WildTomato October 2018

Nelson Tasman and Marlborough’s magazine /

ISSUE 147 / OCTOBER 2018 / $8.95

Nelson

Arts Festival

“The purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls.”

- Pablo Picasso

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Queen Charlotte Track Collaborate Readers & Writers Programme House of the Year Moutere Artisans Softball Successes Making Music Belgium, Brugge & Beer

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Nelson Tasman and Marlborough’s magazine

Features Issue 147 / October 2018

24 Nelson Arts Festival Insight into some of the amazing shows and events on offer in this year’s arts festival from Frances Wilson

30 Readers and Writers Programme National literary treasure Maurice Gee talks to Kerry Sunderland about his new book, Memory Pieces

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32 Queen Charlotte Track Brenda Webb examines why people are pushing for Great Walk status for the Queen Charlotte Track

36 Nelson Marlborough House of the Year Top builds from the Top of the South win gold and silver in the annual Registered Master Builder awards. Lynda Papesch backgrounds some of the wins

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INTERVIEWS

11 My Big Idea Ceara McAuliffe Bickerton and Poppy Norton are co-founders of Collaborate, a group using technology to pair volunteers with charities

18 The Interview Farmer, paua diver, maritime rescuer – David Baker has an adventurous CV. He talks to Sophie Preece

22 Local Connection Nelson musician and music teacher Lucy Rainey has made it her life’s work to inspire others with music, she explains to Sadie Beckman

106 My Education Kirsty Glen has always believed in helping others achieve their dreams.

Jessica Walden discovers what motivates her 4

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Columns Issue 147 / October 2018

FASHION

61 Staging the scene Artistic dressing, styled by Sonya Leusink Sladen with photography by Ishna Jacobs

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67 Shoe of the Month Metallic colours and materials are current trends, with a huge choice for spring and summer

68 Fashion Showcase New Zealand Fashion Week proved inspirational for WildTomato’s fashion photographer Ishna Jacobs

LIFE

70 My Home Brenda Webb explores Brinkburn, a classic Jimma Dillon-designed home in Marlborough

74 Interiors Using natural materials such as timber, wool, wicker and linen in homes isn’t going to change anytime soon, says Rebecca O’Fee

76 My Garden Brenda Webb discovers an urban happy place full of garden treasures

78 My Kitchen Almond crackers and tasty cashew dip from Madame Lu’s kitchen

79 Dine Out Fine dining takes on a whole new meaning, once a month at The Moutere Inn, writes reviewer Hugo Sampson

80 Wine Much more than vines are planted at Wakatū Incorporation’s Whenua Matua vineyard in the Moutere Valley, explains Sophie Preece.

81 Brews Mark Preece talks to our very own champion cider makers 6

ACTIVE

92 Art Labour Weekend is also Moutere Artisans Open Day, with a feast of artistic endeavours to sample, writes John Cohen-Du Four

84 Travel Belgium, Brugge and beer were all on Justin Papesch’s hit list when in Europe

88 Motoring Holden’s new Equinox SUV has quite a few tricks to reveal, reviewer Geoff Moffett discovers

89 Sport

96 Music Music reviewer Pete Rainey takes a good look at musician Julia Deans

98 Film Most Kiwis have probably never heard of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, but now thanks to a fantastic indie documentary film, they will, says reviewer Michael Bortnick

Nelson brothers Nick and Matt Lowe are leading the field when it comes to softball, reports Phil Barnes

CULTURE

REGULARS

90 Author

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Renée Lang finds out what drives local author Naomi Arnold

91 Books Some of the latest reads available, compiled by Renée Lang

Editor’s letter & contributors 10 Noticeboard 12 Snapped 94 In the Gallery 100 Events

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Editor's letter

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always look forward to the artistic endeavours that grace Nelson during October and this year is no exception with a fabulous line-up for the annual Nelson Arts Festival. WildTomato is proud to be a festival sponsor and looks forward to the event continuing for many years.

As with numerous major events – public, community and corporate – sponsorship and funding are critical to their continued existence and also to the number and type of activities on offer.

While some might argue that the arts and culture are non-essential to community development, the truth is that they are absolutely necessary for social development. Arts and culture impact on the economy, health, wellbeing, society in general and on education.

The benefits are wide-reaching, usually having a ripple effect throughout the community; not to mention the feel-good factor they generate and the pure entertainment value.

From artists, arts workers, practitioners and teachers to students, critics, supporters and consumers, arts and culture make a vital contribution to the community on all levels, bridging worlds, exploring different views, engaging our imagination and driving our creativity.

