Acclaimed tattoo artist Gordon Toi lost a leg, but his pride is intact

The ta moko adorning Gordon Toi's powerful body mark chapters in the life of the internationally-renowned tattooist, award-winning actor and master carver.

But a fantail that celebrated his skill in Maori martial arts has 'flown'.

The depiction of the quick-moving little bird noted for its use of the taiaha in Maori myth was etched into Toi's left calf – lost when the limb was amputated below the knee following a motorcycle accident.

"It represented my training with taiaha, to be swift and fast," Toi says.

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Bandages bind the remnant of the leg which once moved him with such grace and power, he was awarded Top Warrior status by revered mau rakau (traditional Maori weaponry) exponent Mita Mohi.

Part of Toi's limb may be missing but his spirit is in tact.

Just three weeks after his operation, Toi bravely rose from his hospital bed to attend Mohi's tangi and pay his respects to the "huge inspiration in my life" and his family.

And as he waits to be fitted with a prosthetic limb – to which he may return the image of his fantail - and considers a possible tilt at a Paralympics event, Toi is already back working at the craft with which he has made his mark on the lives of thousands.

The ta moko maestro returned to tattooing two days after being released from hospital.

Support has come from clients around the world, including Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Ben Harper.

The American superstar – whose back, arms and chest Toi has tattooed – paid tribute to his mate from Mangere Bridge during a concert at Auckland's Vector Arena in December.

Toi's wife Yvanca was at Harper's December 2 concert at Vector Arena, to hear the tribute – a complete surprise as none of the family had told Harper about his accident.  

Toi says Harper learnt of his condition through band members at the show asking a neighbour about him. "Next thing, I get a message from Ben saying, 'Hey man, what's going on? So I flick him my number, he gives me a call – (and) we're talking about what happened. 

"He said what he always says, just to keep positive and keep doing what you've always done."

The ta moko artist and the musician first met in 2000 after Harper noticed Toi's work on a cousin who was interviewing him on TV.

"My cousin rings me and goes, 'Bro, I've got Ben Harper here. He wants to come out and see if you can do some moko on him'.

"He came out and we just talked like we'd known one another all our lives. He sung us a couple of songs and we've been mates ever since. We did his back the next day."

Toi says Harper's back piece, done in one session of around 14 hours, was "the biggest back piece that I'd ever done".

"And it was a transitional moment for me as an artist as well, because I'd been wanting to do big body-work.. to move into doing traditional bodysuits."

Harper had handled the extended tattooing session really well, Toi says, and they have had several since. "I've done his arms, chest, and his hips, and we're ready to go down onto his legs."

EMPOWERMENT

Toi has also been "empowered" in his recovery by league legend Tawera Nikau, who also had a leg amputated following a motorcycle accident.

"Tawera was amazing," says Toi, 52. "You're on an emotional rollercoaster going through all this sort of stuff. And the day before we were going to cut the leg off, he turned up just out of the blue.

"He bowls in and he's like 'Good on you bro'. I'm lying there with all this sort of stuff going on in my head. And just having him come in and just being himself, showing all the whanau his prosthetic leg – taking it off and then passing the leg around the room and stuff like that.

"Psychologically he really did empower me to, not make the decision to have the limb amputated, but to let me know that that was the right decision to make. And that's just when I needed it."

Nikau, 50, who completed the 2010 New York marathon seven years after losing his leg, even offered to train with him to both compete in the event, Toi says.

Toi's accident, last Labour Weekend, followed a "last-minute" decision to take his 1595cc Harley-Davidson Night Train for a final outing after selling it. "It was an awesome day and I thought, go for a last ride."

Toi says he was coming into Huntly on his way back from Raglan with another couple of riders, when his motorbike was involved in a collision with a van. A police investigation into the cause of the crash is continuing.

His left forearm was broken in five places and bone in his left leg "shattered". He was taken to Waikato Hospital by ambulance, conscious throughout the ordeal. 

And after first seeing how damaged his leg was, Toi says he "just laid back in my mate's arms and just took a few big deep breaths and let out a few roars when it was required".

Toi says he initially hoped his leg could be saved – "I could still wiggle my toes" - but infection set in.

"It was moving so quick that every second day I was going down into theatre and they were cutting infected flesh out."

Faced with the prospect of multiple operations and possibly years of rehabilitation without a definite certainty of success, he agreed to have the amputation to hasten his recovery.

The surgery was performed just over a week after his admission, and he was later transferred to Middlemore Hospital – close to his home and tattoo studio in Mangere, the House of Natives.

THE TA MOKO RENAISSANCE

Toi, whose whakapapa is Ngapuhi, has been at the forefront of a ta moko revival since starting a studio in 1994.

"Kohanga reo in the mid-80s had started to gain momentum, and so by the mid-90s these kids were coming out of kohanga really externally expressing their Maoritanga, and like-wise with the parents. So when a whole culture is buzzing at acknowledging who they are, I think moko and art is an expression of that. It's another way that you can show who you are; identify who you are, where you come from."

Toi, who also has a studio in Amsterdam and has exhibited in the US, Canada, and throughout Europe, has tattooed thousands of clients from around the world. They include rugby and league stars, top actors and chart-busting singers.

He tattooed Taika Waititi when they acted together in the 2001 movie Snakeskin. "We all were snowed-in in Arthur's Pass. I had my gear with me, so I tattooed at least half the crew."

Toi also acted in The Piano and was a set designer in Whale Rider, and helped carve the waka which featured prominently in the film. He won a best actor award at the 1993 NZ Film and TV Awards.

Starting training as a traditional carver after leaving school, he graduated from the NZ Maori Arts and Crafts Institute at Rotorua in 1983 with the Sir Henry Kalliher Student of Honour Award. He has designed and carved meeting houses including Tane-nui-a-rangi at Auckland University.

Toi is philosophical about the accident - in which no-one else was injured, he says.

"I think all of the things that I've done in my life made it easier for me to accept what's happened. These things happen because they happen, and I was the Johnny-on-the-spot on the day. The good thing about 2016 is that I've managed to make it to 2017."

The right-hander was grateful it was not that side of his body which was damaged – "I can still provide for my family".

Toi, hoping to be fitted with his prosthetic limb later in January, wanted to thank the "awesome" medical staff at Waikato and Middlemore Hospitals. "They really make sure they look after you, and help you through the whole process."

He also wanted to acknowledge the "massive" support from his family - including Yvanca, his daughter Wairingiringi and cousin Donna Heller, a registered nurse, at his hospital bedside to help "me through some of the darker times" – and friends including House of Natives colleague Hirini Katene and the rest of the staff plus clients who rallied around.

Toi says his accident reinforced the importance of whanau and finding "peace and harmony and happiness" with others.

"We need to enjoy one another's time while we've got it… shit can change real quick."