Jacinda Ardern has been captured in drawings, paintings and photos - and now she's been turned into a stunning driftwood carving.
Hardy Caballes is a builder from the Philippines who has been in New Zealand since 2015. That same year, he found a piece of driftwood at a beach and decided to keep it.
The wood stayed in storage until the COVID-19 crisis forced the country into lockdown. Inspired by Jacinda Ardern's leadership he decided to carve the driftwood as a tribute to the PM.
"I kept carving because that's my hobby," he told Newshub.
"With what's happening at the moment, I've seen a lot all over the world that New Zealand's getting better because of her leadership and that put it into my mind that maybe it's time to carve."
First, Caballes needed to find the right photo, one that would match the shape of the long, narrow wood.
"I checked for photos of the Prime Minister and found a side image of her and it fit it," he told Newshub.
The wood was hard, and it took a month to complete the carving using just a little knife and some paper to sand it down. Finally, it was finished and he put a coat of varnish on it.
The end result is an extremely lifelike portrayal of the Prime Minister looking forward as if deep in thought.
Caballes hopes Ardern likes it, and he's keen to get it into her hands if possible.
"Thank you, she's doing better for us," he told Newshub.
