Artists unite for sculptural exhibition

NEW TRAIL: Prime Minister John Key admires Trish Clarke’s outdoor wallpaper at the Kaipara Coast Sculpture Trail.

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More than 60 new sculptures are on display at the Kaipara Coast Sculpture Garden Exhibition 2010.

Prime Minister and Helensville MP John Key was a special guest at the opening of the exhibition in November, where 250 people enjoyed a relaxed afternoon with artists and friends.

The new sculptural pieces include carvings in wood and stone, installations on the ponds, sound pieces, glass, steel and kinetic.

It takes at least an hour to go through the gardens, or more if you stop for a picnic, and the work on show is available for purchase.

The trail is set along the gardens with a backdrop of the Kaipara Harbour.

Mr Key congratulated the artists who had contributed and participated in the show, and congratulated owners David and Geraldine Bayly on their successful small business, acknowledging their creativity and vision.

Mr Bayly had initially set out to create one of the best garden centres in New Zealand, and he achieved this when they won the Yates North Island Garden Centre of the Year award in 2007.

Sally Lush, a gallerist and artist, was appointed curator of the adjacent sculpture gardens, which they developed with their staff, opening in November 2008.

After cutting the ribbon to open this second annual exhibition, Mr Key and guests walked through the one-kilometre sculpture trail. The gravel pathway is an easy walk and winds its way through the secluded valley in displays of regenerating bush, manicured lawns, citrus orchards, pine forest and ponds.

The 66 artworks on display will remain there until the end of the year, so visitors can enjoy the experience of seasonal changes.

Artists include Gill Gatfield, Chris Moore, Mark Dimock, Sharonagh Montrose, Trish Clarke, Peter Lange, Shona Firman, Terry Haines, Jenny Smith, Richard Wedekind, Jocelyn Pratt and Jin Ling.

Kaipara Coast Sculpture Gardens is on State Highway 16 - Kaipara Coast Highway, four kilometres north of Kaukapakapa.

The sculpture trail is open daily from 9am to 4pm.

Ticket prices $10 adult, $5 children 5 to 13, under-fives free, $25 family and $30 annual pass.

For information visit www.sculpturegardens.co.nz.

- © Fairfax NZ News