Pouwhenua on beach made purely for art's sake

A Waitati artist does not mind if his wooden carving that graces Doctors Point eventually washes away.

''It's all part of it,'' Alex Whitaker says.

The roughly 1.5m-tall red-painted pouwhenua, or carved wooden post, appeared on the beach at the inlet to Blueskin Bay in the past week.

Mr Whitaker admitted it was his creation when contacted yesterday.

''It doesn't really represent anything particularly. I just like putting a little bit of art into a random space occasionally.''

The burnt log was dropped off to him and he thought ''Oh, that'd be really cool with a head on it''.

''It was just a really quick random experiment, really.''

Mr Whitaker often creates Maori carvings.

He began work on a piece of driftwood in February last year at the same part of the beach, but it was swept away in a flood to nearby Warrington.

There it created a mystery for people walking along the sand.

Mr Whitaker said his pieces were ''just temporary things''.

''If that washes away in a flood I might put another one there. I'm quite happy for them to wash away.''

jono.edwards@odt.co.nz