Heather Chesterman moved to the Coromandel Peninsula in the 1970s worked as a potter with Barry Brickell in Coromandel township, before moving to Kuaotunu and later Tapu. Brickell’s mantra, “It’s not the thing, but how”, taught her that the attitude towards a task is more important than the task itself. “It has had a huge influence on my life,” she says.

Her art now dominates the 4.5ha property (The Mahara Sculpture Park and Pottery) in Tapu, Coromandel. The scrubby paddocks have been transformed into an outdoor gallery, including a classical seven-circuit labyrinth dotted with mosaic sculptures, and a stone circle inspired by a trip to Stonehenge. The Park and Pottery, named after the old Mahara Royal gold mine that operated in the area during the 1890s, is open to the public seven days a week.