Whare survives the whitewash.

March rolled into NZ with Ann and I huddling down in a beach “bach” with some friends as we waited out a massive weather bomb! Incredibly strong winds and driving rain meant that we had a chance to explore a couple of backroads in the Port Waikato area. It is a beautiful region with rolling hills and a windswept coastal shoreline that is so typical of New Zealand’s west coast. We were in town for the last event in the Hyundai Longboard Tour, and the ocean decided to give us a send off that we won’t soon forget! It was a raw ocean that greeted us with a 3 meter swell and strong onshores making for challenging conditions and a LOT of snapped boards.

The upshot of the whole event was that my brother and I made it to the finals where we placed 3^rd and 4^th respectively. It was a great experience and we met some awesome people over the two months that we travelled around doing the circuit. Travelling for surf competitions is a strange journey as you head into an area that always offers so much more than the beach, but your focus is always away from scenery and towards the water that is directly in front of you. It is a myopic view of the world that is a strange way to travel!

Summer has eased right into fall, with shortening days and ripening fruit! Ann has been making juice, jams and chutney… These little bombs of goodness are going to be great in the depths of winter where they will be a great way to start the day. We have loved the ability to grow or pick many of the things that we are eating; and we planted a few trees and plants around the property that will be adding to the larder down the line: limes, pomegranates, kale, Brussels sprouts, leeks, cabbage, guavas, and plenty of herbs!

Our move back to the bosom of my whanau (extended family) has also inspired many of the designs that I am now producing. I am creating designs that are a bit of a departure from the ideas that I was exploring in the past. These new designs are inspired by the sights and sounds of my local area, as well as reconnecting with my hapu and iwi (culture and tribal area). My creative processes and ideas are now heavily influenced by the hills that surround our farm, the tidal flats at the end of the road, the local flora and fauna, and the history of my people.  My new designs flowing from this inspiration are on the last pages of their respective sections of the website. I have also been using a lot of the cured beef bone, which has really amazing color from the natural aging process.

Piglets: "Spot" and "The Other One"

Kia Ora All! We are swinging through a beautiful February here in New Zealand as the weather varies wildly from sun to rain, and back again, on a pretty regular basis! Two months into the move and life is still rolling along a vaguely defined path towards an unknown future. It’s not the most reassuring spot to be in, but Ann and I haven’t had too many meltdowns, so something is working. Having some new additions to the farm ménage has helped! The piglets have the run of the farm, sneaking under gates and around fences. I often find them in my workspace rooting around and playing tag!

Ann (right) receiving her prize money.

We recently came back from a week of surfing and competing at Sandy Bay in the far north. It was an amazing time as we managed to snag a camping spot right on the beach with ocean views out the front window of our tent! We were there to compete in an event that is part of the Hyundai Longboard Tour. Although the surf wasn’t great, we had an amazing time hanging out with friends and watching some great surfing! The huge news is that Ann managed to surf all the way to the final in her first ever surf contest! She overcame nerves, onshore conditions, competitors half her age, and sleeping on the ground to charge into the final. She did all this while protesting that she doesn’t like competition!! It was very, very cool to watch her walk up on the podium to receive her prize money!!!!

The other big news was the arrival of our shipping container and all the options that it now offers! Opening the doors for the first time was a little nerve-wracking, as visions of gear flying everywhere had haunted us over the last two months. We were relieved to see that obsessing over how we packed seems to have paid off because everything arrived safe and sound! We now have a bit more familiarity around the house with some of our “stuff” being unpacked and slotted into our routine here. The key items are our bed and coffee maker… I also set up all my tools, which has allowed me to work in a space that is more familiar and is working out great! I have been carving some new pieces that are now on the Matau section of the site.

Naturally cured cow bone. Relationship & Support.

I have also started using some cow bone that has been “curing” for about 3 months. This bone is from the cows that my parents raise for the family. It is basically untreated in any way, which allows for some pretty amazing color to develop within the bone. The patterning is highly unusual and varies along the length of the material, which makes each carving especially unique. Sometimes this cow bone can even resemble whale bone. It is a great material to work with and I am very excited to be able to offer this material along side our more “normal” white bone.

Thanks for swinging by and checking out the site! We will be regularly adding more designs, so check in often to see what is happening!

