NZ Saddleback   Acrylic on canvas panel.

 NZ Bellbird.  Another in the NZ native bird series.

                                             NZ Tui.  Acrylic on canvas.

 Fantail (Maori Pewakawaka)  Acrylic on canvas panel 9 x 12 in.

These little birds will follow you or flit around you while bush walking.  They catch small bugs that get disturbed by people walking the tracks.  They are quite delightful to see.

            NZ Native Kereru (wood Pigeon)  9 x 12 in. Acrylic

These beautiful birds can grow up to 650g. in weight. They feed on native berries and can get intoxicated from the fermenting berries in their gut.  This made them easy prey for maori in the 19th century. The favoured method was the spear them from below as they sat intoxicated in the pururi trees.  Today they are a protected species.

 NZ Native Tui  9 x 12 in. Acrylic. 

Their distinctive call is due to two voice boxes. They are territorial and are known to aggressively protect their food source.  A favourite being the Kowhai flowers.

'Under the Mountain'  16 x 20 inch. Acrylic on canvas.   

This rural scene caught my eye during a recent camper-van tour we did around the the Takaka region.  I decided to include the coru motif on the hills as a nod to our indigenous maori people who suffered the loss of their land and cultural heritage during the mid nineteenth century.