It is not every day that a perfect example of a New Zealand treasure is unearthed at auction.
Imagine our surprise when, while working through a modest little estate, we discovered a Ti-Toki bottle in remarkably perfect condition. A small but determined original label still clung proudly to the bottle, proving that this was the real thing.
The bottle is as charming as the collaboration behind it. Created through the combined work of Crown Lynn, Orzel Industries and master mould-maker and well recognised contemporary artist Hemara Hemara, it was designed to hold the iconic native liqueur first created by Diana Balich in 1979.
This was not simply a bottle. The liqueur was presented as something distinctly New Zealand, precious enough to sit beneath the guardianship of its own tekoteko. Finished in the familiar copper-green glaze, the bottle has become a wonderful example of New Zealand ceramic and design history.
The Ti-Toki story has since been revived under the guardianship of artists Karuna and Todd Douglas, with the spirit now produced in collaboration with the National Distillery Company.
We cannot promise you a taste of the fine liqueur. For that, you will need to seek out the modern Ti-Toki producers. But for remarkable treasures buried deep within New Zealand’s history, Auction Professionals NZ remains the right place to look.
