Zephyrometer

The Zephyrometer is a kinetic sculpture in Evans Bay, Wellington, featuring a 33-meter-tall needle made of carbon fiber and steel mounted on a concrete base. The needle rotates with the wind and displays its direction and velocity, allowing the artwork to function simultaneously as a practical measurement device.

The sculpture was commissioned between 2000 and 2010 as part of a series of wind artworks intended to shape Wellington's landscape. A lightning strike damaged the needle in August 2014, but restoration work returned it to full function by May 2015.

This work belongs to a series of wind sculptures that made Wellington known for contemporary art installations. The piece shows how artists use nature itself as material and transform the daily experience of wind into visual form.

The sculpture is visible from Evans Bay and responds directly to changing wind conditions, allowing visitors to observe its movement at any time. The best viewing and photography time is during stronger winds, when the needle becomes noticeably more active.

The materials were deliberately chosen to make the needle lightweight and durable, allowing it to respond to even faint breezes and display subtle wind patterns. This sensitivity lets visitors visually experience the normally invisible air currents around the bay.