Gibbs Farm facts for kids

88.5° ARC x 8 by Bernar Venet'

Gibbs Farm is a special outdoor art park found in Kaipara Harbour, about 47 kilometers north of Auckland, New Zealand. It holds the biggest collection of large outdoor sculptures in New Zealand. This amazing place is the private art collection of a New Zealand businessman named Alan Gibbs. Even though it's private, it opens its doors to the public on certain days each year, usually once a month. You need to book your visit ahead of time, but there is no cost to get in.

What is Gibbs Farm?

After buying the 400-hectare (about 1,000-acre) piece of land in 1991, Alan Gibbs started collecting amazing artworks. Many famous artists from New Zealand and around the world have their sculptures here. A lot of the art was made especially for the farm, so it fits perfectly with the landscape.

The farm is also home to some interesting animals like emus and giraffes. You can even peek into a garage where the Gibbs Aquada (a car that can also go on water!) is kept. There's also a full-size Wild West town, complete with a saloon. This town is part of an art piece called Grief. Alan Gibbs' architect son-in-law, Noel Lane, helped create Grief. He now looks after the farm with Gibbs' daughter, Amanda. The Wild West town is in a private area and is not open to visitors.

One of the most impressive artworks is Electrum (for Len Lye) by Eric Orr. It is the world's largest Tesla coil, standing over 11.6 meters (38 feet) tall! Many of the artworks are so big you can even see them from satellite pictures if you zoom in close enough.

Alan Gibbs also supports a political party called ACT New Zealand. Sometimes, this party holds its yearly meetings at Gibbs Farm.

Amazing Artworks at Gibbs Farm

Here is a list of some of the incredible artworks you can find at Gibbs Farm:

Pictures of the Artworks

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