Would You Like Art With That Bungee Jump?

By Gretchen Cook
Special to The Washington Post
Sunday, November 26, 2006

Jet boating, bungee jumping, kite boarding, heli-skiing, sport fishing -- that's what a trip to New Zealand is all about, right? Kiwis have thrill-seeking down to an art, and the greatest of the great outdoors to seek them in. But visitors often overlook the thrills to be had within four walls -- art gallery walls, to be specific.

New Zealand's contemporary-art scene offers plenty of kicks for connoisseurs and museum-phobes alike, with innovative materials, bold new takes on old traditions and wow-factor displays. The works may be housed in buildings with edgy architecture or set among natural wonders (with no admission fees), and all comers will be welcomed with an unpretentiousness not usually found in such venues.

Stuffing some of these works in the overhead bin might be a bit of a challenge, but there are plenty of travel-friendly objects if shopping's your bag. They can also be more budget-friendly than you'd expect: Though Kiwi artists are gaining worldwide acclaim, their relative obscurity generally prevents them from commanding top dollar. Exchange rates, the economy and the notoriously tight Kiwis keep prices down as well.

Geographical isolation sends many islanders off for an "OE," Kiwispeak for overseas experience. That may explain the artists' sophisticated grasp of so many schools of art. While there's nothing new in marrying Old and New World elements, the country's long tradition of abstraction produces styles strikingly unlike those usually associated with ethnic imagery or folk art.

Many Pakeha (whites of European origin) artists have embraced Maori traditions, but best known is Gordon Walters, one of New Zealand's most revered painters. His vast series using the elegant Maori koru motif (also Air New Zealand's logo) is the result of years of working on an abstraction of that design. The sharp, precise lines of an almost machine-made quality create a dazzling 3-D positive-negative effect. Even those who find abstract art inaccessible will marvel at the simple beauty of Walters's works.

The country's unparalleled natural beauty is another muse for its artists. Colin McCahon can encompass an entire vista in almost a single brush stroke, while Maori artist Simon Kaan draws on his origins as well as those of the Chinese and Europeans for his gorgeous minimalist seascapes. John Edgar uses his background as a research chemist and prospector to capture nature in exquisite stone sculptures.

These are the leading lights to look for, and most major contemporary galleries will carry at least a few of their works. Such masters can command prices heading into the tens of thousands, but a bit of hunting can unearth some of their smaller works for a bargain. Overall, be prepared to be unprepared for what awaits you.

In Auckland

Take Auckland's Sue Crockford Gallery (2 Queen St., 011-64-9-309-5127, http://www.suecrockford.com/), tucked in the corner of a stately old office building. The soaring ceilings and huge picture windows with panoramic views of the city's shimmering harbor recently offered the perfect backdrop for a collection of . . . garbage. The vast white walls were hung with Bill Culbert's surprisingly beautiful work, basically old plastic bottles skewered on fluorescent tubes.

One of the country's senior artists, Culbert dumpster-dives for detergent bottles and other mundane vessels, paints them vivid colors (or leaves them au naturel) and illuminates them to remarkably lovely effect. Items at the gallery start at $3,000.

Elsewhere in Auckland, head to the Ponsonby Road strip, where hundreds of Victorian houses drip with elaborate wrought-iron verandas and cornices. It's also home to the quirky new Objectspace (8 Ponsonby Rd., 011-64-9-376-6216, http://www.objectspace.org.nz/) and the well-established Masterworks (77 Ponsonby Rd., 011-64-9-378-1256, http://www.masterworksgallery.com/).

Another prime location for art seekers is the chic Parnell shopping district, whose galleries include Artis (280 Parnell Rd., 011-64-9-303-1090, http://www.artisgallery.biz/) and Ferner (367 Parnell Rd., 011-64-9-309-0107, http://www.ferner.co.nz/).

The setting is the draw for the Parnell and Ponsonby spaces, which are mostly small and architecturally unremarkable. But you'll find some big names displayed to their best advantage, and the tony locations don't necessarily translate into higher prices. Artists' pieces are rotated frequently, so ask for those not shown. The galleries are sure to have a few in the back, or the staff will have contacts for where to get them.

The Capital

Wellington, New Zealand's busy capital, has its own vibrant gallery scene. Any tour should start with downtown's Avid Gallery (48 Victoria St., 011-64-4-472-7703, http://www.avidgallery.co.nz/). The shop's front room offers the best in art glass and fine pottery in illuminated cases, as well as rotating collections of paintings and sculptures. High-end handcrafted jewelry is laid out in the back room.

