Made this for my Dad on his big birthday recently.
This is a made from a pounamu that he actually bought for me as a rough block. I have made toki for one of his brothers and two of his nephews from this piece as well. Cool way to be connected with your whanau.
Taumutu, a small coastal settlement near Waihora, Lake Ellesmere, in New Zealand’s South Island, holds a rugged beauty shaped by the relentless sea. It was on this windswept beach that I discovered a beach pebble, a humble piece of ōnewa (greywacke) that whispered of hidden potential. With careful shaping and a respect for the stone’s…
The ‘Toki Kaha’, which translates to ‘Adze of Strength’ in Māori, is not just a name; it is a statement of resilience and power. This hapopo pounamu toki pendant is a testament to the enduring strength that the toki symbolizes in Māori culture and the robust beauty of the greenstone from which it is carved….
This Toki is for a sone that is approaching adulthood and about to head out on his on haerenga/journey in life. The top line goes all the way around and represents himself. The dashes and notches are to represent his whanau so he will always carry them close to his heart. The double koru is…
Haeata Community Campus has just got their Pounamu carving space up and running, and I got a chance to have a go. Got to know some great people through this space and it felt right to give these pendants to those people as well as to support the kaupapa of the Makerspace at Haeata. The…
This is a deep and beautiful set. A classic Roimata and matching Toki. The toki is my recurved design, this accentuates the cutting edge and creates depth that is pleasing to the eye. The toki traditionally represents strength, courage, and authority. The Roimata has curves that flow similiar to original Roimata and Kuru that were…
Toki, traditional Maori adzes, are renowned for their strength and the skilled hands required to craft them. But sometimes, the greatest transformations occur when we surrender to nature’s artistry, as is the case with my newest piece, “Dawnlight”. This toki began its life as a humble agate, a gemstone formed within the fiery heart of…
