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Biography: Hotere, Hone Papita Raukura (Ralph)

‘Flight of the godwit’ by Ralph Hōtere

Ralph Hōtere painted ‘The flight of the godwit’, an 18-metre long mural, for Auckland airport in 1977. This work joined murals by Pat Hanly and Robert Ellis at the airport. After the airport was redesigned in 1996, Hōtere’s work was given to the Chartwell Collection, along with Hanly’s ‘Prelude to a journey’. It was later gifted to the Auckland Art Gallery and renamed ‘Godwit/kuaka’ by the artist.

Using this item

Auckland Art Gallery – Toi o Tāmaki

Reference: C1997/1/1/1-15

Permission of Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

How to cite this page

Megan Tamati-Quennell. 'Hotere, Hone Papita Raukura (Ralph)', Dictionary of New Zealand Biography, first published in 2020. Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/zoomify/47258/flight-of-the-godwit-ralph-hotere (accessed 4 June 2026).