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Planning a party
The large celebration being planned for Sculptureum’s fifth birthday has been postponed due to the spread of Omicron. But the owners are committed to putting on a spectacular birthday bash for the whole family, celebrating “the art in all things” later in the year when it is safe to do so.
In the interim, Sculptureum will host an Art of Degustation evening next month – an event that will see five talented Auckland’s chefs take inspiration from an artwork from the galleries and gardens to create a special dish each, offering a five-course degustation.
One of Matakana’s most original attractions, Sculptureum, on Omaha Flats Road, turns five this month.
Part-museum and part-sculpture garden with several different dining options, and even an opportunity to interact with small animals, the attraction has hosted an estimated 300,000 visitors since the gates opened in April 2017.
Owners Anthony and Sandra Grant spent 10 years developing Sculptureum – a name they coined themselves – before opening to the public. The grounds cover 10 hectares and provides employment for 32 to 40 staff depending on the season.
Anthony says the fact that the park is an original has been one of its greatest challenges.
“Sculptureum is not a sculpture park, a sculpture walk, an art gallery, a zoo, a restaurant or a garden, but it has elements of all of these things,” he says.
“As the project has evolved, the galleries have been improved substantially and contain two to three times as many works as when we opened.
“In general, I like to have new works installed every two to three months. We have also replaced some works with superior ones and behind the scenes, new works are being acquired from all around the world almost every week.”
About 17 new works will be installed in the next few weeks including some frog sculptures from the person who Anthony considers to be the best sculptor in the world of humorous frogs, Beau Smith, from South Carolina.
Rabbiton – the area where the rabbits are on display – has changed and is home to about 12 baby Flemish giant rabbits, a couple of loved-up lop-eared rabbits and six red-eared slider turtles. The animal enclosure allows visitors to feed and cuddle the rabbits, feed the Kune Kune pigs, and brush the miniature ponies.
Anthony says that given the unique nature of the business, it was hard to plan from the start.
“We made the right choices with the core aspects of a great restaurant, and a joyful art and garden experience, but we have had to learn a lot about getting the right people in the right positions, building up our infrastructure, and giving our guests a great destination experience. It would have been great to have had the knowledge we now have at the start. Unfortunately, just like a newborn, it didn’t come with a manual!”
Siting Sculptureum in Matakana, however, was the right decision.
“The extension of the motorway to Warkworth and the huge expansion in population north of Auckland is attracting a lot more visitors.”
Sculptureum has had some glowing reviews over the years and Rothko was ranked by Metro in the top 50 Auckland restaurants and by Cuisine as one of the top 100 restaurants in New Zealand.
“Rothko has been a great hit with guests, but there has also been a demand for something more relaxed. As a result we now have four food offerings – Rothko, Freddie’s bar and grill, The Terrace with the wine-tasting caravan and platters, and a mobile food truck, which has been in hot demand.”
Anthony says the Covid lockdowns have been tough both financially and emotionally for everyone.
“Fortunately we have a wonderful team, and when we have been able to open we have been well supported by both Aucklanders and people from all over New Zealand. The fact that we are primarily an open air venue has made us a safe place for visitors to escape to, and savour some family and friend time in an uplifting and whimsical environment.”