Avid is also a good source for art that will fit into your carry-on. For packable pieces, sculptor Edgar obligingly crafts miniatures of his "altered stones." Inlaid with glass, marble, jade and other materials with mathematical precision, the plain gray river rocks morph into fist-size jewels. Paul Mason's bronze crucibles covered in beautiful blue, green and gold patinas have a delightfully surprising heft but are small enough to stow.

Ceramics are more fragile, but works such as John Parker's stunning white vessels are well worth a few rolls of bubble wrap to bring home. Prices for all works are about $200 to $500.

Also downtown is the Tinakori Gallery (42 Victoria St., 011-64-4-471-2636, http://www.tinakorigallery.co.nz/). Opened in 1987, the gallery has just moved to new digs near the waterfront and commands the capital's largest contemporary dealer space. Works include those by some of the best-known modern-day and historical artists, but the larger space also means room for new and lesser-known talents -- and lower prices.

On offbeat Cuba Street, the humble gallery of Peter McLeavey (147 Cuba St., 011-64-4-384-7356) offers a trove of contemporary artists befitting his rank as one of New Zealand's senior art dealers. The walls are sparingly hung and the space deceptively tiny, but McLeavey will happily trot out treasures from a vast closet once he gets a handle on the visitor's tastes.

South Island

Most adventure travelers head to New Zealand's South Island, home to the towering Southern Alps and the magnificent fiord lands (the film location for "The Lord of the Rings"). But the sparse, remote population is just as keen on its art scene. The Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetu (Worcester Boulevard and Montreal Street, Christchurch, 011-64-3-941-7300, http://christchurchartgallery.org.nz/), named for the artesian spring on the site and a tributary that flows into the Avon River, boasts exhibitions worthy of its stunning $47.5 million glass-and-steel structure.

The museum doesn't sell its pieces (Kiwis use the term "gallery" for both public spaces and private-dealer showrooms), but it does offer the private Form Gallery, which peddles work from an extensive variety of artists. In fact, Christchurch, the island's largest city and gateway to the dynamic Canterbury region, has some of the best private galleries in the country.

The cutting-edge Jonathan Smart Gallery (160 High St., 011-64-3-365-7070, http://www.lunchbox.net.nz/) is surprisingly spacious in its upstairs digs and focuses largely on photography, with a good collection of paintings, sculptures and installation works.

The strikingly modern architecture of the Centre of Contemporary Art (66 Gloucester St., 011-643-366-7261, http://coca.org.nz/) hints at the bold works inside. Glossy floors and museum-quality lighting showcase more than 400 New Zealand artists in exhibitions that rotate every three weeks.

Ina Johann exemplifies some of the daring young talents with her "Stuttering Structures": Small stainless-steel "lightboxes" mounted on the walls are crowned with slides of city stills and linked with illuminated tape. The wide-ranging prices reflect the scope of the wares but are generally on the high end.

Gallery Thirty Three (33 Helwick St., Wanaka, 011-64-03-443-4330, http://www.gallery33.co.nz/) also provokes with new works and is conveniently set near the lovely Lake Wanaka and Harris Mountains. The variety of media is the draw, as well as innovative ways of using them.

Miranda Parkes, for example, literally goes outside the box of framed canvases by curling, scrunching and rippling her paintings into three-dimensional oeuvres. Those start in the few hundreds, but some paintings, rugs and sculptures reach into several thousands of dollars.

Milford Galleries ( http://milfordgalleries.co.nz/) offers one of the most comprehensive collections and has locations in Auckland (26 Kitchener St., 011-64-9-309-7448) and two South Island cities. The Dunedin gallery (18 Dowling St., 011-64-3-477-7727) has three main showrooms in an 1883 clothing factory, and serious shoppers can head to the back for one of New Zealand's largest art-store rooms. The Queenstown shop (Earl Street and Church Lane, 011-64-3-442-6896) is roomy enough to accommodate large installations but maintains the more intimate feel of a private dealer.

And if what's on the walls disappoints, you can always look out the window. You're in New Zealand, after all.

Most dealers can ship or help you ship items overseas. For a guide to the galleries and artists of New Zealand, good Web sites include Art Bash (http://artbash.co.nz/galleries1.asp), Te Puna Web Directory (http://www.webdirectory.natlib.govt.nz, browse by subject, then click "Arts and Literature," then "Fine Arts" and "Galleries"), NZ Artists (http://nz-artists.co.nz), Heart of Art (http://www.artlover.co.nz) and Maori Arts New Zealand (http://www.maoriart.org.nz).

For general info on travel to the country: Tourism New Zealand, http://www.newzealand.com.

Gretchen Cook last wrote for Travel on consignment shopping in Berlin.