[7] Waharoa (English: "Gateway" or "Entrance")[8] is a seven-metre-high (23 ft) archway that incorporates carvings of musical instruments, animals, representations of Māori deities and poetry.

[12] Muru chose macrocarpa wood as the medium because of its mauri (life force), contrasting with the surrounding artificial cityscape,[13] carving the piece using a chainsaw and chisel.

[14] He requisitioned pieces of copper from the historic Waitangi wharf piles in Northland, which he treated with vinegar to create a green verdigris effect.

[14] When asked about the inspiration behind the work, Muru said, "Pēnā ka riro māku nei e whakamārama, kāore e tika taku mahi" ("If I needed to explain it, I did not do it correctly.").

[17] An unveiling ceremony was held when the artwork was returned to the square, which was attended by politician Hone Harawira, Mayor of Auckland City John Banks, and Muru himself.

Dun praises the sculpture as having "mana, pride and grandeur", and sees it as a work that "symbolises which has been called the Māori art renaissance.