Inspiring travel through photography

You are here: Home / Travel / New Zealand / North Island (excluding Auckland) / Visit Titirangi for the Rainforest, Te Uru Gallery and Great Food

//  62 Comments

As we drove along the windy road towards Titirangi, the landscape grew more lush, and I wondered why we don’t visit West Auckland more often. Our destination was Te Uru, a contemporary gallery nestled in this bohemian community that sits at the edge of a subtropical rain forest, only an hour from our home.

By the time we arrived in Titirangi, we were hungry. The recommended Hardware Cafe lived up to its reputation. Filled with locals and tourists, it is the place to be in this town. My salad was loaded with both chicken, feta and the most delicious roasted nuts I have had. The coffee was perfect. We sat just inside, enjoying the outdoors through the wide-open windows.

Hardware Cafe in Titirangi, Auckland, New Zealand
Hardware Cafe in Titirangi. (If you look just inside you will see hubby and Melissa)
Chicken and feta salad at Hardware Cafe in Titirangi, Auckland, New Zealand
The chicken, feta, and nuts are all buried in this salad, but there was plenty of them. The strawberries were a nice surprise. At $18.50 it was a tasty, substantial salad and a good deal.

Next, we took a walk on Titirangi Road. Here we found stores with names like Gecko in the Village (New Zealand made gifts), Murray Gray’s Gone West Books (a used book store), The Fairy Flower Shop (obvious from the name), plus art galleries and more cafes.  Lopdell House, the former Titirangi Hotel (1930), is home to the “Upstairs Art Gallery” and has rooftop views worth climbing the stairs to see (so we were told after we had left). There is so much to do everywhere in Auckland.

Finally, we arrived at our destination, Te Uru: Waitakere Contemporary Gallery, one of my favourite museums in the region.  We were greeted by a visitor host and even given a mini-tour. I hate to admit this, but I went in with a preconceived expectation to be disappointed as I am not a fan of modern art. This award-winning, purpose-built, contemporary gallery changed my perspective. The building itself is a work of art, utilising both natural and diffused light, the spectacular surrounding rain forest, and open spaces to create an inviting atmosphere.

Between the building and eclectic displays, I was fascinated. I think the tour helped as I previously never understood modern art. Te Uru doesn’t hold a collection of its own and changes the visiting exhibits at least every three months. The word “art” was strategically left out of their name to allow other contemporary exhibits like jewellery, textiles, photography, music and more.  It’s a place to visit frequently, and free entry makes it easy to do.

They have a strong connection with local Maori Iwi, and their name was derived from Te hau a uru, the wind that blows from the west, bringing a message and vision, change and direction.

Inside Te Uru: Waitakere Contemporary Gallery in Titirangi, Auckland, New Zealand
The white walls and massive galleries made it a comfortable place to enjoy the displays.
Stairwell with massive rainforest views in Te Uru: Waitakere Contemporary Gallery in Titirangi, Auckland, New Zealand
Paralleling stunning rain forest and sea views, the windows along this staircase are a natural work of art.
Stairwell with massive rainforest views in Te Uru: Waitakere Contemporary Gallery in Titirangi, Auckland, New Zealand
The same stairwell from the top, and a better shot to share the massive views.
Hanging lantern to bring diffused light Inside Te Uru: Waitakere Contemporary Gallery in Titirangi, Auckland, New Zealand
This massive hanging lantern diffuses light into Gallery 5, giving the room a magical quality.
Classroom inside Te Uru: Waitakere Contemporary Gallery in Titirangi, Auckland, New Zealand
There is a classroom set up for a school holiday program.
Te Uru: Waitakere Contemporary Gallery in Titirangi, Auckland, New Zealand
From the outside Te Uru: Waitakere Contemporary Gallery blends into Titirangi.

Practical Information:

Have you been to Titirangi? Do you enjoy contemporary art? Do you venture out and explore the far corners of your own city?

