Issue 31 July / August 2022
WORK HARD, PLAY HARD
: L E O N E L E OLI
T S A L O T S S A L G
Kim w e h t at M : e l i f o Pr aroa Tradie e t o A e Van Lif
WHEN WE SAY WE’LL SEE YOU RIGHT, WE MEAN IT. In 1991, six Kiwi timber merchants banded together to create a building supply company. One that could take on the big players while keeping things local. Today, with 96 independently owned stores and 27 frame and truss plants right across the country, we’ve got that national strength, but we’ve never lost sight of our local roots. When you deal with your ITM store, you’re dealing with local owners who care about your business. After all, we’re in this together. That’s why when we say we’ll see you right, we mean it.
Contents 04 Glass to Last 12 4WD Build 16 Big Six ’21 18 Tradie Profile 24 Van Life Aotearoa
Welcome to Issue 31 of Rheem offsite Rheem offsite is published bi-monthly by NZ Fishing Media Ltd. 177B Marua Road, Ellerslie, Auckland Ph (09) 579 4060. Editors Jason Harman & Ethan Neville Designer Artje Schrjivers Sales Josh Williams 021 862 579 sales@nzfishingnews.co.nz Editorial Enquiries Ethan Neville 021 176 1366 ethan@nzfishingnews.co.nz Advertising within this publication is subject to NZ Fishing Media Ltd’s standard advertising terms and conditions, a copy of which is available by emailing grant@ nzfishingnews.co.nz or by calling (09) 579 4060
Cover Photo Loren Taylor
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Summer may be over, but there’s still plenty to get frothy about. For those living on the coast, there are winter swells to look forward to, as well as fishing opportunities for cold-water-loving species like gurnard, tarakihi, and blue cod. For those in the mountains, the bluebird powder days where the snow rides like champagne aren’t far away. And for those who just like to chill inside next to the fire, there’s always Rheem offsite to keep you inspired while planning next summer’s adventures. In this issue of Rheem offsite, Ethan Neville interviews surfboard shaper Olie Le Noel in ‘Glass to Last’ about how he learnt the craft of hand-shaping, his passion for sustainability, and what his ideal life looks like. In ‘4WD build’, Jake PearsScown gives us the full run-down of his latest build: a 1989 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ75 Troop Carrier. This thing is a weapon, and Jake shares with us all the work he has done on
it to date, as well as his ambitious plans to transform it into his dream adventure vehicle. In the Colorcote Tradie Profile, Nick Jones chats to Matthew Kim, a Hawkes Bay builder who’s passionate about building tiny homes, chasing sika deer with his bow, and fly-fishing. And, in ‘Van Life: Aotearoa’, I take you guys along on a bucket list journey through the South Island of New Zealand in my van. As always, get in touch if you have any stories of your own to share. Message us on Instagram (@offsite_magazine) or flick me an email at jason@nzfishingnews. co.nz. – Jason Harman
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Olie Le Noel:
GLASS TO LAST T
here was a storm on Monday 30th May. We met at 6:30am – well, 6:50am for some – and I made coffees. Despite the early hour, Olie Le Noel was no different from the first time I met him: bright, alwayson-the-cusp-of-laughing, fashionably late – everything you’d expect from a 26-year-old surf-board shaper. It was a tough call on where to go, but with the onshore easterly persisting, Olie’s suggestion of an isolated west coast beach just north of Muriwai won the round table discussion. We emerged at a small clearing, and the sound of waves was the only
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Words by Ethan Neville
Images by Loren Taylor
indication we were near the beach. The tired gravel road was lined by forest, dark and tall; small puddles filled potholes; rain drifted down in foggy sheets. Olie went about unpacking his board, while we all – Loz the photographer, Artje the designer, Olie, me – chatted away. Le Noel Surfboards has been around for three years, Olie told me. Hand-made, custom-designed, and sustainably built, his boards are, from all accounts, immaculate. “I’ve been building boarding boards since I was 16 and professionally building since I was 21,” he continued.
