Cheeky Island Sentinels

The bohemian enclave of Waiheke Island has become a gallery-rich art destination; the Guardian’s Stephen Phelan’s first impressions are of bare bottoms, all brightly painted in tinges of lime green, lemon yellow, electric blue and blushing pink. “Sailing in from Auckland we pass underneath a whole hillside of these cheeky sentinels, life-sized human figures standing stock-still and buck naked on the headland above Matiatia Bay,” Phelan writes. “They were carved from wood and screen-printed to look three-dimensional by sculptor Christian Nicolson and selected to open the biennial Sculpture on the Gulf festival held earlier this year. There is talk of making it a permanent fixture, a way of saying ‘Welcome to Waiheke’ that encapsulates the spirit of the place … to suggest that this island is ruled by artists and artisans.”