Sadly sometimes, how much of this we receive in our diet is dependent on local and central government funding and there it seems the arts and culture are the poor cousin. Almost 20 years has passed since former Prime Minister Helen Clark injected significant funding into the arts, culture and heritage sector, aimed at helping it flourish and create jobs and growth in the industry.

Growth there has been, but not all of it has benefitted the Top of the South. Take the loss of the internationally acclaimed Wearable Arts to the Wellington region for instance. What used to be a major money spinner for Nelson/Tasman now benefits those in Wellington instead, because of a lack of a large enough venue here and no funding to build another.

The lesson to be learnt is that it takes central and local government funding plus sponsorship to keep and grow such events. Local support is valued but not always enough. Need I say more?

In the meantime enjoy this year’s amazing festival offerings, and your WildTomato read!

Editor

Lynda Papesch lynda@wildtomato.co.nz

Manager

Laura Loghry 027 378 0008 laura@wildtomato.co.nz

Design & art direction Hester Janssen design@wildtomato.co.nz

Contributors

Phil Barnes, Sadie Beckman, Michael Bortnick, Chelsea Chang, Elora Chang, John Cohen-Du Four, Britt Coker, Ana Galloway, Ishna Jacobs, Karina Kusumadarma, Renée Lang, Sonya Leusink Sladen, Ceara McAuliffe Bickerton, Geoff Moffett, Cameron Murray, Poppy Norton, Rebecca O’Fee, Hayley Ottman, Justin Papesch, Sophie Preece, Mark Preece, Pete Rainey, Ray Salisbury, Hugo Sampson, Kerry Sunderland, Karaena Vincent, Jessica Walden, Brenda Webb, Susie Williams, Frances Wilson, Dominique White.

Advertising executives Chrissie Sanders 027 540 2237 chrissie@wildtomato.co.nz Kara Manson 021 215 5260 kara@wildtomato.co.nz

Lead ad designer

Patrick Connor production@wildtomato.co.nz

Subscriptions

$75 for 12 issues wildtomato.co.nz/subscribe

LYNDA PAPESCH

Publisher

Love local

Find us on:

A fine drop

Jack Martin WildTomato Media Ltd The Boiler Room, 204 Hardy St, Nelson 7010 PO Box 1901 Nelson 7040 info@wildtomato.co.nz wildtomato.co.nz WildTomato/ @wildtomatomagazine @_WildTomato

Read online at issuu.com/wildtomato

T

ohu, the world’s first Māoriowned wine company, is celebrating 20 years with an exclusive gift box and label for their limited edition Methodé Traditionelle Rewa Rosé. Artist Flox designed the Rewa Rosé, available from 11 October. Launched in 1998 by Wakatū Incorporation in partnership with two Māori organisations, Tohu Wines is recognised as He mātāmua taketake - the original as the first Māori-owned and operated wine label in New Zealand and the world. Every Tohu bottle carries its distinctive koru logo, symbolising growth, life and the natural world.

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Cover photo: Ann-Droid, Nelson Arts Festival photo by KNI

Contributor spotlight K E R RY S U N D E R L A N D

Readers & Writers Programme (pages 30 & 31) I’ve worked as a freelance writer and editor for the past 25 years, and this year I’ve taken on the role of Nelson Arts Festival Readers and Writers coordinator, a role I’m really enjoying. I am also a part-time tutor at Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology, where I teach journalism, media writing and creative nonfiction in the Diploma in Writing for the Creative Industries. I am one of about 30 contributors to a new anthology called Headlands: New Stories of Anxiety, which Victoria University Press is publishing this month (and some of my fellow contributors will be appearing in a session called ‘Mind Matters’ at Readers and Writers this month).

Coming soon to a coffee table near you ...

Look out for the updated, sleek new A4 Property Press.

With a wealth of listings, gloss colour and easy reading, it’s no wonder Property Press is New Zealand’s favourite property magazine.

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PAU L PA L M E R

Photographer My Home (pages 68-70) A professional photographer with a passion for travel and exploring, I’m fortunate to have combined my love of photography, people, my children, art and exotic locations with many overseas assignments during the past 20 years. My photographic flexibility and creativeness have led to professional assignments worldwide, from national news coverage to royal tours, international sporting events and corporate VIP functions, to luxury lodges and now homes for WildTomato.

Nelson-born and Picton-based, I’m enjoying being back home and rediscovering our region; jumping on my motorcycle and reconnecting with what makes the Nelson Tasman and Marlborough regions so special. Roll on summer!

Your latest Property Press here!

Your coffee here!