“My parents were intent on not buying us things, so my two younger brothers and I ended up making our own stuff like skateboards. When it came to buying surfboards, I was like, ‘I’m not doing that.’” Dunedin was where he got his first proper look into the board-building industry. Ostensibly in Otago to do a design degree, he ended up spending most of his time shaping boards. “I was working with the ‘King of the South Coast’ – Graeme Quass. He taught me the fundamentals and was a legendary role model. He taught me a bunch about surfboard building, as well
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Olie’s driving principle when building boards is ‘glass to last’.
as about just surfing in general.” From there, an OE was on the agenda, and of course, Olie spent most of the time in or around the water. “I spent three years shooting between Indo, America, Sri Lanka and Portugal. We were scraping by on nothing... Between Jim Phillips in America and Niko in Indonesia, they showed me how to hand-shape. “A lot of people shape, but not a lot of people know how to hand-shape properly, and efficiently. Jim Philips is one of the original shapers in America and he’s now 75. His shaping bay that I used to watch him shape in is next door to Bing Chaplain – who was the first guy to ever bring a board to Piha. It’s great to trace the knowledge back to the beginning. They can explain the early design decisions around surfboards and what worked and what didn’t.” When Olie arrived back in NZ, there was nothing else on the agenda but making boards, so that’s what he did. Le Noel surfboards was born – but
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Olie wasn’t content following industry norms. “Initially, I spent most of my time working out how to make surfboards sustainably. I just thought if I was going to do it, then I’d do it differently. I wanted to use the traditional methods and make them by hand. “Anyone growing up in the ocean has a natural respect for the environment and we all know changes are needed. Surfboard making can be toxic, so I wanted to make a change there.” Ollie’s guiding principle became ‘glass to last’. Building a surfboard, he told me, creates anywhere between 170kg to 250kg in CO2 emissions and one tree only absorbs around 20kg of carbon dioxide a year, so when Olie builds a board, he wants it to last. This is the reason you won’t find Le Noel shortboards. “If you get the pressure of the wave plus the weight of rider on a short board, you’re going to buckle boards all
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day. I once went through five in a week.” “So, how’d you go about making more sustainable boards?” I asked. “I started off sourcing virgin kauri that’d fallen in Fiordland and floated down the Haast River,” he explained. “The trees fall down in the floods and then a guy collects them off the beaches and ships them up north.” “I then take the wood to get it milled. They split it, and then I straighten it and chop the shape/profile out of it, and then I glue the wood profiles onto the foam – I use EPS foam which gets upcycled into other materials. “I then have the raw blank and can start shaping the board. At that stage, the machine would usually take over but I cut it by hand. I’ve got a Skill 100 – a 45-year-old plainer from the company that invented the skill saw.” The actual shaping comes next, and that’s the artform, Olie explained. “When you’re shaping, you start with a raw square and you have to whittle it down with the plainer into the four-dimensional cuves that are a
“A lot of people shape, but not a lot of people hand-shape properly, and efficiently.”
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West is best.
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Olie learnt the art of hand-shaping boards from surfing legends in Indo, America, and NZ.
surfboard. It used to take me about six hours to shape a board, and even two days when I started out. Now it takes me an hour and a half, maybe two hours.” While some of these details at the time flew over my head, one thing was clear: the process is obviously very labour intensive. The time-factor, as Olie went on to tell me, eventually forced him to explore other options. “I now get some blanks delivered, which are made of high-grade marine ply or an Australian cedar. It’s lovely to use, and it’s a nice alternative to the more time-intensive kauri. The kauri is denser and still nicer to shape with, but the other materials are soft and provide a nice flex pattern. I do a mix of both now.” My next question, of course, was how he manages this whole process by himself.
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“Last few months have been hectic. My standard week involves trying to shape a few boards on a Monday morning – up to three. I come back on Tuesday and check them and start glassing them. Wednesday is then sanding and filler coats, and Thursday is the intricate work – resin panels, pin lines – and gloss coats. Friday is gloss coats and finally getting them out the door. “If I was working hard, and doing all stages of the process myself, I’m doing three boards a week, but I often do four a week and then take a week off so I can go surfing.” After all this chat about surfboards, I was about ready to see one in action. Thankfully, as we walked through the low forest and up over the small sand dune, dark lines spread across the coast. There was swell – not big by west coast standards, but perfect for
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Olie’s longboard. We spent the next couple of hours standing on the shore watching him glide across waves, no less wet ourselves under the relentless, mist-like rain. We had no complaints. “You know how you have life goal lists on your wall like ‘do an iron man’ or ‘climb a mountain’?” Olie later asked me. “Sure,” I replied. “Well, my goal was to live by the surf and shape surfboards.” In this regard, Olie is a success story, and it doesn’t sound like anything will be changing in the near future. Gisborne is next on the agenda, which means more beach, more surf, and more sustainable building. Not a bad life at all.
“Well, my goal was to live by the surf and shape surfboards.”
