ARTIST'S NOTES TO THE ILLUSTRATIONS - 2
Page 10 
NZ Native Pigeon, kereru (Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae); Red-crowned Parakeet, kakariki (Cyanoramphus novaeseelandiae); Fantail, piwakawaka (Rhipidura fulginosa).
Page 11 Kiwi (Apteryx mantelli - endangered); Morepork, ruru (Ninox novaeseelandiae); Laughing Owl, whekau; Green gecko, (Naultinus elegans); Greater Short-tailed Bat, pekapeka (Mystacina robusta - extinct); Lesser Short-tailed Bat (Mysticina tuberculata); Puriri moth, pepetuna; mokoroa, ngutara; pungoungou (Aenetus virescens); Large Green Cockchafer, tutaeruru (Chlorochiton suturalis); New Zealand Glow-worm, titiwai (Arachnocampa luminosa). New Zealand Fuchsia, kotukutuku; Supplejack, kareao, Fragrant fern.
Page 12 Shining cuckoo, pipiwharauroa (Chrysococcyx lucidus); Huhu Beetle, tunga rere. NZ Clematis, puawhananga (Clematis paniculata); Kohekohe, NZ Mahogany; Mahoe, Whiteywood (Melicytus ramiflorus); Hangehange (Geniostoma ligustrifolium); Perching lily, Kahakaha (Collospermum hastatum); Kidney fern, raurenga (Trichomanes reniforme).
The ever-present process of decay and regeneration in the bush is something I really enjoyed capturing in this painting.
Page 13 Long-tailed cuckoo, koekoea (Eudynamys taitensis).
The birds and planets are symbols of Polynesian navigation skills. I planned this painting as a tribute to those mighty mariners who navigated the Pacific Ocean in twin-hulled canoes using mainly their knowledge of bird migration and the constellations of the night sky.
Page 14 Kokako (North Island), Blue-wattled crow; Weka, NZ Woodhen; Fantail, piwakawaka. Pacific or Polynesian rat, kiore (Rattus exulans). Pohutukawa (Metrosideros excelsa).
Legend has it that when Kupe first arrived in New Zealand, he thought there were people in the land because he heard voices. He later identified the sounds as the voices of the kokako, the weka and the fantail - which is why I featured these birds in this painting.
Page 15 Rainbow paua, abalone (Haliotis iris) shell.
Kete, cloaks and cord woven from the fibre of the NZ Flax or harakeke. On the walls hang 3 kete - in reference to the legedary 3 kete of wisdom brought down to earth by the god Tane - shown here, the wisdom the Polynesian settlers acquired in gathering and growing food, and finding materials to make clothes, domestic items and houses.
Page 16 Tui; Fantail, piwakawaka; Grey warbler, riroriro; Tit, miromiro (Petroica macrocephala); North Island Robin, toutouwai (Petroica australis). NZ Broadleaf, kapuka (Griselinia littoralis).
I included the 4 small birds as a nod to Maori legend. When the demigod Maui went exploring to search out and destroy Hinenuitepo the goddess of night, he chose as his companions on the journey piwakawaka, riroriro, miromiro and toutouwai.
Note the body tattoo, a custom the Polynesdian settlers brought with them. Later, when they found it necessary to keep warm with clothes, tattooing was more often restricted to the face and legs.
Page 17 Kaka (Nestor meridionalis); Southern right whale (Eubalaena australis).
NZ Cabbage Tree (Cordyline australis).
Kete and binding cord woven from the fibre of the NZ Flax or harakeke. On the ground lie 3 kete - again referring to Tane's legedary 3 kete of wisdom. Shown here, the wisdom to work with wood using only stone (and occasionally fire) to create large buildings and canoes - highly ornamented war-canoes and meeting-houses being the supreme examples. The ornament worn by the main character is a greenstone poria - a carved ring used to secure captive birds like the kaka.
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