J U S T I N PA P E S C H

Travel (pages 84-86) A winemaker and wine consultant for 30 plus years, I’m a gypsy at heart and love travel, music, food, wine and beer. When I travel, I tend to hang out with the locals to embrace the heart and soul of each place and enjoy how they live, not just what tourists experience. My wife, WildTomato editor Lynda Papesch, and I have an unstructured style of travel, moving from one place to the next when we’ve had enough of the last. We seldom visit the same place twice and always stay long enough to embrace local culture and cuisine.

Also available online at www.propertypress.co.nz

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NOTICEBOARD

Campaign encourages Aussies to find creative spark Tourism New Zealand has turned the spotlight on Marlborough (and Wellington) for its latest online campaign in Australia. With the theme, ‘creativity around every corner’, the campaign showcases the regions’ creative profiles including culture, theatre, cuisine, wine and art, and encourages Australians to book a revitalising holiday in spring. Destination Marlborough general manager Jacqui Lloyd says Australia is a key market for Marlborough and the campaign provides a way to lure more Australian visitors to the region after experiencing Wellington.

Celebrating the extraordinary

Bring on the royals!

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ood news for royalists is that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, will be visiting Nelson Tasman region this month. On their first major tour outside the UK, the popular royal couple will visit on Monday 29 October, with a special trek to the Abel Tasman National Park, currently part of the world leading Project Janzoon nature recovery project.

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elson businessman Manoli Aerakis has been named the 2018 Duncan Cotterill Emerging Director by the Nelson Marlborough branch of the Institute of Directors. Manoli, who is managing director of Malloch McClean Tasman, has been a member of the Directors’ Institute since 2013. He currently serves on the Nelson Tasman Chamber of Commerce board and works alongside the Ngati Apa ki te Ra to Trust board and group of companies. He was also previously on the board of the Nelson SPCA. The Institute of Directors Nelson Marlborough branch runs its awards every second year.

Previous winners have included Marina Hirst-Tristram, Dave Ashcroft and Mike Brown.

Where do you read yours?

Meagan and Adam Arnold-Kelly read their WildTomato while relaxing in a rooftop pool in Singapore.

Send your image to editor@wildtomato.co.nz ONLY JPG FILES ACCEPTED, MIN 1MB

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Fun, fashion and a movie!

All for a good cause

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ave the date - Wednesday 31 October is all set to be a great night out at the Suter Art Gallery as Fashion at the Flicks takes centre stage to raise funds for the Nelson Regional Breast and Gynaecological Cancer Trust. Nibbles and drinks start the evening at 5.30pm.

Tickets available from Morrison Square Centre Management Office or email nelson@morrisonsquare.co.nz.

MY BIG IDEA

From left: Ceara McAuliffe Bickerton, Poppy Norton, Holly Norton and Sophie Harker

Making good-work connections Ceara McAuliffe Bickerton and Poppy Norton are co-founders of a group using technology to pair volunteers with charities.

What is your Big Idea?

For organisations such as charities and community groups, who rely on volunteers to do good in our communities, the Collaborate app is a matching platform that makes it fast and easy to find both the specialist skills and general helping hands they need.

Unlike traditional volunteer job sites, Collaborate makes connection effortless, instant and fun for volunteers, boosting engagement, saving huge amounts of time and money and growing everyone’s capacity to do more good work together.

Charities, community groups, social enterprises and museums depend on volunteers to make their good work happen and we found that they struggle to find enough volunteers with the right

skills. Similarly, volunteers face problems finding opportunities they are interested in, that use their skillset and fit the time they have available. So we built Collaborate, an app that connects people with volunteering opportunities to match their skills and interests. For volunteers, Collaborate creates a social record of volunteers’ time and skills donated, for themselves, for future employers and for the added confidence of the organisations they connect with.

Collaborate was built through a co-design process involving hundreds of volunteers and community groups across New Zealand. About 180 organisations now use Collaborate to help them do more good work, and more than 600 volunteers use the app to find the unique way they can create an impact.

Three out of Collaborate’s four female co-founders grew up in Nelson, so we are delighted that we have recently launched the platform in Nelson.

How does it work?

Collaborate provides instant connection to a shortlist of volunteers who have actively expressed that they are keen to be involved.

Organisations simply post a project they need volunteers for at www. letscollaborate.co.nz. Volunteers are then able to swipe through projects in the area that matches their skills, then click to ‘Express an interest’ in the role.

This instantly connects them, sending

the organisation their profile containing more information about their skills, experience and contact details. From there, organisations can get to work right away, setting up an interview if they wish.

Collaborate provides instant connection to a shortlist of volunteers who have actively expressed that they are keen to be involved.

What are the benefits and to whom?