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D L I U B D 4W Words and Images by Jake Pears-Scown
Land Cruisers have had one of the best reputations for decades across all their different models. One of the most sought after and rarely seen Land Cruisers on our roads in Aotearoa is the Troop Carrier. They’re incredibly common in Australia, built for their vehicle market actually, and can often be seen doing laps of the red dust continent. There have been a few different variations over the years as technology has changed, and feedback from customers has helped turn it into the modern version you can order today from Toyota. It’s basically a 4WD van, to put it in simple terms – two doors in the front, two barn-style doors at the back, and a massive amount of space in the rear. I’ve owned one other Land Cruiser in the past two years and feel as though this is a make and model that I’ll probably own for years to come, even if it costs me an arm and a leg. Once I had sold my previous Land Cruiser, I continued to scroll through Trade Me listings pretty much every day until I came across my Troopy. I saw it pop up for a price that was much lower than what they’re generally listed for and thought it was probably too good to be true. But, after a couple of re-lists, I thought, “What the hell, I may as well take a drive out to it!” I inspected the vehicle very thoroughly for any damage or structural rust and then took it for a spin. I ended up driving around for almost two hours in this thing and was so baffled as to why it hadn’t sold – it
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was incredible given its age, and the price was so good. So, I drove back to his place and purchased it from him on the spot. I felt like there was a glitch in the universe for me to find this vehicle, and I couldn’t believe my luck. It is one of my dream vehicles, and I can’t wait to share what it will be like in a few months’ time! This Troop Carrier is a 1989 FJ75. Now, I won’t give you a massive history lesson on the different variations of the 70 Series Land Cruiser vehicles, but to quickly explain, Toyota categorised their popular SUVs as follows. F is for the model of motor that was released with this particular model; J is for Jeep (yes, that is correct – Toyota labelled the Land Cruiser as a Jeep in the beginning!), and 75 is the chassis and body shape of the vehicle. The day I brought it home, I got
stuck into making a plan and building a list of things I wanted to do to it before I would start taking it on any adventures. It began with taking off things like the roof platform and the front bull bar – both of which were not to my taste. From there, it went to my friend’s place where we replaced the old fluids; got all new gaskets for the exhaust manifold, the intake manifold, and the rocker cover; installed a new timing belt and changed the water pump. Something that makes this Troopy a very special one is that this specific model was released with a petrol engine. At some point in time, this vehicle had an engine swap to a Diesel engine known as the 1HZ, which is an engine that was also released in the early model Troop Carriers. It’s a 6-cylinder engine that is well known for being one of the strongest and most reliable examples
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Jake isn’t cutting any corners as he refurbishes this truck – he’s even planning to swap out the engine.
on the market and is also known for doing over a million kilometres with regular servicing. The 1HZ engine that was put in my wagon is a pretty straight and tidy example, but not one that I plan on keeping in the engine bay. I have a large list of things in mind to make this my dream adventuring and touring vehicle, and the biggest challenge on the list is repainting the entire vehicle inside and out (including the engine bay). The first step was to clean the vehicle from head to toe (it was a forestry vehicle prior, so there was a lot of dirt everywhere!). Then we moved on to dismantling the front section: taking the bonnet off, the guards around the engine, the doors (front and back) and lots of other little pieces. We began organising screws and other small items in labelled ziplock sandwich bags. Sanding was the next big task, and as I write this there are still one or two smaller sections that need doing before painting. We went over small dents and stone chips with body filler to smoothen it out and make sure it looks near new. When it came to the first base coat of primer, this was an exciting milestone. We’re just about to add the second coat of primer, before doing two coats of 2k topcoat in the classic Land Cruiser white, which will look very sleek with all the black accents.
ONE I’VES E H T S I ILD YEAR “THIS BUED ABOUT FOR DREAM NOW...” The rear sliding windows in the Troop Carriers are notorious for rusting out around the base of the sills, and, although mine were in excellent
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F E LIST OO MAKE G R A L A “I HAVE IN MY MIND TENTURING THINGS Y DREAM ADV E.” THIS M URING VEHICL AND TO
condition, I decided to change it up and ordered new windows from a company in the Netherlands, which are made from aluminum and high-quality fittings. I also have an ARB Deluxe bullbar going on, which will sit up front with a nice big winch (to save me when I’m stuck in the middle of nowhere by myself). I also purchased a very basic homemade rear-bar off Facebook, which I will trim down on the ends to make a swingaway tire carrier to go on the back, with some lights from Stedi (plus spotlights and LED headlights on the front). Inside the vehicle, I aim to create a living space which can also double as a bed for two. It will be a U-shaped cabinet setup, which will have the opening end at the back of the vehicle to walk down an aisle on the inside, and a bench seat behind the driver and passenger seats. It will be a basic drawer system that extends out the back with a camp stove and cooking equipment, plus all the other essentials and our clothing storage. Up front will feature all kinds of brand-new parts from Toyota, plus some new(ish) seats from a Ford Falcon XR6. Yes, you read that right! There’s a company in Australia that creates seat adapters to swap out the not-so-comfortable factory Troopy seats for either Ford Falcon or Holden Commodore seats – I went with a very comfy fabric bucket seat option for both the driver and passenger sides. Moving onto some exciting electrical gear, the front will also feature a center-console fridge, perfect for keeping the beers cold while parked up at the beach, or for snacks when driving long distances. There will also be a secondary fridge in the rear – a Dometic CFX35 – which will be our main storage for veggies and anything dairy-related while camping (a very
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This 1989 Toyota Landcruiser FJ75 Troop Carrier will soon be one of a kind.
