MOTU is a lot more than only a perfect slice of heaven: the accommodation can be a living testament to the owners' desire for Pasifika art, using the luxury villas showcasing works from top artists. This healing place is yet another natural extension of the fascination with philanthropy, with profits from the trust going towards increasing the lives in the neighborhood.
John Dunn may be a surgeon, but he understands that helping humans to fix extends beyond medicine. “I really think art and healing match,” according to him, having observed the results of investing in artworks for patients to contemplate in the hospital in Auckland. It's part of the reason he and also the wife Rose make art a focus within their resort inside the Cook Islands, MOTU Beachfront Art Villas. “And quite often when individuals continue holiday, it's a healing time, too,” he says.
The Dunns bought the house in Rarotonga Four years ago if the was named Royale Takitumu. With this time the accommodation was almost 2 decades old and was starting to show its age. John and Rose have carried out a comprehensive refurbishment and renamed the resort MOTU, meaning 'island'. Found on the shores of the Titikaveka lagoon, the adults-only resort comprises 10 self-contained villas fitted by helping cover their designer and handcrafted Pacific furnishings and showcasing artworks from renowned Pacific artists. John, who's a Cook Islander through his great-great-grandmother, continues to be operating in Rarotonga for Fifteen years. During this time period, he and Rose have formed a powerful emotional attachment for the island. “We have fallen deeply in love with it increasingly more, therefore we thought it is good to possess a place there,” says John. “We were hoping to find a home but accidentally purchased a resort!”
ESCAPE TO PARADISE
Nestled within tropical gardens, the home was a perfect piece of paradise for that Dunns. “It's just a little, beautiful, quiet sanctuary of the place,” says Rose. Just like a place that naturally leads to peaceful contemplation, it made sense for your Dunns to show the villas into a skill resort. “Rose especially features a desire for art, particularly Pasifika art, and she's a patron from the large amount of artists, and then we thought, let's result in the first boutique art resort within the Pacific,” says John.
They have 12 Pasifika artists represented within the resort, including the kind of Michel Tuffery, Fatu Feu'u, Brent Holley and Sylvia Marsters. “I've known the artists before we owned the house just from being interested in art,” says Rose. “Whenever John's increased to complete surgery or we've increased for any holiday, I've visited the performers and there's a great gallery available online for called Bergman Gallery run having a guy called Ben Bergman who's now an excellent friend, and he represents local artists, so that's the way i learned who's up there along with what they were doing.”
One of the most memorable pieces can be a large, eye-catching sculpture by respected Samoan artist Feu'u, 'To'a Savili', which sticks out the front from the resort. Feu'u also donated 11 prints of his try to the accommodation, one per villa (including John and Rose's own villa). The Dunns have had a long-held desire for the humanities; along with Rose's sponsorship and mentorship of the quantity of artists, she and John are patrons in the Auckland Art Gallery and also the Tautai Pacific Arts Trust. “We are actually thinking about art for about 30 years now, and we found ourselves attracted to Maori and Pasifika artists,” says Rose. John says their support from the arts is a “give-and-take relationship”. “It all sounds very philanthropic, but we get a hell of a lot out of it – we've gained great knowledge and friendships,” according to him. Rose agrees that it's highly fulfilling part of her life. “It feeds my soul, my reference to art and artists,” she says. “It's your brain food!” says John.
MOTU builds upon John and Rose's philanthropy, and not just by supporting local artists. The accommodation remains established like a trust, using the profits to go to towards the neighborhood through initiatives in healthcare, education and the arts. “What started out as a passion project has changed into a more pragmatic project, however the two aren't mutually exclusive,” says John.
The Dunns are relieved the resumption of two-way travel ensures they are able to finally return to the area they love and that they can welcome individuals to MOTU once more. “We love the connection with your friends and relatives,” says Rose. “If we're available online for, we'll have drinks with them on the beach at sunset about once a week, and that is fun to meet the folks.”
They're very much looking towards sharing their house away from home with as many people as possible. “It's got the most stunning tropical gardens and green lawns, and also the villas are beautiful – I've painted them all white, we've got bright art round the walls and accent colours of bright green and black within the furnishings, and it's only a gorgeous place,” enthuses Rose. “People like it once they discover it.”
