MOANA
Look at these three majestic landscapes – Lake Manapouri in the middle. With the snow-capped mountains. The light reflected on the water. Doesn’t it make you want to visit?

ADVERTISEMENT VOICE
Aotearoa New Zealand!  Scenic wonderland … doesn’t even begin to describe it. 

It’s all waiting for you! From the grand gloominess and staggering scale of Lake Manapouri, to the rugged beauty of the Southern Alps, and the untamed geysers of Rotorua.

From the sheer cliffs of the southern fiords, to the pristine peaks of Mount Aspiring.

Whoever you are, wherever you’ve come from … Welcome!  

This magical place belongs to you.

MOANA
That’s enough of that.  Sounds familiar though, doesn’t it? 

From the earliest days of landscape painting in Aotearoa New Zealand, European and Pākehā artists have constructed their own visions of New Zealand – often as a rugged, unoccupied wilderness.

I reckon this romantic idea of the landscape still echoes today – including in international tourism ads aimed at showing off the country’s natural wonders, and drawing visitors from across the globe.

As you browse these paintings, think about the way the artists have brought their own framings to the landscape – capturing their own needs and desires.