Regan O'Callaghan lucy's wharenui, Taupo Museum, New Zealand
Te Aroha O Rongoheikume(For the love of Lucy)
" Between 1924 and 1927 Tene Waitere (my great great uncle) worked on a set of carvings for his niece Lucy Rongoheikume Reid (left), daughter of Taima Te Ngahue. Lucy is my great-grandmother. The carvings were for a wharenui (house) which wasn't built. They were bequeathed to the people of Taupo in 1960 but mostly stayed in storage until 2000 when the wharenui was finally erected in the Taupo Museum.
When you enter the wharenui it is customary to take off your shoes. Inside are more panels carved by Tene. They represent our ancestors. Growing up I can remember in my grandmothers back garden another carving by Tene. It was slowly rotting away. I drew it as part of a project for school. The design was used on the cover of the end of year school magazine. Tene was a renowned master carver. He was often commissioned to carve pieces for visiting dignitaries including the Prince of Wales in 1921 and the Duke and Duchess of York in 1927.