At left is the entrance to the Te Wananga Whakairo Carving School.  Only four applicants qualified by their skills, yearning and bloodline are accepted into this prestigious school each year for its 3-year tuition-paid program.

      The work created by the students help propagate the heritage of Maori craftsmanship as well as provide a revenue for the institution when the pieces are sold, often for many thousands of dollars.

Click to shop for such items.

      The primary work area of the carving school is designed to permit visitors to witness the artists go about their labors.  At right is an image of this space taken from the opposite side where we entered.  As we leave, we will continue along the outer perimeter and out through the door seen in the upper right of the photograph.

      Clearly, the artists are very accustomed to having an audience, but also very clearly they take equal pride in the work they do whether someone is looking over their shoulders or not.  The pieces they were carving truly looked like elaborate pieces of art.

      Differences between original Maori methods and present day include the use of hammers and chisels instead of sharpened stones.  They also now use wood putty to fill imperfections in the original wood that they use to carve.  Otherwise, a great effort is made to adhere to custom and traditions and training.

      It was a pleasure to watch the Maori craftsmen.  Their work involves a lot of intricate lines and details that demand concerns not only with smoothness and uniformity, but also to perspective and depth.