Wender·Vista
Tauranga
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileNew Zealand
on the Bay of Plenty, at the foot of Mauao

Tauranga

— the harbour the volcano keeps watch over.

— Where it lives

Not only on a wall.

A small tile on the nightstand catching the morning. A larger one above the fire. Yours, wherever you spend the slow hours.
— On the nightstand, a 6-inch on a walnut stand
— Among the books, a 6-inch leaning into the spines
— Beside the kettle, a 12-inch propped
— Down a quiet hall, an 18-inch floating off the wall
— Above the fire, the 24-inch in a walnut surround
— a note from the studio

“A working harbour city on New Zealand's North Island, where Mauao, the volcanic headland the city wraps around, rises straight out of the water at the harbour mouth. Container ships move in and out of the country's largest export port. The beach at the foot of the mountain holds the long warm light of southern summer.

from the studio
Tauranga
— bring it home

Tauranga, on ceramic.

Each tile is finished by hand in our Knoxville studio. Artwork is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, and rests beneath a thin glossy finish. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it.

What kind of piece?
One tile — square or rectangle.
How big?
the popular one — counter, shelf, nightstand
6 × 6 in · 15 cm · 1.6 lb
Surface finish
A clear glossy finish — the artwork reads as if under resin. Ideal for show-pieces and framed wall art.
How it sits
A hidden cleat — sits ¼″ proud of the wall.
$58
Hand-finished and shipped from our studio at the foot of the Smokies. On your wall in about ten days.
— size
6 × 6 in
15 cm
— weighs
1.6 lb
solid in the hand
— surface
ceramic, hand-finished
art rests beneath a thin glossy finish
— from
Knoxville, TN
our family studio, at the foot of the Smokies
— start a Coaster Set

Pick any four 4-inch tiles — National Parks you've been to, a Smokies set, the four seasons of one place. $ for a set of , cork-backed, ready to live on the table.

— about Tauranga

The place, in three passes.

A little of what's known, in case you fall down the rabbit hole — or want to go see it yourself.
— the place

Tauranga sits on a sheltered harbour on the Bay of Plenty, on the eastern coast of New Zealand's North Island, about 200 kilometres southeast of Auckland. The city has grown around Mauao, a 232-metre volcanic cone the British named Mount Maunganui, that closes the harbour mouth like a stopper. With a population near 158,000, Tauranga is one of the country's fastest-growing cities and the largest export port by tonnage in New Zealand, shipping kiwifruit, radiata pine logs, and dairy from the Bay of Plenty region behind it.

— informed by Wikipedia
— the water

The harbour is fed by the Wairoa and Kaituna rivers and protected from the open Pacific by Matakana Island, a long forested sandbar that runs nearly the full length of the inlet. Port of Tauranga handles roughly a third of New Zealand's container traffic, and the channel beside Mauao runs deep enough for the country's largest vessels. Surfers ride the bar break at the base of the mountain on the ocean side; on the harbour side the water lies flat and warm enough to swim from December through April.

— informed by Port of Tauranga
— the visit

Mauao is climbable on a track that loops the base in about 45 minutes or summits in roughly an hour, with views across to Mayor Island and the Coromandel Peninsula. The ocean beach below the mountain is consistently rated among New Zealand's finest stretches of sand. The city centre across the harbour bridge holds the wharf, the art gallery, and a Saturday morning market on Tauranga Domain. Summer runs December to February; school holidays roughly double the resident population.

— informed by Tourism Bay of Plenty
— where
New Zealand · Tauranga, Bay of Plenty
— position
-37.6878° S · 176.1651° E
— the neighborhood

What's nearby.

A handful of named places within an hour's walk or short drive. Some we've already painted; some we will.
3 km NE
Mount Maunganui Beach
ocean beach
5 km N
Matakana Island
barrier island
10 km E
Papamoa
coastal suburb
65 km S
Rotorua
geothermal town
N
Tauranga
Mount Maunganui Beach
Matakana Island
Papamoa
Rotorua
— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about Tauranga — and about bringing the piece home.
— about the place

Tauranga sits on the Bay of Plenty, on the eastern coast of New Zealand's North Island, about 200 kilometres southeast of Auckland and roughly halfway between Auckland and Rotorua by road.

Mauao is the 232-metre volcanic cone at the entrance to Tauranga Harbour, known to most New Zealanders as Mount Maunganui. In Maori tradition it is a sacred ancestor of the Tauranga Moana iwi.

Yes, by export tonnage. Port of Tauranga moves more cargo than any other port in the country and handles a large share of national container traffic, especially kiwifruit, logs, and dairy.

December through February brings warm dry weather and the longest light, but the city is busy with summer holidays. March and April hold the warmth and thin the crowds. Winter days stay mild but often wet.

About 158,000 people live in the Tauranga urban area as of the most recent estimates, with another 50,000 in the wider district. The city has been one of New Zealand's fastest-growing for two decades.

The region behind Tauranga grows most of New Zealand's kiwifruit, both the green Hayward and gold SunGold varieties, along with avocados, citrus, and large stands of radiata pine that feed the port.

— about the piece in your home

It has carried well for customers with family or summer-house memories along the bay. Mauao is recognised by anyone who has spent time in the region. A Small or Medium with a handwritten note from the studio ships well.

The blue-on-blue palette settles into coastal-modern interiors, into biophilic rooms built around plants and natural wood, and into jewel-tone maximalist spaces where it sits well beside deep greens and warm brass.

Above a standard sofa, a single Large reads cleanly; a 4-tile Mural carries more presence; a 9-tile Mural is the scale for an open-plan room. Above a console, a Medium sits well.

Yes. For wet rooms and backsplashes order the Dura Satin finish, scratch-resistant with a soft sheen. The Matte finish works equally well where no shine is wanted. The glossy finish is meant for dry walls.

A soft microfibre cloth and water, no chemical cleaners. The colour lives in the surface and a thin glossy finish protects it, so light dust wipes off cleanly without need for polish or sealant.

Yes. Every WenderVista painting is original to our single studio in Knoxville, Tennessee, made by Reid Wender for this place and not licensed from any other artist or library.

— if this one stayed with you

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