The waharoa I designed for our wedding represents the whakapapa of love, and its name, from Taranaki waiata, encapsulates this: Puna te Aroha.

Puna te Aroha

The amo depict the inner child being swung by the invisible hands of our tūpuna, showing the joy they want for us and the joy that we bring to each other, which is the basis of our relationship.

Ko tō mātou waka

Ko te Rangimārie

Te hoe o runga

Ko Puna te Aroha

Oceloxóchitl flowers represent my wife's Mexican culture and whānau, and kōwhai ngutu kākā flowers in the kōwhaiwhai represent mine.

Together they carry the flow of energy from our atua to represent creativity and the power, joy and hauora that comes from being connected to nature and whānau.

The carving pattern on the raparapa represents the pā harakeke, our community of whānau and friends that supports, nurtures and protects us in life's journey.

The raparapa are the welcoming arms of love that not only feeds us, but gives us so much to share with the world at large.

To complete our pōwhiri-style ceremony, we walked through the waharoa together to a final karanga, representing the beginning of our marriage journey.

Puna te Aroha now stands on the wall of our home with the two kahu hanging inside as an altar to love, while lights strung around her silhouette light up our nights.

Keeping with the theme of the waiata, I designed chocolate waka for guests to eat at the wedding by making my own silicone moulds.

Chocolate waka

Oceloxóchitl flowers from México and kōwhai ngutu kākā represent our two cultures on a voyage together.

Ko tō mātou waka

Ko te Rangimārie

Our friend Bronwyn O’Hara generously used her own delicious Malva brand chocolate from the Solomon Islands to make each part of the waka.

They were a lot of work for something that disappeared so fast, but that was the point: the bold spirit of creating beauty and meaning, and then letting it go!

It turns out I was the only person who thought that was a beautiful concept. But life and marriage are full of wild ideas and glorious disasters. They tasted fantastic.

Above: while teaching in my initial dream job (UNICEF article), I began making outdoor musical instruments for my niece. My vision of enabling all students to enjoy creative musical play together led me to develop an entire sound garden for the kura: Te Ara Whānui Sound Garden.