Two new carved creations for Hanmer Forest

The latest additions are a giant rabbit in dungarees, carved from a redwood tree and funded by Hanmer Heritage Forest Trust, and a morepork (ruru), created from a totara and funded by Amuri District Arts Council.   The two newcomers make up a total of 14 sculptures – the first four  were originally installed in 2018 and have been added to over the years.

Hanmer Heritage Forest Trust headed the initial project which was supported by Ngai Tahu and Rayonier Matariki Forests, who owns and manages the forest.

Roz Clayton, Chair of Hanmer Heritage Forest Trust said during a trip to Switzerland she and former chair, Pauline Bennett and her husband, Laurie, saw a similar project in a Swiss forest and thought it would be wonderful to bring the idea to New Zealand.

“The project has been a great success and draws locals and visitors to the forest to explore the many different sculptures,” says Roz.  “We decided the first sculpture should be a dog sitting at the entrance to the forest but after that, we handed it over to the sculptor, Andrew Lyons, to let his imagination run wild.”

Since then birds, a friendly giant, an orangutan and other delightful critters can be found in the trees or along the path in Hanmer Forest.

A redwood tree, which had to be removed from the entrance to the pools for safety reasons, was used to make all the original sculptures. The only exceptions being the mushrooms and the orangutan.

To keep them in the best condition the sculptures are oiled once or twice a year.  “The volunteers help with this,” says Roz.  “It’s easy to carry out this job with the sculptures alongside the track but it’s a bit more problematic when it comes to the ones up in the trees.”

Hamish McConnon, Canterbury Regional Manager for Rayonier Matariki Forests, said the sculptures were a great addition to the forest.

“Whether you are an adult or child, discovering all the sculptures is delightful, as you wander along the trail.  The Hanmer Heritage Forest Trust and its volunteers do a wonderful job of looking after the sculptures and trail,” says Hamish.

The Forest Amble Walk has seen approximately 83,000 visitors in the last 12 months.

The popular 1.5km loop trail is an easy walk and perfect for families and children.  It takes around 30 minutes to complete, depending on your pace.