2001 The Voyager (2001)

Paul Dibble grew up on a farm in Waitakaruru, an area of low lying land located on the gulf of Thames. As a boy he rummaged in the swampland to find the archeological remains of distant settlers; anchor stones, pounders and flints. It is a part of the country that has been well trod by explorers such as Captain Cook on his first journey. The Voyager is a monument to the navigational legends and travelers (both in sailing ships and in waka) that have explored New Zealand. The figure seems a mixture of artistic abstraction and boyhood dreams. With calipers in one hand he plots out his course. His expression is more serene and whimsical then containing any real concentration or earnestness. Is he dreaming of magical foreign lands? The markings on the figure suggest navigational chartings as made by the dividers held in his hand.