Monday, February 6, 2012

New Zealand Memorial

Several war memorials stand in Hyde Park corner marking the relationship between Britain and those countries that supported her during the first and second world wars.

Today is New Zealand's national day. Waitangi Day, so named as on February 6th 1840 representatives of Queen Victoria and several Maori Chiefs signed a treaty that is the founding document of modern New Zealand, at Waitangi.

The memorial sculpture, a collaborative work by New Zealander Paul Dibble has iconic New Zealand folklore on each of the standards. Six of the standards sit slightly apart from the group and are arranged to represent the southern cross (star constellation). All of the standards have a cross on the top that glows at night to represent the New Zealand sky.