Tai Tapu Sculpture Garden: a growing Selwyn artwork

Top image: David and Emelia by Anneke Bester

Follow the backroads of Tai Tapu to the base of the Port Hills, and you'll discover a unique fusion of art and nature nestled amongst the farms and fields: the Tai Tapu Sculpture Garden.

Every year during the first three weekends of autumn, the Garden hosts an exhibition of contemporary New Zealand sculptures set amid a burgeoning oasis of native trees and shrubs. (You can also visit the Garden and its permanent collection by appointment at other times of the year.)

The exhibition pieces change every year, with careful selection by curator Melissa Reimer. There's real variety, in form, material, and style. Some echo the natural setting; feathers, birds, animals, and leaves, and natural, curving forms. Some are playful or surprising. In 2024, you might have turned a corner to discover three bright yellow loops, a rifleman bird in military attire, or a wirework bear holding a fire extinguisher.

All exhibition items — numbering as many as 100, from 40 different artists — are for sale. Some go early, but it's always worth checking with Melissa and the team to see if a similar piece might still be available. The permanent collection now numbers more than 30 pieces, from noted artists including Llew Summers, Graham Bennett, Bing Dawe, and Neil Dawson.

Yogi cant bear this any longer by Hamish Southcott

But the sculpture is only one part of the experience. People leave the Garden inspired not just by the sculpture, but also the native plantings and the careful thought put into their arrangement. Flourishing tōtara, mataī, kahikatea, beech, rimu, and other rare or threatened native plants of Canterbury reach across the property in all directions. As told by co-founder Peter Joyce, many visitors say “I enjoyed the sculptures, but I enjoyed the planting even more”.

It makes for a unique experience. Wandering the gentle curves of the Garden’s pathways, you’ll hear a murmuring chorus of people discovering the art, mixed with the occasional delighted laugh, and the ever-present chirping of native birds.

Every corner of the Garden is a chance for discovery, of both plantings and art. The sprawling layout means you can go down a side path and feel half a world away. But you’ve never gone too far: the flat, looping pathways mean everything is an easy, accessible walk.

It's a welcoming environment for everyone, including families, and those for whom a traditional sculpture gallery might not be a familiar or comfortable place. Dogs are welcome, as are picnics, and a coffee cart sits near the entrance to take care of your caffeine needs.

How the Tai Tapu Sculpture Garden began

Co-founders Peter Joyce and Annabel Menzies-Joyce bought the property in 1998, when it became a horse paddock for their daughters.

In Autumn 2010, after their daughters had grown and the horses departed, Peter decided to plant a few native trees along a fence line. “I got to the bottom about July,“ he recalls, ”and I went in and I said to Annabel, 'That was easy - I'll plant the whole paddock'.

"And she said, ‘if you're planting the whole paddock, we'll have a plan’.

"I was thinking, well, if we're going to plant the whole paddock, it should have a function, a purpose. And Annabel's an artist. [So] I said, 'we could make it a sculpture garden'.

"She said 'you don't know anything about sculpture'. I said, 'well, I can learn'."

The plan grew with advice from friend and sculptor Llew Summers. Unlike some other sculpture gardens, which feature either a permanent collection or temporary exhibitions, Peter and Annabel elected to feature both.

A growing and evolving artwork

The Garden itself is an evolving artwork. Each year the trees grow and new artworks appear, and sometimes there's even a new pathway or area to explore. It means that even repeat visitors receive a new experience.

"A number of people who have come regularly over the years say 'I love coming every year, because I love seeing how the trees have grown',“ says Peter. ”It's not just about the sculpture, it's about the trees and the setting in which the sculpture is located."

Others discover new things, telling Peter "'This is my third time here and I found places I didn't see the time before'. I say, ‘I designed it like that’. It's not necessarily all laid out for people to see everything [in one visit]."

A Landscape with Too Many Holes by Bing Dawe

Following Peter around the lower sections of the property, it's obvious he has a keen eye and knack for sculpting the Garden. He talks about the art (and challenges) of watering and drainage, pruning branches at just the right angle, and choosing what trees are right for different areas. He's even measuring the trees' annual growth - an average of 30cm for the eight Mātai between July 2022 and July 2023. There’s a lot to admire and appreciate.

But even if you know nothing of native planting or sculpture, you’ll get a lot of joy from visiting the Tai Tapu Sculpture Garden. It's a chance to discover something new and unexpected, to enjoy the great Selwyn outdoors, or to just find a quiet moment of reflection amid the natural and human-made forms.

Fleeting by Siene de Vries

Make a day of it in Tai Tapu

You can extend your Tai Tapu visit with a stop at The Raspberry Cafe, just a five-minute drive away. Or keep on going for another three minutes and hit The Store at Tai Tapu.

Tai Tapu Sculpture Garden