Kotuku — White Heron Midnight

The kōtuku is one of those birds that stops you. Rare, unhurried, impossibly elegant. The great white heron breeds in only one place in Aotearoa: a small colony at the Waitangiroto Nature Reserve near Whataroa, just north of Ōkārito Lagoon on the West Coast. It also gave us the whakataukī still used today: He kōtuku rerenga tahi, a white heron's flight is seen but once, said to signify something rare.

This print, Kōtuku White Heron Midnight, started with that feeling of encountering something extraordinary. The dark backdrop, the bird luminous against it, the botanical chaos around the edges. I wanted it to feel like night time, with the moon as your torch.

If you've got a soft spot for the kōtuku, this limited edition print ships anywhere in New Zealand (well, anywhere in the world that NZ Post ships to). From $200.

If you've ever spotted a kōtuku standing motionless in a wetland and felt that small jolt of luck, this one's for you. Limited edition, printed to last, shipped anywhere in New Zealand and the rest of the whole wide world!