Artwork Information

Kororarekea, now commonly known as Russell, was the birthplace of the famous guide Te Paea Hinerangi or Guide Sophia.

In her later years she lived at Wairoa village, near Lake Tarawera, where she earned a living showing tourists around the pink and white terraces of Rotomahana. A significant female role model in the long-standing tradition of ‘guiding’, Sophia personified the very best of who Māori were at the time. (Chic Colonials: Ataahua, 2003)