necessary accessory!). In a couple of places, I will also add a few USB charging ports and solar panel inputs to charge everything when parked up for a couple of days at a campsite. All the electrical goodies will be powered by a 120Ah auxiliary battery, hooked up to the main crank battery with the help of a DC charger, from none other than the legends at REDARC – a company whose equipment I’ve wanted to use for a while! When the build is complete, I also aim to add one of their solar blankets to the mix, which will keep me off-grid as long as I want! On top of the Troopy, I have a Rhino-Rack Pioneer platform going down first, before our main sleeping space – a Hawk’s Nest from my mates at Feldon Shelter. These guys are making the best rooftop tents in the world! Definitely worth the investment. I’ll also be adding a surfboard (or two)
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up there, which mount to the tent, and will be great for summer trips. To finish it all off, I’ve gone for a two-inch lift from the amazing Terrain Tamer gang over in Aussie. They have 500kg constant load, front and rear, which is perfect for the Troop – it’ll be a heavy beast when it’s all done! I’ve also got a brake rebuild kit ready to go in, with rotors, brake pads, brake shoes, and drums, to make sure I can stop quickly when I need to. I’ve already installed a nice new set of 33-inch tires on 6-inch rims – fit for all kinds of terrains and conditions. As I mentioned, I don’t plan on keeping the 1HZ engine that’s currently in the vehicle. I will be swapping it out for its sibling engine, the 1HDT – a factory turbo 6-cylinder diesel motor, which will give it more than enough power to travel around New Zealand. There will be a nice big turbo being bolted to it, as
well as a custom airbox, a front-mount intercooler, new injectors, a Safari Armax performance snorkel, and a bunch of stainless steel piping work to make sure it’s breathing properly. This build is the one I’ve dreamed about for years now, and I cannot wait to travel the entire country in it for years to come! We are planning to spend some time this summer up north, and then maybe next year we’ll do a full lap of the country… but first, we need to finish the project. Follow along on the journey through my Instagram page: @jakebmatthewpearsscown, as I create a one-of-a-kind rig!
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Brent and Kirk are wrapped with their first hapuka.
BIG SIX ’21 When Brian McFarlane from Rheem called Te Awamutu plumber Brent Palmer and told him he had won the latest Rheem Big Six Challenge, he was ‘gobsmacked.’ “I couldn’t believe it, and going out with GT! I met GT at the Motutapu fishing contest years ago and that was the biggest thing in my life – to meet Outdoors with Geoff. I remember going out in the boat and we were all singing the song from Outdoors with Geoff,” he recalled while heading out on Geoff Thomas’ boat on Lake Tarawera to start the challenge, along with his fishing mate, Kirk Davidson. “And I don’t know how I won it because I am only a small
one-man operator so I don’t have many entries in the draw compared to the big boys.” “Well,” said Geoff later, “The fishing was actually pretty good. Brent had his first trout within five minutes and his second five minutes later. So, Kirk took over the rod and added to the bag. It was the perfect start.” The next morning was a dawn start – the best time for finding a stag – and Brent’s luck kept on going. They were walking a bush edge when Brent lined up a fallow buck, which would be his first shot at a large animal. “I have shot rabbits, but never anything bigger,” he said. Lying prone
with a good rest, Brent squeezed the trigger, the .243 barked and the buck went down. Number three ticked off and the clock was barely 13 hours gone from the time he hooked the first fish. Thirtytwo hours to go and Brent was looking good. Saltwater was next and Geoff had several options, depending on the wind. “It was early April and charter boats at Tairua and Whitianga were all booked up. Tauranga and Whakatane were possible but I called a mate at Hicks Bay who runs trips out to the Ranfurly Banks and Aaron changed his diary to accommodate us. Brent and
Brent’s first king – a fat 20kg Ranfurly fish – took him to five out of six.
Brent’s first deer, a nice fallow buck, took him to three points. Wingman Kirk Davidson is just as happy as his mate. 16
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The billy goat gave Brent a clean sweep – only the second challenger to ever nail six out of six in the Rheem Big Six Challenge.
