Mount Cook

pakiTara-toi art on the walls of Wellington's central Mount Cook area, including those on Hopper and Westland streets.

Westland Road walkway, 1 Westland Road to Prince of Wales Park

Xoe Hall

The design is inspired from the vibrant bird life and nearby Te Whaea: National Dance and Drama Centre, and in particular, archival photos of dancers dressed as birds. Birds depicted in the mural include Tui, Piwakawaka (Fantail), Kaka, and from Australia the Rosella, and Magpie. Initiated by residents at 1 Westland Road, with support from the Council’s City Safety Team and Mount Cook Mobilised.

Hopper Street

Sheyne Tuffery

Tuffery's large mural depicts a giant tuatara, the entrance to a Māori Pa, brick work symbolising the police barracks and the famed ‘Massey’s Cossacks’. These images all represent significant stages in the development of Mount Cook and bring to life the history of the area. The artist has also included his own cultural motifs to symbolise the present and possible future for this inner city suburb. Students from the Massey School of Fine Arts helped Tuffery paint the mural, which was funded by the Council’s Public Art Fund.

Wallace Street

Sheyne Tuffery, 2020 

This big mural on a retaining wall references what the Pukeahu Mt Cook area may have looked like 250+ years ago. The local residents association, Mt Cook Mobilised and mana whenua representatives brought the history of this area to life. Tuffery learned that Pukeahu was a rich food cultivation site.

The artwork depicts a lush garden with giant native birds as guardians, fish signifying the waterways beneath and giant Totara connecting the garden to the vast green belt that framed Te Whanganui-a-Tara.