Mercury Bay Art Escape : VIDEOS

On State Highway 25 at Whenuakite you’ll find the pottery studio of husband and wife Alan and Julia Rhodes. Fixtures on the Mercury Bay since 1977, the couple produce hand-thrown pottery featuring remarkable glazes that are unique to the Coromandel Peninsula. Meander up the path to their studio and where you’ll find a wide range of stonewear pottery, made from clay harvested from their property. The end-to-end production process is both challenging and rewarding as each slab of clay harvested is turned into works of art and more functional pieces in their gas and salt kilns, and wood-fired pit kiln. In Alan’s spare time, he continues to pursue his love of music playing in the @HamiltonBluegrassBand. Their last album titled These Old Hands was a finalist for Best Country Music Album at the Golden Guitar awards, the album paying special tribute to Alan’s life story and craft.