Kirk run their own boats, fishing out of Whangamata and Kawhia, so when I mentioned the Ranfurly Banks they couldn’t believe it. That is on the bucket list of most serious Kiwi fishos and they were salivating,” said Geoff. It took most of the second day to drive from Lake Tarawera to Hicks Bay where the team checked into the local lodge and planned the fishing over a beer with Aaron Sargent, who runs Coastal Fishing Charters. “What do we need?” he asked. “Two different species,” said Geoff. “How about a ‘puka and a kingie?” “Perfect. Sound good fellas?” Brent replied: “I have never caught a hapuka and my biggest kingie is only 13kg.” “Done!” said Aaron. Aaron’s deckie Lucas drove the huge tractor into the tide on the beach and Aaron backed his 8.5m Senator off and then picked up Lucas from the rocks. “We’ll get some livies for the kingies,” said Aaron and the boys soon had several kahawai and trevally circling in the bait tank, then he gunned the two 250hp Honda 4-strokes and they were off to the Ranfurly Banks. It took two hours in choppy conditions to reach the first spot and the bottom was covered with sign in 130 metres. “We’ll get the ‘puka first and then get the kingie,” he explained.
After 27 years of fishing the banks, Aarons knows his stuff, and sure enough after the first drop, Kirk’s rod doubled over and it was game on. Soon he had his first hapuka at the boat and the grin on his face was almost as big. Then it was Brent’s turn and he had his first ‘puka after only 10 minutes of fishing. Number four out of six! When the team had five ‘puka and a nice bass which Geoff pulled in just to show he hadn’t lost it, Aaron headed for the kingie spot a short run away. After 20 minutes with no strikes, they wound in to find two heads dangling on the hooks. The sharks had visited. Aaron switched to jigs and Lucas showed Brent and Aaron how to work the speed jigging outfits. Kirk hooked up first and struggled to get the 22kg fish to the boat, but he was wrapped with his biggest king. Brent was equally happy 10 minutes later with his 20kg version. “We had been fishing for two hours,
and it took another two hours to get back, so it was a six-hour trip and we had five ‘puka, a bass and two kingies,” said Geoff. “That was plenty of fish for the team to take home.” Brent’s score: five out of six. It was noon on the second day and Brent had until 5.15pm to try for number six. Aaron rang a mate who knew where there might be a goat and the team drove 20 minutes down the road towards Tokomaru Bay to meet up with Tony Holden, a local stock agent who knew a lot of cockies. “I had a look around this morning when Aaron called and there was a nice billy goat just over that ridge,” said Tony. A short climb later and Brent was lying down lining up his second animal, and his shooting was spot on. So Brent got his six in 45 hours, only the second time in the history of the challenge that all six have been notched up. He was one very happy chappy.
Rheem proudly supports Save the Kiwi to achieve their goal and take kiwi from endangered to everywhere. If you’d like to take part and help save New Zealand’s national icon, go to www.savethekiwi.nz/donate – Your donation will help hatch and raise kiwi chicks in safety, increase kiwi populations, and protect wild kiwi habitat.
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THE COLORCOTE TRADIE PROFILE
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W W W. C O LO R C OTE . C O . N Z
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MATTHEW KIM offsite
Words by Nick Jones Images by Jake Pears-Scown
Matthew Kim is a passionate builder who’s recently gone out on his own under the name Arrowtree Builds and spends much of his spare time bow hunting and fly fishing in the Hawkes Bay region. I caught up with Matthew recently on the phone, and it didn’t take long before we were chatting about his primary outdoor interest of bow hunting. Now I find hunting deer hard enough with a rifle, but Matthew takes the hunt a few steps further by using a bow and arrow. He relishes the primal challenge of sneaking up on prey at close quarters – he says his bow has an effective range of around 70 metres. I was surprised to hear that he hunts both bush and more open areas. In
areas of low cover, Matthew says you need to really plan your approach and be extremely patient. His favoured hunting areas are the Kaweka Forest inland from his hometown of Napier, or around friend’s properties that have roaming deer. Man, I certainly wish I had a few more mates like his – maybe I need to move out of the big smoke! The other main outdoor pursuit for Matthew is flyfishing for trout around the local Napier rivers. He says there are a lot of similarities between bow hunting and flyfishing, particularly the stalking aspect. He says around Napier it’s mainly a rainbow trout fishery. He has caught a decent brown trout in the area but says it fought like a sack of spuds – much less exciting than the
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Matthew spends a lot of his spare time hunting in the Kawekas.
Matthew and his hunting companion.
