Hokioi statue revives ancestral connection
Iwi and locals in Karamea have unveiled a life-sized bronze sculpture of an extinct hōkioi or Haast's eagle, which is considered the spiritual guardian of the Karamea Estuary.
Ngāti Apa ki te Rā Tō Trust deputy chair Brendon Wilson says the project has also involved Ngāti Waewae and the Karamea Estuary Enhancement Project.
The sculpture, Te Maia Kahurangi, was created by Gillie and Marc Public Artists.
It's based on the story of the ancestor Te Maia, who was said to have flown on the back of a giant eagle on a circuit from Whakatū to Karamea and up to Onetahua or Farewell Spit.
