While the famous logo has appeared around the world in advertising and at big name international events like the Rugby World Cup in Paris and Tokyo — and wherever New Zealand has been marketed as a tourism destination over the past 26 years — the latest departure sees Tourism New Zealand sharing the international branding design with Taupō to inspire a giant mural in the town’s lakefront hospitality precinct.
Taupō artist Gemma Clough started work on the mural on a laneway wall last week, and it is due to be unveiled at a midday ceremony on Thursday (23.10.25). The unveiling comes on the eve of Labour Weekend and the annual 3-day Graffiato Festival which has added 85 major works of street art to the town over the past 15 years.
The mural is based on the 100% Pure New Zealand logo with the individual letters framing a medley of iconic Taupō landscapes including the lake, mountains, rivers and a rainbow over Huka Falls, along with a variety of wildlife — tuī, piwakawaka, kererū, whio and kōwhai blooms. The mural includes a QR code that visitors can use to learn more about the icons featured in the painting.
Patrick Dault, General Manager of Destination Great Lake Taupō (aka Love Taupō), says the 100% Love Taupō mural is “a love letter to Taupō”.
“This new artwork celebrates the spirit of 100% Pure New Zealand through the lens of the Taupō region — capturing the natural beauty and iconic landscapes of the Central North Island, the creativity and connection between people and place. It is a love letter to Taupō and all that makes this place so special.”
The mural is in a laneway on the side wall of Café Baku (42 Roberts Street, Taupō) and it was no coincidence that the same birds and rivers were also represented on the giant intricately carved pou at the centre of the nearby Te Ātea public space, Dault said. “It’s cool that we now have two significant but distinctly different installations almost side-by-side, both celebrating our Taupō story — a contemporary artistic realisation and a traditional sculptural piece paying homage to the land and people of Ngāti Tūwharetoa, the first people of this place.”
Aka Gemini when it comes to street art, Gemma Clough (Ngai Tahu) is a Taupō-born artist and graphic designer who has completed several murals for Graffiato Festivals.
“My design is a celebration of our natural beauty. Every time I come home from a holiday, I crest the control gate hill and am always stunned with the beauty of the place we live in. And, every time I have visitors, I make sure I take them to Huka Falls because it’s such a special place. When I go, I always feel life’s worries are washed away there, that everything is in perspective, that life is good.”
This artistic collaboration is unique as the mural represents the only enduring physical representation of the 100% Pure New Zealand brand in the world. The brand that’s at the centre of the hugely successful and enduring destination campaign that has marketed Aotearoa since 1999 is coming home to make a first-ever New Zealand appearance in the form of 100% Love Taupō.
The event will be attended by representatives of Mana Whenua, Tourism New Zealand, media and Taupō District Council.
About the artist: Gemma Clough — aka Gemini — is a Taupo artist/graphic designer.
For imagery of the mural and its unveiling vist our Media Hub Gallery
