Epic artwork for CRL precinct

When the City Rail Link (CRL) is open, thousands of train passengers will arrive at street level through the north-eastern exit from Te Waihorotiu Station, predicted to be the most well-used train station in New Zealand.

As they pour out of the station, they will witness Wāhine and then walk to Horotiu. These striking artworks create a dialogue - one welcoming and one grounding.

Blessed at a formal dawn ceremony yesterday (July 29) which was led by Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei, the splendour of these two bronze artworks gleams in the morning light.

Wāhine depicts a Māori woman performing a karanga (call of welcome). She stands on a low plinth, scaled and oriented to meet the gaze of manuhiri (visitors) as they ascend the ramp from the underground station.

Further along Victoria Street West towards Queen Street stands Horotiu, providing a powerful dual art experience with Wāhine.

Throughout the project, we've worked with Auckland Council Public Art and Auckland Transport as well as with a dedicated Te Hā Noa mana whenua working group. Representatives from Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki, Te Aakitai Waiohua, Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei, Ngaati Whanaunga, Te Patukirikiri, and Ngāti Maru provided cultural leadership, guidance and oversight throughout design and delivery of the project.

CRL stations and tunnels will soon become part of the wider Auckland Transport rapid transit network. Te Waihorotiu Station will offer services on the East West Line and South City Line, connecting to key bus routes with stops right outside the station.  

Two other CRL station neighbourhoods in the city centre were completed earlier this year: Waitematā Station neighbourhood and Karanga-a-Hape Station neighbourhood.

Auckland Council is committed to ensuring the stories of mana whenua are reflected in the city centre’s urban landscape.

Expressions of te ao Māori (the Māori world) can be seen in planting, language, paving patterns, handrails, drinking fountains, bus shelters, murals, art and design throughout the redeveloped parts of the city centre.

Embedding mana whenua narratives and expressions of te ao Māori was central to the planning of the midtown regeneration, a $133 million upgrade and redesign of the area, announced in 2021. The project is reshaping the area into a vibrant station precinct, ready to welcome the thousands of people who will pass through Te Waihorotiu Station each day when the City Rail Link opens.

Te Hā Noa, the upgrade of Victoria Street, is one of the flagship projects within Auckland’s wider midtown regeneration. The final stage in Victoria Street East is due for completion late 2026.