Te Kohatu Whakamaharatanga o te Kahurangi o Lourdes
Te tomonga i waenga o te Tiriti 14 me 20 o Tongariro, Paraparaumu
Ko tētehi o ngā tohu maharatanga hikareia o Kapiti ko te kōhatu whakamaharatanga 14 mita o Kahurangi Mere i runga i te puke e 75 mita, i runga ake o te whare karakia o Hato Pātariki. He mea whakarite e te pirihi o Hato Pātariki, e Pā J.S. Dunn i 1958 hei whakamaharatanga kotahi rau tau i te kitenga o Kahurangi Mere i Lourdes.
Nā te ringa toi Tatimana, nā Martin Roestenberg te kōhatu whakamaharatanga i whao, ka mutu ko tēnei tētehi o ngā mea nui rawa i te ao o tōna momo. I waihangatia te ūpoko e rua mita te teitei ki tōna kāinga ki Taihape. I te wāhi e tū ai, nā te wakaranga i hiki ki runga i te tīrewa. Ka tupu haere te āhua o te kōhatu mai i te ūpoko ki raro iho nā te mea he paparanga plaster-of-paris i tāpiringia ki te scrim ka waihangatia ai kia tākoru ana te āhua. He tatau iti kei te pūtake, te tokokanga atu ki tētehi kōpani kia tae atu ai ki te ūpoko. Whakamomori kau te ringa toi i te roanga o te riri o takurua, ā, nō te Ākuhata o 1958, i oti katoa te kōhatu whakamaharatanga me te pane rama 17. Ka kā ana, ka kitea tōna āwheo tīramarama mō te kiromita tini noa atu.
Nō muri noa mai hei ārai atu i te kaiuru me te marangai, he maha ngā paparanga weu karaehe i āpitingia. Ko ‘Stations of the Cross’, he whakaaturanga karaehe motumotu o te aurere o Ihu.
Another angle of the wooden scaffolding tower during the construction Our Lady Lourdes in 1958
A man on top of the scaffolding during construction in 1958, with Paraparaumu and Kāpiti Island in the background.
Plastering of the statue during construction Our Lady Lourdes in 1959
Construction Our Lady Lourdes in 1959, showing the top half of the statue complete.
A plasterer at work on the scaffolding during construction in 1959
The completed Statue of Mary later.
A close up of restoration work being carried out on the statue's face in 2012
Statue of Mary, Our Lady of Lourdes in Paraparaumu
