Te Mauri o Waitematā
The blue palette of the World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF) New Zealand, Whales Tales project leads the way for the waves that roll into Tāmaki Makaurau through the Waitematā.
Ngā Tamariki o te Moana
Before the arrival of humans, the children of Tangaroa, the Ocean ruled the waves while birds flew from coast to coast. Portrayed here by aihe – dolphin, ika – fish, manu – birds and pāpaka – crab.
Tāmaki Herenga Waka
Tāmaki Makaurau is known to be the landing place of many waka. Look for the waka sails as they bring the ancestors into the harbour.
Tāmaki Herenga Tāngata
Tāmaki Makaurau – Tāmaki desired by many – is a place that was settled by many different tribes upon arrival in Aotearoa. Across all of Auckland, there are 19 recognised tribal groups. Each of the patterns represents one of those iwi – tribes.
Auckland is a city where more than 160 languages are spoken and the population is the most diverse in all of Aotearoa. We celebrate the many cultures and ethnicities that make up the largest city in our country.
Whales Tales - an immersive art trail
From January 2022 for a period of 12 weeks, Auckland will come alive with a public art trail, celebrating Aotearoa, art and marine conservation. The trail is driven by WWF-New Zealand, and will see over 80 spectacular large whale tail sculptures designed by established and emerging artists will pop up all over the region. Alongside each of these sculptures will be smaller tails decorated by students.
On the bridge, you will see the whale blowhole on the centre panel, and designs representing the whale tail sculptures will appear on either side of this.
In between showings, the bridge will be lit in blue to represent the project and the moana, with a flashing W to represent Whale Tales.
What you need to know:
- From 27 April – 3 May 2022, the show will play every 30 mins from 6.00pm to midnight
- If you’re watching a show live, make sure you listen to the synced audio that goes with the show. A ‘listen live’ button will appear on vector.co.nz/lights 30 minutes before each show.
- Share your experience on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter with #vectorlights