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Orewa Beach is to get a sculpture in a prominent position on Moana Reserve, with three design options to be presented to a local board workshop this month.
The work will replace the ground level fountain, which has not worked for around three years and cannot be reinstated due to rust and other issues.
The Hibiscus & Bays Local Board set aside $160,000 to replace the fountain, and made the project a high priority.
Three local artists – Millwater Gallery owner and Master Builder Philipp Ripa, designer Nick Hindson (also of Millwater Gallery), and Estuary Arts Centre manager Kim Boyd – are working together on the project.
Nick and Philipp were approached by the local board after making a presentation about their proposed sculpture walkway on Te Ara Tahuna. They then brought Kim on board.
Nick says that the three designs the group has come up with are collaborative and include one made from aged bridge beams with a wave shape and another wave, made of stainless steel.
Kim says that the proposed designs are modern in style and include moving water and strategic use of lighting. She says durability and the need to keep maintenance to a minimum have been among the chief concerns, as the site is subject to strong sea breezes. She says the designs also needed to be economical to fit within the $160,000 budget, which “will not go very far”.
The artists say that the local board’s desire to have the sculpture in place this summer is not realistic.
“It will take a lot longer than that, even if we got a decision on the design straight away,” Kim says.
The design options are expected to go before the local board’s December meeting.
