A lime stone cliff carving depicting Hinenuitepō has been blessed and opened to the public in the sculpture park of Les Lapidiales in France.
The 10x5m piece is the work of Waiheke artist Paora Toiterangiuaia of Ngāti Porou and Irish ancestry and was completed over 2 residences which spanned six years.
A 60-strong contingent representing Aotearoa, including members of Mr Toiterangiuaia's family from Waipiro Bay on the East Coast, members of the Waiheke French club and London-based cultural club Ngāti Rānana attended the opening recently.
Around 200 of the French public arrived for the dawn ceremony, where Mr Toiterangiuaia explained the significance of the Hinenuitepō in Māori culture and why he chose her to grace the entrance of the lime stone cave where the work is situated.