Tree spirit: Daniel Holland
by Metropol | July 8, 2026 8:33 am
Forgetting to buy a Christmas present for his wife led to Daniel Holland becoming South Canterbury’s most talked-about chainsaw artist.
WORDS: TAMARA PITELEN | IMAGES SUPPLIED
Becoming a chainsaw sculptor was never part of the plan for Geraldine artist, nurse and hammerhand Daniel Holland. It all began with a stereotypical husband fail.
“I didn’t have a Christmas present for my wife, so I just picked up my chainsaw and tried carving her a bear with a little fishing rod for the garden,” says Daniel.
The bear was meant to be a one-off gift, but when friends saw the bear, they asked for something similar and before he knew it, Daniel had a list of commissions, including the job of creating one of Geraldine’s newest public artworks – the face of the old man carved into a stump on Geraldine’s Waihi River walking trail.
“The whole time I had never planned on getting into carvings,” he says. “But it just started to grow and grow.”
Today, his latest work, which locals recently voted to name Gerry, the Old Man of Raukapuka, stands quietly among the trees of the walking trail: a giant carved face emerging from an old stump, watching over the landscape. The sculpture sits near Kennedy Park on the far side of the Waihi River, hidden just enough to surprise unsuspecting walkers.
“He’s proper hidden, and that’s kind of by design,” Daniel says. “I wanted people to just stumble across him and be like, ‘wow’.”
The name was chosen by the community after Daniel invited locals to vote on several options. Gerry, of course, is a nod to the town’s name, Geraldine. “I gave it out to the community to decide because I wanted them invested in it,” he says. “A lot of the decision-making has gone to them.” That approach reflects the way Daniel thinks about public art.
“I’ve walked the trail with my kids,” he says. “It’s really lovely just to be able to give something back to the community and see them appreciate it. I love the idea of people being able to enjoy something,” he says.
Green man
The idea for Gerry began when organisers of the Geraldine Sculpture Trail approached him about an old tree stump beside the walking track.
“They took me down and showed me the log,” he recalls. “’This is already here. It’s a really cool tree with lots of history, and it’s in the perfect location. Would you like to do something with it?’”
Daniel proposed several ideas before settling on the concept that would become Gerry, who is inspired by the ancient Green Man of pagan and Celtic folklore and architecture.
“That area is actually a bit of a remembrance trail,” Daniel explains. “A lot of donated trees and other pieces are there, all donated in memory of a loved one. The Green Man is all about that connection with nature and the land.”
The symbolism felt right for the location, and organisers quickly embraced the idea.
Carved from what Daniel believes was a black poplar stump, Gerry remains rooted to the spot where the tree once stood. Creating the piece required far more than simply picking up a chainsaw.
“A chainsaw gets me about 80 per cent of the way there,” Daniel says. The finishing work involves a range of equipment. “I use about 10 different tools on every piece. Different chainsaws, sanders, chisels, Dremel tools, axes – all sorts of things.”
It’s all the more impressive given that Daniel is entirely self-taught. Years spent living in Montana exposed him to chainsaw carving culture, but much of what he knows has come through experimentation and persistence.
“Just like how I learned to build a house,” he says.
“I looked online. I talked to people who had knowledge. YouTube can teach you just about anything these days.”
Carving is only one of Daniel’s many projects. Two days a week, he works as a nurse at Waihi Lodge, sharing a clinical management role that provides the financial freedom to pursue his artistic ambitions on his days off.
Tree house
At the same time, he has spent the past three years building a family home deep in the bush above Peel Forest. With no vehicle access, the project has involved winching materials uphill, helicoptering in large items and navigating a steep, forested site.
“I did make life difficult for myself,” he laughs. The family is finally due to move in this month. “It’ll be amazing,” he says. “After three years, you can imagine how exciting that is.”
Even there, art remains central to the vision. Trees preserved during construction will eventually become sculptures lining the path to the house. “It’s going to be like a sculpture retreat,” he says.
With Gerry The Old Man of Raukapuka now complete, as well as his own new family home, Daniel has a growing list of other projects to be getting on with, including private commissions and public works. What started as a hastily carved bear for his wife has grown into a flourishing artistic practice, a collection of public sculptures and a reputation for bringing old trees back to life.
Next time you’re nearby the Waihi River Trail in Geraldine, pay a visit to Gerry, he’s a great listener.
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Daniel’s five favourite things to do in Geraldine
- Taking a stroll through the sculpture trail ending up at the back of Café Verde, where I can sit down in their garden and have a nice coffee.
- Humdinger Gin distillery has a pretty amazing sloe gin. It makes for an exceptionally good G&T in the summer.
- The biking trail connecting Geraldine to Woodbury is a really nice combination of easy cycling, good views and a nice café to finish.
- The Geraldine Festival held in November is always a good time, it has a huge number of market stalls to look through. I usually have a stall there myself and will occasionally put on a carving demo.
- This last one is a tie between Talbot Forest, which is right in town and the nearby Peel Forest. Both have brilliant walking trails with plenty of bird song, so are well worth exploring.
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Daniel’s carvings are often exhibited at the McAtamney Gallery and Design Store at 40 Talbot Street, Geraldine. Follow his Facebook page at Daniel Holland – Chainsaw carvings Geraldine.
Source URL: https://metropol.co.nz/tree-spirit-daniel-holland/