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“The building industry came calling for Matthew at an early stage in his life...”
Matthew relishes the challange of choosing the perfect fly.
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jumping rainbows he reckons! Although Matthew is reasonably new to flyfishing, it sounds like he has learned quickly through a buddy who has plenty of expertise. And Matthew says he’s teaching this same mate the art of bow hunting – a nice bit of quid pro quo I reckon! From my brief catch-up with Matthew, it’s clear he doesn’t spend much time twiddling thumbs, as his remaining spare time is invested in the local church community and also renovating an early 20th-century house in Napier with his wife. Matthew is a builder by trade and says his wife has an excellent eye for design, so I’m sure the renovation is in capable hands and coming together beautifully. It sounds like a real labour of love, and I’m always
impressed by chippies who invest their free time doing more ‘work’. But perhaps Matthew is one of the lucky few whose passion overrides the feeling of being at work. The building industry came calling for Matthew at an early stage in his life – he started an apprenticeship and spent a bit of time cutting his teeth in the trade in Auckland. He moved to Napier with his wife about five years ago and got stuck into the local construction industry. Interestingly, he spent a few years specialising in the building of “tiny” houses. This afforded Matthew the opportunity to learn and develop new skills that he wouldn’t have had through standard builds, such as niche carpentry work. More recently, Matthew has
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Matthew enjoying the views in the Marlborough Sounds.
gone out on his own under the brand Arrowtree Builds. He says he’s still getting used to the ins-and-outs of running his own business but is thoroughly enjoying it and has plenty of work coming his way, primarily through word-of-mouth. It’s often people with shared faith who Matthew finds himself working both for and alongside, and it seems his philosophy of honest and quality work finds common ground with many in his community. Still in its infancy, Arrowtree has primarily been focusing on projects such as decks and small renovations – the projects Matthew says larger construction companies rarely want to take on when business is booming. He is also keeping his affinity for building tiny abodes alive, as a week after I spoke to him, he was in Auckland knocking together a few
cabins for a good mate. Although Matthew doesn’t have a firm business plan in place yet, he mentioned that it would be great in future to design and build customised cabins in remote areas requiring fourwheel-drive access – no doubt he’s envisaging easy entry to some epic bow hunting and flyfishing locations I’d say! And as for growing the business, he says at the moment he’s really enjoying working with his local community, having control over the quality of work produced, and the flexibility that running a small business affords. I wish Matthew all the best for the future and hope he has plenty of spare time to enjoy his outdoor pursuits – although it sounds like he’s already found a great balance between work and play.
This tradie profile is brought to you by ColorCote
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VAN LIFE:
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EAROA
A BUCKET LIST JOURNEY AROUND THE SOUTH ISLAND Words and Images by Jason Harman
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e named him Reggie the very first day we got him. Just like a boat, every adventure vehicle worth its salt needs a name, and one look at this staunch vessel – with its boxy lines, knobby mud tires, and flat-top wooden roof rack – had us convinced it was a ‘he’ from the beginning. We chose the name Reggie because he’s a Toyota Hiace ‘Regius’ van, and with only 225,000kms under his belt, the name Reggie seemed fitting for a carefree Toyota just hitting the prime of his life. Buying a van was no accident. I’d always wanted to travel around New Zealand and experience the freedom of living on the road. Countless times over the years I found myself yarning with mates about how cool it’d be to buy a van and just take off. Everyone agreed, and we all started following ‘Van Life’ Instagram pages and searching online for rigs. But nobody ever pulled the trigger. Life, and responsibilities, have a habit of getting in the way.
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Then, in early 2022, when the borders were still closed due to Covid and no international tourists were allowed in, my fiance Freya and I saw a van pop-up on TradeMe that was close to her house in Taranaki. We looked at the ad, then looked at each other and agreed: “Screw it, it’s now or never”. We drove straight over to check it out near the beach in Oakura. As we pulled into the carpark across the road from the water, I could see the salt spray glistening as it rolled over Reggie’s crisp lines, like in slow motion. And that’s when the love affair began. The owner was a friendly Brazilian guy named Rodrigo. He had long black hair, tattoos, and wore bare feet as he gave us a tour of the van. He was selling because he had to return to Brazil (he’d been stuck in NZ for two years thanks to Covid). “I poured my heart and soul into this van,” he told us as we walked around it, ”I am so sad to sell.” I believed him. He was a carpenter by trade and had fitted
the van out with beautiful bespoke cabinetry and woodwork, including an uber-comfortable transforming couch/ bed inside, and an amazing kitchen in the back – complete with a working tap, sink, and two-burner stove. I promised him we would treat it well, then we agreed on the final price and he handed over the keys. Freya and I drove around the corner, trying to stay cool, and then erupted into stoke and pulled over to get some photos of our new steed. It was really happening! Fast-forward a week and we were elbow-deep in a myriad of modification projects. I’m not talking Paul-Walkerworthy NOS tanks, spoilers, and body kits; more like voltage sensor relays, inverters, solar panels, and 12-volt appliances. It wasn’t cheap (and it still wasn’t a 10-second car) but the mods would allow us to run power in the vehicle for a fridge, fan, overhead lights, blender, laptops, cameras, and phones. We’d already set a date for our departure, and it was fast approaching.
