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One of the most popular and most photographed of the city’s public works, Ferns was presented to the city in 1998 as a joint commission by the Wellington Sculpture Trust, the NZ International Arts Festival and the City Gallery. Dawson says he aimed for a “delicate intricacy” to float over the top of the Ian Athfield Nikau Palms that mark the Civic Square location.

This popular series of large, concrete text sculptures was designed by award-winning Wellington typographer and graphic designer Catherine Griffiths. Sited at various points along the waterfront, each sculpture contains a quote celebrating the city by a well-known New Zealand writer with strong Wellington connections.

The serene Solace in the Wind stands tall on Wellington's waterfront, facing into the prevailing northerly winds not far from Te Papa. A popular photo companion, it’s also not uncommon to find Solace has been dressed up by locals during the fancy dress Hertz Sevens rugby tournament.

Designed by architects and town planning consultants Burren and Keen, the Bucket Fountain is a popular meeting place on the Cuba Street pedestrian mall. Constructed as part of the 1969 development, it is one of Wellington’s quirkiest and most well known landmarks. The fountain consists of a series of ‘buckets’ that fill with water until they tip, spilling their load into the buckets and pool below. Their contents often spread further afield onto the pavement and the odd unfortunate pedestrian.

Presented to the city in 2006, Water Whirler sits on a purpose-built pier off the popular waterfront promenade running alongside Frank Kitts Park. Complex mechanisms were adopted and technological challenges overcome to product a performing artwork that preserves artist Len Lye’s intention for the sculpture, which he envisaged as; “a fantastic choreography, jet-streams fling their spray, in three dimensions”. Water Whirler 'plays' in 12 minute cycles, on the hour at 10a.m, 11a.m, 12 noon, 1p.m and 3p.m; and again at 6p.m, 8p.m, 9p.m and 10p.m. It operates in winds of up to 20 knots.

This series of five large sculptures along Cobham Drive in Evans Bay links art with renewable energy and turns Wellington’s famed ‘roaring forties’ geography to creative use. Situated in the middle of the roundabout heading to Wellington Airport, Pacific Grass by Kon Dimopoulos features clusters of over 1500 reeds that chatter as if having a dialogue. Zephyrometer by Phil Price, bends and sways but rest assured this‘sleeping, iconic piece’ stands strong. Tower of Light by Andrew Drummond lights up a series of rings according to wind speed, while Phil Dadson’s Akau Tangi uses both light and sound to bring his ‘series of sentinels watching over the bay’ to life. Wellington Urban Forest, by Leon van den Eijkel in collaboration with Allan Brown completes the series. Find out more about the works by watching the Meridian Wind Walk video.