Return from New Zealand with a beautiful black fern tattoo

If you’ve come to New Zealand on holiday, or if you’re a backpacker living here for a year, no doubt you’ve been blown away by the landscape, hospitality, and culture of Aotearoa.

If you’ve decided to leave us (shame on you!), then taking a tattoo home with you is the perfect souvenir. Not only does it look awesome, but it’s a great conversation starter when you’re back home, and a reminder of the best time of your life.

Grab a Black Fern Tattoo

Nothing is more Kiwi than beating Australia in rugby, but coming a close second is our national emblem, the black fern.

The black fern has been accepted as a symbol of New Zealand’s national identity since the 1880s. To Māori, the elegant shape of the fronds stood for strength, stubborn resistance, and enduring power. To Pākehā (Kiwis of non-Māori descent), the fern symbolised their sense of attachment to their homeland.

To you, it can represent your travels, the good times you had, and the friends you made.

And beating Australia in the rugby.

Choice bro!

The fern isn’t just a native plant. It’s a symbol of New Zealand, it’s culture and its people. The association with our armed forces, sports teams, and politics gives it a deep emotional connection for Kiwis, and is a figure of pride for all New Zealanders.

As a visitor here, you can take a little piece of that home with you, and spread the love of New Zealand around the world for us.

Come and see us at Sunset Tattoo, and our resident Ta Moko artist Tristan will be happy to design you a black fern that’s unique to you.

Tristan himself is of Te Rarawa descent, and his blackwork, geometric designs, and pattern work are exceptional.

Contact us today if you would like to book in for a black fern tattoo, or just pop by our studio off K-Road and we’ll be happy to have a chat.

Wolf tattoos – their symbolism and meaning

The Wolf is a popular icon all throughout human civilization, representing everything from danger and evil to spirituality and brotherhood.

The range of symbolism comes from the many extraordinary faces of the wolf itself. They are pack animals; loyal, sociable, able to work together… but at the same time they are terrifying, highly cunning, and insanely ferocious.

The appeal of Wolf Designs

Men’s wolf tattoos are predominately portraits depicting the animal’s strength, intelligence, loyalty, and hunting skills. Wolf designs for women tend to be more symbolic of the spiritual side, harking back to Native American folk lore. Native Americans viewed the wolf as a totem animal or spirit sent to help guide us through life, symbolizing loyalty and perseverance.

Although famously hunting in packs, wolves can also be ostracised from the group, resulting in a Lone Wolf. This is very popular with people who have always considered themselves loners, or feel separated from society.

Wolves are also survivors, and an affinity exists with those who have also survived hardships. Sexual abuse, serious illness, car crashes… any traumatic event in someone’s past can personify itself in the form of a wolf tattoo.

From Roman mythology (Romulus and Remus) to modern pop culture (Twilight), wolves have been a a part of our folk and fairy tales. Little Red Riding Hood is a warning to children to beware the wolves in the forest, while Teenwolf is about unleashing your inner hero.

Whether they are representing good or evil, wolves are always powerful, and the same can be said about a wolf tattoo.

10 couple’s tattoos for the hopeless romantics

Aww, you’ve finally found The One, and the love you have for one another can’t be expressed in words… until one day your soulmate chews a bit too loudly and you realise what a horrible mistake you’ve made.

But if you’re still in that honeymoon phase of your relationship, you might want to show the world how much you love each other by getting a couple’s tattoo, so before familiarity breeds contempt, here are ten ideas we’ve picked out for you from the depths of the interwebs.

Yin and Yang tattoos

Couple’s tattoos are all about how the two of you join together as one, and what symbolises this better than the ancient Yin and Yang symbol?

Jigsaw piece

Fitting together to make the perfect picture! It’s almost as if you were made to be together!

Special dates

It could be the day you got married, the day you first met, or the day Richie McCaw made his debut for the All Blacks (17 November 2001 against Ireland), but whatever your special date is, memorialise it with a tattoo.