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Reggie has seen some action in his days, and there’s still plenty more to come.
The plan was in place: circumnavigate the South Island. Why? Because, like most North Islanders, neither of us had ever properly explored it before – it was the allure of the unknown. Worker bees, in the form of family and friends, descended upon our shambolic worksite one by one to help us through the final stages of modifications, or just to offer a cheeky comment and a beer. When the day finally came for us to leave, we packed up everything we thought we might need into the van. Thankfully, Reggie came with a ‘coffin’ storage container on the roof, into which I managed to squeeze: two fly rods; one pair of waders, one pair of wading boots, one fishing net, two wetsuits (one for diving and one for surfing), one speargun, one pair of dive fins, one weight belt, two masks and snorkels, and a surfcasting rod and reel. In other words: a shit-ton of gear. As you might imagine, ol’ Reggie was feeling pretty weighed down with all the junk in his trunk; it was a slow start as we drove south towards the Bluebridge ferry. Along the way, we stopped to pick up several last-minute
items from Kmart (you know how it is) and to stock the pantry and fridge with some essentials. Once on the ferry, we finally got to relax and let it all soak in. The bucket list trip we had been dreaming and scheming about for years was becoming a reality. As we motored through the Sounds towards Picton, froth levels started to climb higher as we got closer and closer to finally feeling that southern land beneath our feet. We started the trip by exploring the Marlborough Sounds, sleeping in Reggie at designated freedom camping sites along the way, and cooking our meals using the fancy kitchen in the back – home was wherever we parked it. We went to Anakiwa, where 14 years earlier I’d completed an Outward Bound course, and saw some of the OB kids on the jetty, doing manus into the salty water just like I had done so many years before. It was nostalgic, to say the least, and I smiled to think of how proud my 17-year-old self would be of me now, still exploring, still striving to squeeze every last drop. I did a cheeky manu with them for old-times sake. We also
stayed in French Pass for a night – one of the trip highlights – and got our food nicked by a hungus weka. I whipped out the spearfishing kit and jumped in near the pass to secure a feed of blue cod. The next stop was the Nelson/ Tasman region, a place brimming with endless sunshine, golden sand beaches, and charming little towns. Abel Tasman National Park, Takaka, Wharariki Beach, and Lake Rotoiti were the highlights of this section – all places that felt radically different from anything I’d ever seen on the North Island. I managed to hook into my first South Island brown trout in the Takaka River near Paynes Ford, while local rock climbers topped out above me, but the cunning bugger managed to snap my line and escape. When we made it to the West Coast, it surprised me. Some friends had suggested we skip it altogether, while others wouldn’t stop raving about it. I didn’t know what to expect, but what we found there can only be described
The Hooker Valley Track should be on every kiwi’s bucket list.
offsite
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The South Island is world-famous for fly fishing for big trout in clear water.
as the real-life Jurassic Park. The sea was a deep blue and the surrounding mountains were covered with a vibrant green forest, teeming with native trees: rimu, kahikatea, manuka, beech, and nikau palm. We stopped off in Punakaiki for a couple of nights and then pushed on to Greymouth and Hokitika, stopping at least 20 times along the way to take in the sights. After exploring the Hokitika Gorge, we passed a sign saying ‘Precision Helicopters’. “Stop!” Freya blurted out, “I think that’s Matt Newton’s company, he’s an old family friend.” As we pulled into the carpark of the hangar, we could see a chopper warming up on the helipad, almost
doing here?!” And then came the next question: “How much do you both weigh?” After running some quick-anddirty calculations he told us to grab our stuff and jump in the chopper – we were going for a ride to pick up some hunters! We were buzzing as we grabbed our cameras and climbed into the heli. Within minutes we were flying high above the Hokitika River, looking down on its turquoise-blue glacial waters and tracing its outline with our flight path. Slowly we rose, higher and higher, up into the alpine zone. It was our first real glimpse of the New Zealand Alps and we savoured every moment. We picked up the hunters from an elevated tussock flat and then continued on, over several craggy mountain peaks and expansive glaciers, until we reached the Main Divide. Suddenly, the heli started to bump around with turbulence and rain started to fall on the windscreen.