If you enjoyed this post, please pin:

Te Uru in Titirangi, New Zealand, is a beautiful art museum in the middle of a subtropical forest. But it doesn't just hold art. Te Uru is a stunning architectural work. For more info, and photos, visit the blog.

Sharing is Caring

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Interesting. Am heading up to Auckland next week, so will definitely keep Titirangi in mind. Like yourself, need to give Auckland more of a chance

    Reply

  4. It appears you and I have similar tastes in salads, Rhonda. Yours looks delicious! I’ll confess I’d enter a modern art gallery with much the same preconception. I’ve not yet learned to appreciate it.

    Reply

  7. That is a huge and lovely gallery. I’m trying to imagine how something similar would fit into the New York art scene. I can’t think of anything that we have that’s similar. It’s a gorgeous space. Do you know if they get government or corporate funding?

    Reply

  11. The stairways of the art museum are just as impressive as the displays! Your food looks delicious too! It’s always great to find an open-air cafe where you can be outside and not feel shut in.

    Reply

  12. Wow! I loved looking at all these pictures and learning about a new place. I have never been- but feel like I know a lot more after reading this post. The school setting is so clean and fresh. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply

  13. That salad looks amazing and the town seems like it would be a great place to just explore. Thanks for sharing with us at Photo Friday!

    Reply

  14. What a cool spot – both the town and the gallery! Love the staircase and the cafe – just have to keep adding places to my wish list!

    Reply

  17. This place is gorgeous! I have noticed that I enjoy art (I should say I enjoy more) when things are explained to me, when stories are told or when the artist’s vision is explained. It is life the work of art is alive in front of me. The other thing I have discovered is that I like modern art. What I do not like that much is contemporary art.

    Reply

  20. Titirangi, a name with a strange resonance for sure. This seems like a very modern town. I love to stroll through the small art galleries whenever I visit a place like this. They are my favorite.

    Reply

    • You got me curious, so I looked it up in the Maori dictionary: Titirangi: 1. (noun) Hebe speciosa – shrub 1-2 m tall with stout branchlets. Adult leaves glossy slightly recurved at the margin. Flowers magenta. Found on a few coastal cliff tops in both the North and South Islands.

      Reply

  23. The salad looks yummy! I think it’s cute a a store named itself the Gecko. lol! That staircase sure is pretty, I bet it’s kinda cool to be in it when it rains. Thanks for sharing your journey and have an awesome weekend!

    Reply

  27. That salad looks scrumptious Rhonda. To be honest, I’ve found it difficult to understand modern art. Some parts look interesting but most of it very confusing at times. I enjoy the old type of art. Maybe it because I’m getting old. Ha,ha,ha.

    Have a great Friday my friend. See ya.

    Cruisin Paul

    Reply

    • I am really into healthy foods, and finding salads this fresh and wonderful is a real treat. As for modern art, ask for a curator to explain it, it makes quite a difference. I am a fan of the Renaissance, and I am not that old.

      Reply

  28. Hi Rhonda – I spotted them hiding away – but makes sense to be indoors yet outside. Your salad looks delicious and that’s what I’d have. The gallery looks wonderful – full of interesting ideas. That yellow staircase is just wonderful to see – such a great idea. I’d definitely add the west coast to my list of things to see and Titirangi would be right up there … wonderful photos – cheers Hilary

    Reply

  31. That salad looks so delicious right now. I don’t visit small art galleries very much, but I think that this place looks interesting, although I suspect it’s the architecture and the view that I’m drawn to rather than the exhibit. The stairs really stand out so nicely, and I like that big lantern.

    Reply

    • It was really fresh and wonderful. So many of the really yummy ingredients are buried under the top layer of lettuce, but it just didn’t “look” as pretty after I tossed it. As for Te Uru, I think it was the architecture that drew me in at first, and opened me up to enjoy the art. That room with the defusing lantern was so cool to see live, but nothing compares to that staircase.

      Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.