When entering Te Rau Karamu Marae there is an immediate sense of being immersed in nature, with the layering of posts, slot windows and skylights creating the effect of dappled light in a forest glade. The use of paired columns and rafters to conceal the necessary sprinkler pipes and lighting creates unfettered space for the contemporary kowhaiwhai panels, reaching up from the carved poupou panels to the ridge beam. Each panel represents a different tree species and depicts associated bird and insect life. The tukutuku panel on the entry wall has been meticulously hand woven with coloured ribbon into Autex panels. Above it, embroidered panels of the sky give a sense that the Cosmic Tree is reaching to the heavens. The space feels at once both grounded and uplifting.