Lock and Key

Did your special someone open the lock to your heart? Are they the key to your happiness? Then there’s only one tattoo for you!

Tetris

Sometimes pieces just fit together perfectly, and other times they keep coming faster and faster, piling up until it’s too much, and then suddenly it’s game over.

Superhero tattoos

If your significant other isn’t also your superhero, then why are you even reading this article?! These tattoos are perfect for the Superman and Wonder Woman in your life – although the should both be Batman.

Music

Music is something that unites us all, but for some lucky couples, it’s the reason they ‘re together.

Love birds

Love birds for a couple of love birds – Literally!

Disney tattoos

Take your pick here! Lady and the Tramp, Lilo and Stich, Donald and Daisy… there are plenty of options for couple’s tattoos when it comes to Disney. But by far the most popular is Mickey and Minnie!

Quotes

When you complete each other, you make one another whole, and just like a quote split in two, it doesn’t make sense unless you’re together.

The New Zealand Tattoo & Art Festival is back next month!

It’s that time of year again! Australasia’s biggest tattoo event is back!

Featuring over 300 of the world’s best artists, the NZ Tattoo & Art Festival, will be held in New Plymouth next month, with highlights including Ink Master stars Ryan Ashley Malarkey & Nikki Simpson, Dan Smith from LA Ink, Steve Butcher, FMX & BMX shows, live music, live performances, art & much more.

This year’s festival will be held on the weekend of 24th-25th November at the TSB Stadium.

And of course Sunset will be there!

Tom Tom, Tristian, Capilli, Milky and Magali Corpus will all be heading down to join in the fun.

You can get tattooed at the festival by either pre-booking an appointment via email/message or get a walk up booking.

Appointments are to be booked directly with the artists, make sure you include plenty of information in your email/message about what you want tattooed, size of tattoo, where on the body etc.

A large number of artists will be doing walk up tattoo appointments all weekend long. Tickets can be purchased from www.ticketek.co.nz or at the Ticketek box at the gate during the festival weekend.

And remember, the NZ Tattoo & Art Festival is a family friendly event, so bring the kids along! Alongside tattooing there is FMX & BMX shows plus a dedicated kid zone area. Kids 14 & under get in free when accompanied by a paying adult.

This is the 8th year of the Festival, and it’s only getting bigger each year! Come along for the fun and maybe grab yourself a tattoo while you’re there!

How to behave in a Tattoo studio

As tattoo artists, we have a great job, but that doesn’t mean it’s an easy job.

There are things that make tattoo artists want to pull their hair out (or yours), either because they are so mind-numbingly stupid or incredibly offensive.

If you do find yourself in a tattoo studio, then please be aware that a level of behaviour is expected, as in any other business, so whatever you do, don’t:

Complain about the price

Tattoo artists are just that – artists. And art costs money. No artist wants to sell their work for less than it’s worth, so pay up! And remember, when it comes to tattoos, you get what you pay for.

You’ll probably be charged at an hourly rate, so the cost is dependent on the size and detail of your tattoo. If you feel the tattoo is too much, then go away and save some more. The attitude of “I know a guy who’ll do it for half that price” is one which will you will absolutely regret in the long run.

Drink before coming in

We won’t tattoo you if you’re drunk. Simple as.

If you need a wee bit of Dutch Courage to get inked, then you shouldn’t be getting a tattoo in the first place. Drunk people are a pain in the ass and not fun to work with. On top of that, it’s dangerous to get a tattoo with alcohol in your system. It thins the blood, making healing more difficult, so stay off the booze.

Miss appointments

Not turning up to your appointment is a big no-no. We offer a free consultation here at Sunset, but there’s a reason we take a deposit once you make a booking. When we book a time for you, that means we’re not taking any other customers, so if you don’t turn up, that’s money we could have been earning. Instead we’re twiddling our thumbs, wondering if you’ve chickened out, forgotten, or been hit by a bus. It’s usually chickened out though.

If you need to cancel or move your appointment and give us more than 48 hours notice we will keep the deposit as shop credit for you.