Kōhatu - Stone. Rock

The Māori word for stone is kōhatu although there are some dialect differences between tribes, for example pōhatu, pōwhatu, kōwhatu. The kōhatu you see here are not just any kohatu and our conceptual Māori language gives some meaning to these stones and what they mean to me.

The word ‘koha’ means ‘gift’ and the word ‘tū’ gives emphasis or importance to the gift, so for me, these kōhatu are special gifts.

The rocks I have painted over 25 years have mostly been gathered from around my ancestral mountain Taranaki and they are volcanic. Every stone gathered carries the energy of the land from which they come and have their own stories as well as the stories in the designs that I place upon them. They are for me, our most ancient storytellers and this is what has always drawn me to them over the years.

And the act of gathering stones is a remembering, a childhood pastime of collecting things to create, to build, to observe and find meaning.

And now (2022) I am travelling Te Wai Pounamu (South Island) in a motorhome, I have met many beautiful stones here too! They have brought me back to the foundation of my toi (art) and helped me remember the stories of stones and my love of journeying with them.