Tumanako Whakairo Restoration

When Tumanako (Hope), the mental health unit at the Whangarei hospital was completed in 2011, these amazing Whakairo (Māori Carvings) stood proudly out-front consisting of two impressive Pou Pou (Carved Poles) and an intricate Kuaha (Carved doorway surround)

This video follows the restoration of the Pou that depicts Pona Harakeke, Chief of the Ngati Ruangaio Hapu of Ngapuhi and the restoration of the Kuaha and the story behind Konui (Pona Harakeke’s sister) who is depicted in the centre of the Pare (Lintel)

The first video is the highlights of the project. The Video at the bottom of the page is the full documentary

When Tumanako (Hope), the mental health unit at the Whangarei hospital was completed in 2011, these amazing Whakairo (Māori Carvings) stood proudly out-front consisting of two impressive Pou Pou (Carved Poles) and an intricate Kuaha (Carved doorway surround)

After seeing the Whakairo in the flesh I saw that the Pou Pou had developed quite a few splits that had caused the clear finishes to crack, letting the rain get underneath to do its worst. Fortunately, the Kuaha was better protected under the building’s eave, but this didn’t stop the sun massively fading and obscuring the grain

In addition to the deteriorating condition of the Whakairo I became captivated by the stories being told about each of the Pou Pou and the Kuaha

What an interesting piece of Aotearoa’s (New Zealand) history

The Whakairos needed to be completely stripped back to the timber surface using a method that didn’t damage the surface, (Cooper’s of course 😊) and then refinished in a way that worked with the timbers unstable surface as well as being able to stand up to Northland’s extreme environment (Cooper’s Moisturiser would be perfect)

In addition to the deteriorating condition of the Whakairo I became captivated by the stories being told about each of the Pou Pou and the Kuaha

What an interesting piece of Aotearoa’s (New Zealand) history

The Whakairos needed to be completely stripped back to the timber surface using a method that didn’t damage the surface, (Cooper’s of course 😊) and then refinished in a way that worked with the timbers unstable surface as well as being able to stand up to Northland’s extreme environment (Cooper’s Moisturiser would be perfect)

Knowing that there were quite a few technical challenges ahead for the project, I was keen to get involved beyond just being the supplier of product and knowledge

I effectively offered for Coopers to assist them with the labour of restoring the Whakairo in return for the rights to video record the project for Cooper’s documentary and advertising purposes

With all in agreement, the adventure began and after a 12-hour road trip we arrived ready for action and wine

Monday:

After a lengthy induction session by hospital ‘Health & Safety’ where we learnt where to put any used needles 😊, Dorri spent the day filming the Whakairo being dismantled, while I made sure she didn’t trip over a concrete drain

After everything was loaded, we transported our precious cargo (with our police escort) to Pene’s carving school

Tuesday – Friday:

The next 4 days were full-on stripping and finishing so that we would to be ready for the unveiling Karakia at dawn the following Tuesday

Stripping: See how easy the Cooper’s Stripping System removed the old varnish from the many carved areas, all without any sanding being required, it would have been impossible with sandpaper.

The Cooper’s logic is “Why sand when the person who made it, sanded it for you

Finishing: See how the Cooper’s Moisturiser brings out the natural appearance of the grain, I’ve always said, “it’s like skin care for wood” and in this case it really was.

We make Cooper’s Moisturiser from ingredients that don’t mix with water, that never dry, just brush it on thick and let it absorb deeply into the wood, see the wood colour transform, add more to any thirsty patches until it can’t absorb any more, now all you need to do is buff the surface to a mellow glow

Over time the timber will continue to move, but this time there’s nothing to split and peel off, the Moisturiser is still moist within the wood, doing its thing

Maintenance is as easy as brushing on more Moisturiser as thirsty patches emerge over time, it’s a living finish

Saturday:

Pene and his trusty team kept the hungry Whakairo fed with additional Moisturiser, cheers team

Sunday:

The whole team buffed everything up to create that fabulous glow

The Whakairo were now shrouded from the light before everything could be transported back to Tumanako

Monday:

After a successful journey back to Tumanako we reassembled the Whakairo back into their correct places

We then attaching an old rope acquired from a local shipyard to the base of the Pou Pou

Once it was dark the shrouds were removed to allow the light of the next day reveal them

5AM Tuesday:

The Karakia takes place where we were privileged to be able to attend and record the ceremony, what an amazing experience and wow, what a result, the Whakairo had certainly come alive

Master Carver Peneamine Werohia – Pene

Having Pene and his amazing team helping as time permitted (they had day jobs), made the project way more do-able in the time we had, but what was completely unforeseen was Pene’s willingness to share on camera who are depicted in the Whakairo and their stories, for us it made the project come alive, Cheers Pene, thank you

The larger Pou depicts Pona Harakeke, Chief of the Ngati Ruangaio Hapu of Ngapuhi while the smaller Pou depicts Chief Te Tirarau, Pona Harakeke’s nephew

The centre of the Pare (top doorway panel) depicts Pona Harakeke’s sister Konui

I definitely recommend checking out Pene’s work on his Facebook page (Pene’s Carvings)

Kaumatua Te Ihi Tito

Surprise guest: We were just about to apply the moisturiser to the head section of the Pou depicting Pou Pona Harakeke when out of the blue, Kaumatua Te Ihi Tito dropped by to see how everything was going and was more than happy to do this part for us, what a special moment it was for us all and as a side note Kaumatua Te Ihi Tito is actually a direct descendant of Pona Harakeke

During this moisturising stage we found out that Whakairo was often finished with Whale Oil in the same way we use our Moisturiser, so it was decided right there on the spot that Cooper’s moisturiser was now the modern version of Whale Oil

We hope you enjoy the video

Thank you

So many people took part in making this project come together and if I attempt to mention everyone, I’m bound to miss someone out, so I’d like to say thank you to everyone who played a part in making it happen, you know who you are and we really appreciate everything you did, Cheers