Due to open in early 2023, the whakarongo installation – designed by artist Graham Tipene (Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei), Barrington Gohns from Warren and Mahoney and a multi-disciplinary team – will provide a multi-sensory experience of the taniwha Horotiu, the kaitiaki (guardian) of the Wai o Horotiu stream.

More than 2000 moulded scales will hang from the underside of the overbridge, illuminated in gold light and moving with the breeze, as a sculptural representation of Horotiu.

Auckland Council says that the new work of art will create “a cultural stage”, activated by nature (weather conditions) and pitch and rhythm changes detected with the singing of specially commissioned waiata.

The waiata, which speak about the rippling waters of Wai o Horotiu and te ao Māori values associated with water and the water cycle, have been composed by Moeahi Kerehoma (Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei), Tarumai Kerehoma-Hoani (Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei) and Tuirina Wehi (Ngai Tuhoe). A manawhenua choir singing these bespoke waiata will be recorded with Justyn Pilbrow at Roundhead Studios later this year.

Auckland Council says the waiata can be learned and performed by anyone who visits the underpass as part of the sensory experience. “The sound – the pitch and rhythm of your voice – can trigger varying levels of light and sound in the underpass; a metaphorical response from Horotiu – kaitiaki of this place.”

The Myers Park underpass upgrade is part of a wider mid-town regeneration programme of work informed by the City Centre Masterplan, designed to draw people to the city centre.

The Council’s vision for mid-town is a place “where Auckland’s history, art and culture can be seen and heard and will spill out into public life; where people choose to spend time and socialise; a place that is attractive and feels inclusive and safe.”

Waitematā and Gulf Ward Councillor Pippa Coom says the Wai o Horotiu stream, which flows down the Queen Street Valley from the Karangahape Road ridge to the Waitematā, is a significant city centre waterway (now piped underground), remembered and celebrated within the project. “I am delighted to see the work begin and our spectacular new public artwork take shape, woven with rich manawhenua stories of place.”

Work on the Myers Park underpass upgrade is set to begin in early May. While the construction will mean changes to some of the park’s access points, the park will remain open to the public throughout construction.

A pocket timeline
Centuries ago – Māori narratives describe a stream flowing through the city, fed by a spring in Myers Park, with Māori settlements living and thriving here. The stream was watched over by the taniwha Horotiu – the kaitiaki (guardian) of the Wai o Horotiu stream valley.
1913 – Business leader and politician Sir Arthur Myer gifted six acres of land adjacent to Queen Street to the city for Myers Park and built a kindergarten there.
2012 – Auckland Council and the Waitematā Local Board began a staged redevelopment of Myers Park. Phase 1 included upgrades to lighting, the children’s playground area and the historic play pool.
May 2022 – The next two phases of the redevelopment of Myers Park, to improve safety, urban design quality, landscaping and infrastructure within the park, will begin.
Late 2022 – Installation of the new interactive work of public art will begin, with completion expected mid-summer. Manawhenua have created this significant artwork to encourage deeper understanding of cultural context, environment and place.

Read more about the project here.