A ruru (morepork), beautifully hand-crafted from galvanised steel atop a column of weathering steel, now watches over Kohupatiki Marae and the awa of its people, the Ngaruroro Mokotuararo ki Rangatira/Clive River.
The making of the pou was a collaboration between Kohupatiki, artists, HB Wool Scourers, and both the Hastings District Council and Hawke’s Bay Regional Council
The Pou marks the spot where the pre-European fortified Pa Otanenuiarangi stood.
In the early 1800s the pa was a stronghold, protected from invaders by a palisade of kahikatea (white pine), one of the favoured habitat of the ruru; New Zealand’s native owl.
The design of the pou reflects the relationship between the river and the people; the pebbles (the substrate), the flow of the river, the bird life and endemic fish species that were plentiful, and the waka used for travel both inland and out to the bay