Grandmother and granddaughter bond over tattoos
Tattooing is a family affair for a Waikato grandmother and granddaughter who have a relationship written in ink.
A grandmother-granddaughter duo has decided that ink can run in the blood, as the old follow the footsteps of the young to a tattoo parlour.
In 2010, Huntly local Katie Robinson got her first tattoo for her 18th birthday courtesy of her grandmother Margaret Wallis, 64.
In late December the pair drove to Ngaruawahia studio, Ink’d Up, where Katie had a soaring butterfly tattooed onto the middle of her back.
After seeing the final product, Margaret, known to her friends as Marg, decided to act on her dream of getting a tattoo.
“I think they’re awesome. Just awesome.”
Margaret has already picked out the pattern for her tattoo, and gets excited when talking about it, but has not shown anyone, and does not plan to, until she gets it done.
The pattern is to go on her shoulder, and is a creeping vine with leaves representing her mother and father.
Katie has had two tattoos done at Ink’d Up and, after seeing the work, Margaret has chosen to have her tattoo done by Ziggy, the owner of the parlour.
Katie’s tattoos are her soaring butterfly on her back, and a rose on her ankle with a silver fern as the stem.
“The one on my ankle is for my mum and dad, and the one on my back is for freedom.”
When asked about her grandmother’s decision, Katie said “if she wants one she should go for it”.
Katie chose Ink’d Up after seeing tattoos Ziggy had done for her friends.
