Living in Tutukaka means the sea is never just a backdrop, it’s part of the rhythm of everyday life.
Most mornings, as we walk past the marina, I spot a stingray gliding through the water. Sometimes there’s one, sometimes two, sometimes more. They move slowly and deliberately, completely unbothered by the boats above them or the people passing by. I see at least one almost every day, and over time they’ve become something familiar, almost expected, yet never ordinary.
The stingrays feel like an emblem of this coastline. Quiet, ancient, and graceful, they belong here in a way that’s hard to explain unless you’ve spent time watching them move through the harbour. They’re woven into the identity of Tutukaka just as much as the headlands, the tides, and the changing light on the water.
I didn’t set out to “design” a stingray. The form came from observation; from seeing the same shape pass beneath the surface again and again, noticing the curve of the wings, the softness of their movement, and the calm presence they carry. Translating that feeling into jewellery was about capturing simplicity and flow, rather than a literal replica.
Each piece is made as a small tribute to this place and its wildlife, a reminder of daily encounters with something quietly extraordinary. For me, these stingrays represent connection: to the coast, to routine walks, and to noticing what’s right in front of us when we slow down enough to look.
The stingray earrings and necklace are part of my ongoing practice of drawing inspiration from where we live. They’re a way of carrying a piece of Tutukaka with you; not as a souvenir, but as a reflection of the landscape and life that shape this work.
These daily encounters became the inspiration for my stingray earrings and necklace, made here in Tutukaka and shaped by the coastal environment we live alongside.
