We are based in Coromandel Town, Coromandel and operate from our home studio. We are about a two and a half hour trip from Hamilton or Auckland.  So although it is a bit of a journey to get here initially, it is worth the trip.  Coromandel is a beautiful place for sure (and the fishings good too).

We charge $150 per hour.  This includes consultation, design and application of your work. Therefore, the price is usually determined depending on the size of the piece (and the body part receiving it), and the detail within.  These variables make it difficult to determine the actual cost of the work beforehand, but we can provide a quote to you as an estimate. 
If you want me to travel to you to apply your moko, then I can include this into the cost.

This is usually the first question that people ask. The answer is yes. What you should really ask is, ‘How much does it hurt, and will I be able to handle it?’ 

The pain may not be nearly as bad as you might imagine. The pain comes from the tiny needles piercing your skin very quickly. The sensation however, doesn’t feel like the poking pain of an injection needle however, it’s more of a constant vibration. You will be amazed at how quickly your body dulls the pain by releasing endorphins.

 The pain will also vary according to where on your body you get worked on. Skin right above bones (collarbone, anklebone, etc.) tend to be more painful than other areas. In addition, certain types of needles seem to hurt more than others. Needles used for outlining tend to produce a sharper, more noticeable pain, while the needles used for shading seem to be much more like an electrical buzz.

Remember, you are volunteering for the experience. The amount of pain will depend on your psychological attitude.

NOTE: Do not drink alcohol or take illegal drugs for pain relief purposes prior to your moko sessions. Both aspirin and alcohol thin your blood and promote excessive bleeding. Aspirin also decreases the clotting of blood, which will slow down your healing as well.

We will NOT work on anyone under the influence of Drugs or Alcohol!

Process for receiving moko
The first stage in receiving moko is the basic desire.  It can take years to reach a decision about when, where on your body and from whom to receive moko.  After you have been gifted these insights the next step is to get in touch with the tā moko artist.  From here you can start having a conversation about your desires for your moko and what you want represented in it, whether it be whakapapa, dreams and aspirations, stories or all of it.  We are happy for you to send us your information by e-mail before our initial meeting.  However some people prefer to talk in person with the artist.

The mahi/work:
After establishing contact with us and having a korero about what you want your moko to represent, the next stage is the design of your piece.  This usually takes place after the kōrero (conversation) and directly before the application (that is ink going into skin).  The design is drawn directly onto the skin in pen before proceeding straight to the application stage.  Some people ask that the design be drawn before the scheduled appointment for getting theirāmoko. However we prefer this to happen when you come to receive your moko as it is easier to determine how a design will work and flow with your natural body shape if we can draw it straight onto the area.

So with your design drawn on in pen, we have a karakia to start the session and then get straight into it. We also finish with a karakia to complete the work.

The legal age to receive tāmoko is 18 years old. We do have a provision for people younger than this who wish to receive tāmoko. The person needs to have the consent of their parents or legal guardians. A consent form is supplied to all recipients to be signed by the appropriate parties before any work is to commence.

We receive quite a few requests for design of  tā moko – as in drawing up of a design only, for another tā moko / tattoo artist to apply to the skin.  We appreciate that people respect our work and may not be able to travel to us to receive their moko, however, it is our policy to apply all the work we design. This is to do mostly with artist integrity.  You cannot trust that someone else will execute your designs as you would have them executed.  Therefore, please do not be offended if we turn down your request for a design piece, based on this policy.