[CPProt.net] NZ police find stolen goddess sculpture

[MSN CPPnet (Ton Cremers)]

NZ police find stolen goddess sculpture
 November 4, 2005 - 4:30PM

In Maori lore, Pania of the Reef was a goddess who captured the heart of a
chief's son before disappearing into the sea.

Last week Pania vanished again - a much-loved 51-year-old bronze statue of
the bare-breasted young maiden taken in the dead of night from its seaside
location in the eastern New Zealand city of Napier.

Some thought she'd taken to the sea once more, with a little help from some
mortals.

Instead, Pania was found on Friday under some blankets in a shed at a Napier
residence with just a few scratches and bumps to show for her ordeal.

A 27-year-old man and a woman, 26, were arrested and charged with theft.

The sculpture's disappearance unleashed an emotional reaction from Napier
residents and local Maori.

"That overwhelming outpouring of concern and grief from the community did
definitely make a difference," Napier mayor Barbara Arnott said.

"People feel a deep commitment to her."

The 60kg Pania had been shot in the head before and called a bimbo but never
stolen.

Flowers and cards were laid at the rock where statue sat and the site
received even more visits than usual.

Among those devastated by its disappearance was 67-year-old Mei Whaitiri,
who as a teenage model was the inspiration for the Pania sculpture in 1954.

Arnott received an anonymous letter this week confessing to the theft and
promising to return the sculpture if there was no prosecution.

She published a reply in the local newspaper asking the thieves to leave the
60kg statue in a safe place for council officers to collect.

Police said Friday's discovery was unrelated to the mayor's letter but
believed the one she received was genuine.

Pania is being kept at a police station for forensic testing.

The sculpture is expected within a week to be more securely fixed on the
grassy waterfront of the Hawkes Bay city known for its Art Deco
architecture.

"A visitor to Napier would always go and see Pania," Arnott said.

http://www.theage.com.au/