“We were huddled in Reggie as the sound of rain battered the roof like machine gun shots.” ready to take off. We stepped out of the van and a guy came around the corner, then beamed a big smile. “Freya!?” he said incredulously, “What are you
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“There’s some bad weather coming in.” Matt’s voice crackled through our headsets, “We’d better head straight back.” He wasn’t wrong. After safely landing the heli back at the hangar, we got into Reggie and drove through to the Hokitika township, where there were rumours going around town that there was a savage rainstorm on the way. We checked the news and, sure enough, there was a red alert over the whole West Coast region for a rainstorm of epic proportions. We decided we’d try to outrun it and made it down as far as Fox Glacier township before it caught us. I have never heard rain like that in my life. That first night, we huddled in Reggie as the sound of rain battered the roof like machinegun shots. After a sleepless night, the next day we heard that all roads were closed because of several bridge wash-outs and major slips. We were stuck. Thankfully, we found an Airbnb that was available in town, so we ditched Reggie and settled in for what ended up being five long days with intermittent power and
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internet outages and torrential rain that just wouldn’t stop coming. On day five, the skies miraculously cleared and the road crews got to work – clearing debris, mud, and rocks off the roads, and repairing bridges. By midday we got the green light to travel again, so it was back to Reggie and the freedom of the road. The next couple of weeks passed by in a glorious blur of lakes, mountains, and fjords. We stayed with friends at Lake Hawea, doing some fishing and tramping, and then pushed on down to Te Anau and Milford Sound. The Fishing in the Eglinton River (on the road to Milford) was absolutely ridiculous: gin clear water surrounded by mountain vistas, and choca-full of big fish that were eager to take a dry fly off the surface – heaven! But Milford was the real star of the show, and part of the reason that we’d planned the trip to begin with. Thanks to the borders still being
closed due to Covid, we’d heard that Milford tours were running at a third of their normal price and that there weren’t the usual 50 buses per day on the road. Sure enough, we found the roads to be empty (the same could be said about the roads during our whole trip) and we managed to book a bougey overnight cruise in the Sound for a pittance of its normal value. The whole experience made us feel like royalty and allowed us to properly soak up the experience without the distraction of hundreds of people up in our grill.
After Milford, we stayed with some friends in Colac Bay and went surfing in the cold waters of Foveaux Strait. We had the break completely to ourselves, and while we were surfing a pod of hector’s dolphins swam up to us and started poaching waves. I’d never seen these dolphins before (they are the smallest and rarest dolphins in the world), and it was such an amazing experience to be so close alongside them in the water as they frolicked around. The next day we went jet boating on the Waiau River with the same crew, and I fished the Mataura River, catching a few nice chunky browns with the fly rod. The last section of our trip took us up through Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park, Twizel and Lake Tekapo, then up into Christchurch, Kaikoura, and Blenheim. We walked the Hooker Valley trail in Aoraki/ Mount Cook National Park on a beautiful bluebird day and decided it was one of our favourite hikes of all time. I fished a creek outlet that flowed into Lake Pukaki
Probably New Zealand’s most beautiful road – Mt Cook Road. offsite
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“Your own version of Reggie is out there waiting for you” and hooked a fat silver rainbow that we cooked up with some friends for dinner (baked in the oven). Everyone agreed it was the tastiest trout any of us had ever eaten. I also tried my luck fishing for king salmon and steroidal trout in the famous Ohau/Twizel/Tekapo canal system, and for naturalized chinook salmon at the mouth of the Rakaia River – two unique kiwi fisheries with rich cultures and steeped histories. When it finally came time to drive Reggie onto the ferry and leave the South Island behind, it was with mixed emotions. Sure, it had been a flat-out month, with the usual mixture of highs and lows that we’ve come to expect from travelling (and we were keenas-mustard to have a proper shower and sleep in a proper bed). But it was also a spectacular opportunity for us
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to explore our own backyard at a time of unprecedented silence, without competition from tourists, and with the ability to go at our own pace rather than rushing to the next booking. I can honestly say that the South Island is one of the most beautiful landscapes in the world, and I’ve seen a few. Its diversity is astounding: oceans, rivers, mountains, glaciers, deserts, and rainforests – all within a stone’s throw of each other. If you’re a kiwi who hasn’t explored the South Island yet, then you’ve got a job to do. And what better way to do it than in a van? Your own version of Reggie is out there waiting for you.
Rheem
R RE-POWER ^ Matt Watson Fishing legend & Yamaha ambassador
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