A short history of the Sculpture Park

The beginning

We wanted to plant trees and to live among the trees we had planted. We also wanted to be sure that the land we bought was not valuable agricultural land. We had looked at many parcels of land, but the constraints were manifold – too far from Hamilton – too expensive – over developed – too small – too noisy. Then on a whim, we looked at the old quarry at Tauwhare. We were at once hooked, captivated and enraptured! The workings from the hard-rock quarrying had created a landscape so different from the smooth, rolling hills nearby. The views over the Waikato flood plain to Pirongia, Karioi and the Hakarimata Ranges weren’t too bad, either.

The quarry had its own charm – it was a relic, a piece of industrial history that had supplied the Waikato with gravel for about thirty years. The quarry workings had left behind a place with a strange, skeletal beauty that could only come of large scale human activity. The 30m sheer cliffs, the steep, rock-strewn slopes, the sweeping curves of the quarry roads and the placid settling ponds presented a landscape where form followed function.

So, from our point of view it had everything going for it – it had character, it was ideal for a rehabilitation project, the Waitakaruru Stream running through the lower part of the property gave access to water and was a feature. At 17.5ha (42 acres), it was quite large enough for us to grow into. There were no established trees on the site – a couple of pines and some small willows. In our survey of the property, we only found one small manuka and one seedling tree fuchsia struggling among a burgeoning number of environmental weeds, all of which seemed to have thorns, prickles or cutting edges.

Planting

There were about ten acres of steep land with some original topsoil and this we planted with pines. They grew well and we maintained them in a silvicultural regime that one day could ensure some economic return. Other planting had to wait until we had cleared the gorse and pampas. And so we progressed, bit by bit, year by year, until 2011 when most of the property had been planted and it qualified as a permanent forest under the Emissions Trading Scheme.

Our overall plan was a slow, organic process, we chose to plant with a geographical theme with sections reserved for the Americas, Asia, Australia and New Zealand. Overall this has worked quite well and we have been able to establish other more specialised areas, such as the rock garden with its desert plants from America, Asia and Africa and the Conifer Cañon which was planted with dark conifers to resemble a Rocky Mountain cañon; it was looking quite good until Cyclone Gabrielle dropped by. We harvested the pines in 2019, and re-planted the area with an Asian “forest” and extended the area of New Zealand native planting.

Challenges

The rehabilitation process has struggled with the lack of topsoil, difficult terrain, strong weed growth and poor water holding capacity. The predominant plants at the outset were gorse, pampas and blackberry. The rehabilitation of the landscape has been undertaken in a sustainable and pragmatic way as far as resources would permit. Thirty two years is ample time to learn new ways of doing things and to reflect on what has worked and what could have gone better.

Sculpture and exhibitions

In 2005 we made a decision to open the park as a Sculpture Park and Arboretum. It seemed rather fitting to have sculptures in a quarry – think Michelangelo and Carrera. Since that first exhibition, we have had 25 shows, which has raised local and regional awareness of the possibilities of outdoor art. As time has gone on, the park has a collection of more than a hundred works on display. Many of these are on long-term loan, others have been bequeathed to the park. The park is now becoming known nationally as place where art and nature sit comfortably side by side and where our visitors may enjoy a relaxing walk through a large woodland garden.

The Art-in-Nature Arboretum Trust

The Sculpture Park and Waitakaruru Arboretum is still owned by Dorothy and me, but itsdevelopment and management are overseen by the Art-in-Nature Arboretum Trust. This body employs the staff on site and ensures that the park is run in a sustainable andresponsible fashion.

Staff and Helpers

We acknowledge the dozens of amazing people who have worked here or have volunteered their time and energy to help develop the Sculpture Park and Arboretum to this stage. Without their help the Park would quite simply not have happened.