Te Puna brings together essays about the art of Te Tai Tokerau / Northland, including carving, painting, weaving, architecture, moko (tattoo) and waka building. It discusses how Northland Maori art was collected by museums and missionaries; and argues that Tai Tokerau was the cradle for contemporary Maori art. Shorter essays highlight artists such as Ralph Hotere, Shane Cotton, Hec Busby and Kura Te Waru Rewiri. The essays are by leading art historians and curators. Raupo Publishing, 2007

I love the opening of the essay by Chanel Clarke - Nga taonga tuitui tangata.

"There is a certain point on the road north, just before you come upon the settlement of Pakaraka, that for the unknowing may seem like an ordinary bend on the journey. But when you round it the vast, glorious expanse of the Taiamai landscape suddenly opens up before you. You get a glimpse of the past life of our ancestors as the majestic pa of Pouerua rises in the distance with Maungaturoto tucked in behind. The puriri trees that dot the landscape are a reminder of the dense native forest that once clothed this land. It is a brief moment, followed only a minute later by a completely different vision as Holy Trinity Church presents itself, tucked into a leafy glade, in a scene reminiscent of the English countryside. This sharp contrast is characteristic of this part of the North."