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Haere Mai






This dolphin sculpture in Paihia is near the waterfront and gives a "Haere Mai" meaning "welcome" in Maori to visitors arriving on cruise ships or on the ferry, of course with our borders being closed we haven't had any cruise ships in from overseas in nearly a year.

Anyway the plaque on the front offers a prayer for the sculpture and describes how we must take care of the dolphins for they are the mammals that originally led Maori to the Bay of Islands and Paihia.  This region was one of the first settled areas in New Zealand.

Linking up with Skywatch Friday.  

Comments

local alien said…
That's a delightful dolphin statue. A true kiwi welcome
Billy Blue Eyes said…
What a beautiful carving
William Kendall said…
That is a welcome sight to see.
A super dolphin sculpture - what a lovely way to greet visitors :)
Tom said…
...these dolphins remind me of Maui! Thanks.
Iris Flavia said…
Beautiful. Hope you get tourists soon again (haha?)
kwarkito said…
a beautioful sculpture to honour these smart and clever animals
Yogi♪♪♪ said…
Friendly looking statues. There is something about dolphins that people like.
love dolphins and the sculpture - the history is a delightful story
carol l mck said…
Love the dolphin sculpture ~ great photo ^_^

Moment by moment,

A ShutterBug Explores,
aka (A Creative Harbor)
PerthDailyPhoto said…
It's a wonderful sculpture Amy, dolphins are beautiful and intelligent creatures 🐬
Sharon said…
It's there waiting for the ships to return.
Bill said…
The dolphins are beautiful. They give a nice welcoming to the area.
Pauline said…
Nice to see a few people around enjoying Paihia. I think it's great being able to get around the "tourist" spots in our area without the crowds. Love the dolphins.
Beautiful, and a good message.

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