June/July 2018 update

It has been a while since the last update and I am sure you are all interested to know how our tapestry is going. It is winter time here in New Zealand and trade has been quiet in The Bach gallery. We are still receiving lots of positive feedback from people who stop by to watch the weaving in progress.

 Over the month of June, the maori pa site known as Parihaka continued to take shape. Here is a little bit of history about Parihaka...

Parihaka was sculpted by early Maori inhabitants into a pa, or great fortress, and was reputedly the largest in all New Zealand. More than 100 household terraces and 322 storage pits have been recorded. Battles were fought at Parihaka and after the people of the pa were overwhelmed by attacking forces in the battle of Oparakau in 1827, a large section of the mountain was declared tapu (sacred). Parihaka takes its name from the haka, or war dance, of defiance performed from the steep slopes and cliffs, or pari, of the pa. 

The Hokianga and Dobbie Tracks have extensive remnants of Maori settlement extending along 3km of ridge and including three heavily defended pa sites. The summit is home to the World War II War Memorial to those New Zealand men and women who died in World War II. The obelisk, unveiled in 1957, that glows red in the night sky is a local landmark. A special carved kohatu (rock) at the lookout summit represents the mauri (life essence) of the mountain, inspiring a sense of gravity and significance to the lookout. Source: http://whangareinz.com

Lovely Lily, from Ruatangata Whangarei (11 years old) loved her weaving experience. 

Lily said she enjoys doing crafts at school and at home and hopes to be able to come back often to work on the tapestry.

Here is a quick over-view of where we are at: The tapestry has been hand-wound down so only the area being worked on is visible. 

Thank you for stopping by and checking our progress on The Bach tapestry!