The location of this landscape is the confluence of the Waikato and Waipaa Rivers at Ngaaruawaahia, headquarters of the first Maaori sovereign, Kiingi Potatau Te Wherowhero.
The artist, John Barr Clark Hoyte, was born in London, England. Hoyte travelled with his wife to Aotearoa New Zealand in 1860, where they were to remain for the next 18 years. While Hoyte painted many British scenes, he was more famous for his depictions of our local landscapes.
After moving with his family to Dunedin in 1876, he continued to exhibit. Three years later, Hoyte left for New South Wales, Australia, where he continued to work successfully as a painter until his death in 1913.
The use of intense ultramarines and pthalo blues for the hills was a signature of Hoyte’s work and he made a living selling his paintings to hotels, stores and galleries.
Hoyte’s iconic paintings of the natural wonder, the Pink and White Terraces, destroyed in the 1886 eruption of Mt Tarawera, are among the few artistic images of the fabled landmark that exist.