Master carver Matahi Whakataka-Brightwell spent four summers chiseling a ten-metre portrait of Ngātoroirangi into the pumice cliff face at Mine Bay, completing the work in 1980. The navigator who guided Te Arawa waka to Aotearoa stands chest-deep in the rock, arms crossed, gazing south across water that fills a volcanic crater formed 27,000 years ago. Two smaller figures flank him—Māori mythological beings tied to the geothermal forces still venting beneath the lake. No road reaches the site. The carvings occupy a sheer section of coastline accessible only by kayak, boat, or floatplane, ensuring that every visitor arrives the way Ngātoroirangi himself once did: across open water. The clifftop above the carvings is privately held under Māori custodianship, and the artwork itself remains taonga—a cultural treasure rather than a public monument. Whakataka-Brightwell worked from a bosun's chair suspended by rope, using hammer and chisel to carve directly into the porous volcanic stone. The pumice weathers quickly, requiring periodic conservation to prevent the fine details—facial features, muscular definition—from eroding back into the cliff. Local iwi maintain the site with minimal intervention, prioritizing preservation over restoration. Lake Taupō measures 616 square kilometers, making it the largest freshwater lake in Australasia by surface area. Mine Bay lies on the southwestern shore, a 40-minute journey by sailboat from the Taupō town wharf. The water clarity varies with wind and rainfall—calmer mornings in spring and autumn produce glass-flat conditions that mirror the carvings in the lake surface. Afternoon nor'westers generate chop that can obscure the base of the cliff and force cancellations of smaller vessels. Most maori rock carvings boat tour taupo operators depart twice daily, timing the outbound leg to arrive when the sun strikes the cliff face from the northeast, illuminating the recessed chisel marks that give Ngātoroirangi his three-dimensional form. Electric catamarans, traditional monohulls, and luxury sailing yachts all converge in the same 200-metre stretch of water, idling close enough to the rock that passengers can photograph individual tool marks. The return journey typically swings past Whakamoenga Point and the submerged thermal vents that release columns of warm water visible as shimmering curtains near the lakebed. No landing is permitted—viewing remains waterborne, preserving both the sanctity of the site and the structural integrity of the cliff.