Ngāi Tai Ki Tāmaki

Ka ngau ki te turikākoa te paringa o te tai, e tika te rere o te Kūaka (2020)

Brass and Tāmaki basalt inlays at Kaipara, western entrance threshold.

When the moana flows over the seaside grass, the flight of the Kūaka is straight. At the time of the full and new moons in March, when the spring tides flow over the marshes and mudflats within the coastal feeding grounds, the Kūaka rise and fly straight to their nesting grounds in Northeast Siberia and Alaska.

Location: Wheriko Lane, outside Honest Chocolat

Ngāi Tai Ki Tāmaki

Ngā pōtiki toa o Taikehu (2020)

Brass and Tāmaki basalt inlays at Manukau, southern entrance threshold.

The brave children of Taikehu. Referring to the abundance of kanae (mullet) in the Manuka (Manukau) so many they could catch one in each hand.

Location: Little Queen Street, outside Bluebells Cakery

Ngāi Tai Ki Tāmaki

Ngā waka o Taikehu me he kāhui kātaha kapi tai (2020)

Brass and Tāmaki basalt inlays at Te Waitematā, northern entrance threshold

The waka of Taikehu, like unto a shoal of herrings filling the sea. This whakatauākī likens the once numerous waka on Te Waitematā to a great shoal of fish.

Location: Little Queen Street, outside The Lodge

Ngāi Tai Ki Tāmaki

Kia whakamāpuna te huruhuru ā Manawatere i te rehutai, e heke e heke Tikapa e (2020)

Brass and Tāmaki basalt inlays at Tīkapa, eastern entrance threshold.

The descent of Manawatere across the ocean waves of Tīkapa Moana. The pattern talks about Manawatere gliding over the ripples of the waves to Tīkapa Moana from Hawaiki.

Location: Wheriko Lane, outside Arc'teryx

Ngāti Te Ata

Wheriko (2020)

Stone Pavers

East West laneway paving design through Commercial Bay reflects the union of the four waters Waitematā, Kaipara, Manukau and Tīkapa moana (the Hauraki Gulf) representing the glistening light off the waters.

Location: Wheriko Lane

Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei

Te Reo Pōwhiri (2020)

Lacquer medium, acrylic sheet and LED panel

Reflecting the importance of the traditional processes of welcoming visiting groups, this name contributes a uniquely Māori element to this section of Commercial Bay. Referencing the open, hospitable and welcoming nature of Māori and New Zealand cultures. This name has been provided by Mana Whenua to mark this major threshold connecting to adjacent public space and facilities.

Location: Wheriko Lane

Marine Piles (2020)

Original wharf posts uncovered during construction

These mid-19th century wharf piles were uncovered below Commercial Bay during excavation and are part of the original Queen Street wharf. Before the Auckland waterfront was reclaimed, Queens Wharf extended through the Commercial Bay site and was a place of bustling trade and activity. The basalt rocks were part of the original sea wall located below Little Queen Street.

Location: Little Queen Street

Mural in honour of Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei (2020)

Spray paint and acrylic, 6794mm x 3741mm

This illusion pulls your focus into the artwork so you get lost in the piece while maintaining a sense of calm. A pattern to symbolise swell lines gives the illusion of the vast colours of the ocean. A strong tribal energy is felt as though it was coming through the piece which was dedicated to Ngati Whatua Orakei.

Location: Harbour Eats, Level Two

Epic: Aukaha (2024)

4,420 coloured glass spheres, 340 stainless steel cables

Epic: Aukaha thinks through the One Queen site as a place of convergence between communities and our environment. Created from multiple glass spheres, the installation creates a multi-sensory whole that brings together the blues of the Waitemata Harbour and the Hauraki Gulf, with the green of the coastlines around Tāmaki Makaurau. Sunlight illuminates the spheres creating an immersive environment activated by visitors’ movements.

Location: InterContinental Auckland Lobby

Ngāi Tai Ki Tāmaki

Ngā Tai e Whā (2023)

Kiekie from Kohukohunui Hunua, Muka and Tāmaki basalt, 1200mm x 900mm

This tukutuku panel has been created from kiekie (flax) and basalt stones sourced from Ngāi Tai Ki Tāmaki ancestral lands. Incorporating a variety of weaving stitches including ‘Tūmatakahuki’ - binding together and creating a strong foundation; ‘purapura’ remembering loved ones passed on; and ‘pātikitiki’ representing the fertile abundance of Te Waitematā.

Location: InterContinental Auckland Check-In

Te-Roro-o-Te-Rangi, Te Arawa, Te Āti Awa

Tū Tangata (2023)

Uku (clay)

Senior uku artist Wi Taepa’s clay sculptures reflect the moment when elements blend, and when people come together. Tū Tangata translates as ‘Stand Together’ and speaks to One Queen as a site where nationalities come together, supporting each other. Teapa’s large-scale sculptures created from clay and rocks, also represent the coming together of geological forces and human activity, and tell stories from mythology.

Location: InterContinental Auckland Check-In

Rock Core
Holding Terrain
Time can be told (2023)

Acrylic on knitted polyester (121 x 101 cm), (185 x 310 cm), (185 x 420 cm)

Arbuckle’s sculptural paintings create a direct relationship with the viewer, inviting them to make their own impressions of the imagined landscapes and watery horizon lines, connecting with the small marks and sediments that indicate the work’s strong sense of place.

Location: Level One, outside Advieh

Ngti Te Ata Waiohua

Façade Lighting (2024)

Lighting program

The fa.ade lighting show narrative follows the story of Mataoho. “The deity Mataoho lived in Te Ipu-a-Mataoho (the bowl of Mataoho – Mt Eden’s crater). When his wife left him, taking all his clothes, Mataoho called on the goddess Mahuika. The fire she sent to warm him formed Ngaa Huinga-a-Mataoho (the gathered volcanoes of Mataoho)”.

Location: Deloitte Exterior