versions of Upokororo made from an old hardwood wharf pile. Regarded as the most common freshwater fish in New Zealand, Upokororo were a major food source for Maori and are said to have occupied every major river system in New Zealand. In 1869 a mill wheel on the Hutt River was brought to a standstill, choked by thousands of fish. By the time legislation for protection was granted in 1952, the fish were probably already extinct as the last confirmed specimens were taken in 1923. Upokororo is still the only fresh water fish in New Zealand with full protection.
The log I used is Puriri which has probably been lying on the ground for nearly one hundred years. The Tutukaka coast was highly regarded for this timber which was milled for tram track lines in Auckland at the turn of the century. It was said that there was a millable tree every chain (20 meters) along the coast. Judging by the old stumps left around the farm these would have been some impressive trees.
Eels, I love eels, let’s hope they don’t disappear like the big Puriri trees and Upokororo.

"Patu paiarehe”

Pronounced Patu Pie/a/de/he

When my parents were married in the 50’s one of the wedding gifts they were given was an etching by Trevor Lloyd. As a child this etching hung in the hallway outside my bedroom.
The etching was of a typical New Zealand bush scene with a large Mamaku and a small cave beneath, out of the cave came the “tiny people” or “Patu paiarehe”. They are the fairy like beings that are seldom seen in the misty mountain tops or deep forests, said to have magical powers and special knowledge.
Some of the “Patu paiarehe” were riding Kiwi while others were being piggy backed. When you look closely at the detail in the etching they have cheeky and fun like expressions on their faces. I was absolutely fascinated by this etching and continue to love it.
The etching by Trevor Lloyd formed the theme of this sculpture.

New Zealand Marlborough rock daisy, Pachystegia insignis

This is my fourth piece and quite a change from anything else I’ve carved before.

This beautiful plant is found growing along the coastline of Kaikoura.
The leaves and flowers are made from a recycled Kauri stud which came from one of Auckland’s earliest homes, a Bishop Selwyn house built around 1857 in Parnell, Auckland.
The branch is mounted on a piece of rustic Puriri collected from Tawapou Farm.

The Hunt

Winner of People's Choice Award 2012 Quarry gardens Exhibitiion

Every spring just as the days start getting longer and hotter, and the Tui arrive in the garden to stake their claim on trees in which to nest, so to do the school fish turn up. On some days from our deck you can see half a dozen or more schools stretching out over the horizon. Just as you are thinking this is nature at its best, the damn pursainer boats appear, planes buzz around spotting the schools for the boats to put their nets around and scoop every last one out of the ocean. This got me thinking. One day soon as the Tui arrive in the spring, the fish won’t and the big fish which hunt the little fish, and the birds which pick up the pieces will be no longer, the hunt will be over!