Ka Kite,
Whare

I have set up a studio space in my dad’s old shearing shed using a mixture of tools that I brought with me along with gear borrowed from my brother. The studio is working well although it is a little slower as the tools are less familiar to me; but I have sheep, pigs and chickens as my neighbors so the extra time isn’t a burden. I am excited to be producing some new work that has been sparked by the sights and sounds of being home! These designs will be displayed on the site shortly and will be from beef bone as we are still waiting for the rest of our material to arrive.  

It has been a surreal experience to be a full-time resident of Aotearoa (“Land of the Long White Cloud”) again. The country has changed, as have I, and I am going through a process of re-learning the in and outs of life here again. The day-to-day attitude has shifted from rushing madly around in “holiday” mode to realizing that everything will still be here tomorrow and we have to enjoy the process. This has been the hardest shift for me, as all my trips in the last 20 years have been quick visits, only to head out again and embark on the next part of the adventure. Now it’s time to take a deep breath and start sinking roots into the ground. A part of this process has been planting new trees, shrubs, and assorted herbs here on the farm to flesh out all the other plants that are already thriving. We are watching and waiting until we are able to harvest our own pomegranates, blue berries, guava and limes, along with all the other fruits and vege that are growing.   Look for the new designs shortly!

Ka Kite, Whare

Welcome to our new and improved website! I have been planning to make the site more current for a while now because the old site didn’t reflect the current state of my carvings. My new site allows me to update the content and carvings much more frequently! I will be adding designs to the site as I come up with new ideas and shapes; so keep checking back to see my latest work.

The designs are sorted into groups, based on the meaning of the form. When you click on a carving, the background of that particular design will be displayed along with the price and other relevant information. Also, be sure to check out the FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) page to find detailed info about materials, shapes, and ordering.

I also added a brand new on-line store, so customers can order directly from the website! Some of the carvings I offer are standard forms, carved in cow bone. These carvings are made-to-order, so there will be slight variations in the color and form of each piece. In contrast, most of the designs offered on the customs page are one-off, or limited edition carvings, and the photo displayed on the website is the actual carving which is for sale. Further, most carvings in the customs page are carved from rare and unusual materials, such as “fossil” walrus ivory and Steller’s sea cow.

It’s been a long ride to get to this point, and I would like to thank Rebecca Bauer Ritz from Bauerhaus Design, Website Developer Extraordinaire, for her help, creativity, and patience in completing my website transformation!

I hope you all enjoy the site and I would love to hear your feedback!

In one of the least private moves in the history of relocations, my wife, Ann, and I are heading back to New Zealand on Dec 3rd! We will be living in the Mt. Maunganui area on the North Island, where my family currently lives. While I have truly enjoyed my time in the US (about 15 years), I am also happy to be returning to my home country and hometown.

Ann and I had been debating, planning, and freaking out about this move for a number of years now. For the past couple months, it seems like our life/art show schedule has been one big “moving/going-out-of-business” production; but, we finally pulled the trigger and booked our one way tickets.

Strangely, about this same time, a container ship ran aground off the coast of Mount Maunganui, creating the biggest maritime disaster in New Zealand’s history. Oil spewed from the incapacitated ship and many shipping containers have been lost at sea. I am not sure if this an omen, but it certainly has had a major impact on the psyche of everyone in the area and it will be great to get back and lend four more hands to the clean-up process! This disaster also weighs heavy on our minds, as we packed up our worldly belongings in a container, and put it on a ship destined for the very same port where this disaster occurred…    However, Kiwis are resourceful and pro-active; and the clean-up efforts have already proven to be fairly successful. Beaches are open, wildlife has been rescued, and containers are being removed from the disabled ship.

We are looking forward to seeing my hometown recover, as well as re-connecting with family and friends; not to mention these NZ favorites: meat pies, All Black rugby, feijoas (look it up!), home-grown meat, avocado trees and home-made guacamole by the gallon, surfing (15 minutes from home), warmer weather and warmer water, ponga trees, the call of the tui, and my marae and iwi.

This new website is intended to provide a current connection to our fan base in the US and around the world. I hope the on-line store with the secure PayPal payment system; the low-cost/free shipping; the US dollar pricing; current blog/news; both US and NZ based phone numbers; and new carving updates will compensate for the thousands of miles we have moved. Until I set up my new studio in NZ, there will be about a 3 week delay on any made-to-order carvings. However, all one-of-a-kind carvings will ship immediately.

Thank you for your continued interest and patronage!