28/06/2007
For immediate release

Chalk it up on Petone Foreshore

The dust will be rising along the Petone Foreshore on Saturday 7 July, but it won't be from the regular tide of walkers and cyclists.

Instead, Hutt City Council is encouraging local budding artists young and old to gather and turn the walkway into a pedestrian art museum.

Chalk It is an opportunity members of the public to transform the Foreshore with colour, inspiration and creativity as part of the Petone Winter Carnival.

Carnival organisers expect thousands of visitors to watch, join in and cheer on the artists as they spend most of the day completing the murals.

Local artists Sue McKee and Robin Va’auli will create works based around the Maori legend of Ngake and Whātaitai - the two great taniwha of Wellington Harbour. Members of the public are encouraged to join in and help create the masterpieces in chalk.

Ngake and Whātaitai lived in the lake at the head of the great fish of Maui. They wanted to free themselves of the restrictions of the lake. Ngake, was lively and restless and coiled himself up like a great spring and sped down the lake.

When Ngake let the spring in his tail loose he used so much force that he created a great gash in the earth and the Hutt River was formed. Ngake then forced his way through the land at Seatoun and was free at last.

Whātaitai tried to follow, but got stuck in shallow water. He stayed there until a great earthquake lifted him above the water. Over the years Whātaitai’s body turned to stone, earth and rock and known to this day as Haitaitai. The lake became now what is known as Wellington harbour.

Chalk It! has been created in partnership with Hutt Valley Community Arts and will take place along the Petone Foreshore (between Heretaunga Boat Club and Regatta Restaurant) between 11am and 4pm on Saturday 7 July. All materials are supplied and it is free to participate.

If wet, on Saturday 7 July the Petone Winter Carnival will be postponed to Sunday 8 July.

About the artists
Sue McKee has been a semi-professional artist since 2002 and is an Art Teacher in local primary schools. In 2006, Sue held a solo exhibition at the Farsite Gallery in Petone.
Robin Va’auli describes his influences as wide ranging, from comic books to traditional Pacific and Samoan art forms. Robin’s current work looks at global mythology and the similarities between cultures. He is a part-time Life Drawing Tutor at the Learning Connexion in Taita.

ENDS

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