Collaborate benefits both community organisations and our volunteers. It builds the capacity of community organisations, which can grow their capacity and have an impact. It enables access to emergency or specialist skills with little administrative cost – which means more time and money can go directly to projects and communities.

For volunteers, it gives them an opportunity to give back to the causes they are most passionate about. Volunteers also gain invaluable skills that can be tracked through the app. This record improves volunteers’ social outcomes, demonstrating to themselves and employers their skills and value to the community.

How do people become involved?

Whether you’re a community organisation or a volunteer who’s keen to get involved, head to www.letscollaborate.co.nz to either post a volunteering opportunity or start to engage with your community.

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Snapped WildTomato goes out on the town…

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Hospice fundraiser dinner Annesbrook Church, Stoke PHOTOGRAPHY BY KARAENA VINCENT

1. Haley Brabant & Sarah Foster

5. Jan Aberhart & Cathy Marquet

2. Cindy & Nic Ward

6. Rachel Reid & Kim Rieter

3. Mitchell Field, Kerry Charlesworth & Anna Neville

7. Kath & Brendan McCauley

4. Maddi Springer & Tayla Trathen

9. Catherine Dun & Pamela White

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8. Bec Hunt & Bonnie Slade

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145 Bridge Street, Nelson Wednesday to Sunday 5pm to late Fully heated for winter.

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SNAPPED

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Aronui Wines Dine Out Awards The Boiler Room, Nelson P H O T O G R A P H Y B Y A N A G A L L O WAY

1. Ian Wallace 2. Kevin Hopgood & Antony Burke 3. Jane Hunter & Tania Godsall 4. Sybrand Kamermans & Andy Budd

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5. Eelco Boswijk 6. Laura Loghry & Tejas Arn

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Own the Moment

7. Amberlea Webster & Antony Burke 8. Errol Wilkinson & Michelle Osgood 9. Kevin Loghry, Mic & Molley Heynekamp 10. Lynda Papesch & Chris Fortune

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Registered Master Builders House of the Year Awards Annesbrook Church, Stoke P H O T O G R A P H Y B Y C A M E R O N M U R R AY

1. Paul & Beth Brockie, Kieren & Cath Mallon

4. Bryony Wiechern & Karen Lane

2. Jason & Pam Gardiner, Brent & Trudie Wright, Phill & Robyn Krammer

6. Holly Barnes & Chris De Cesare

3. Terry Pannett, Christine Cook, Emma Mueller & Adam Hills

8. Jason Gardiner & Ben Coman

5. Nick & Natasha Schwartz 7. Robbie Harlen & Stuart Washington 9. Kate & Steve Eggers

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#LinkedInLocalNelsonTasman m

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LinkedIn Local Nelson Tasman hosts:

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Register here: linkedinlocalnt@gmail.com Thank you to our amazing sponsors: BNZ, Karaena Vincent Photography, Astonish Me Creative, Wild Tomato, HotHouse Creative & The Social Media Conference NZ

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SNAPPED

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2 Blueberry IT 10th anniversary party Stormy’s Man Cave Barbershop, Nelson PHOTOGRAPHY BY KARAENA VINCENT

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1. Grant Kerr, Trina Zimmerman & Mark Rawson

5. Bryce Wastney & Turhan Djemal

2. Patrick Smith, Clare Hall-Smith & Stephen Tanner

7. Richard Butler

6. Sam Butler & Paul Rosanowski

3. Phill & Roslynne Urquhart

8. Marcus & Jackie Day & John Leaver

4. Allan Willoughby

9. Annie & Simon Cox

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Tasman Mako game Lansdowne Park, Blenheim PHOTOGRAPHY BY SUSIE WILLIAMS

1. Euan Dickson, Frank Marfell & John Black 2. Sarah, Angus & Abby Sandall 3. Greg & Bess Colquhoun 4. Anastasia Shumkova & Matt Goode

5. Sione & Suli Teulaka 6. Allie Treloar, Chloe Williams & Samantha Williams 7. Roseanne & Philip Jeffs 8. Helen & Ross Giles 9. Lorenzo & Nathan Muir

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SNAPPED

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2 All Blacks vs Argentina Trafalgar Park, Nelson P H O T O G R A P H Y B Y R AY S A L I S B U R Y

1. Hugh, Daniel & Luisa Leckie 2. Bevan, Joshua & Joanna Thompson

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3. Magolalena Tolosa, Matias Lanusse & Massiel Castillo 4. John Buchanan & David Garnham

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5. Emilia & Florencia Videla, Cecilia Gorostiajos 6. Kevin Rombouts & Marites Deocareza 7. Ray & Viv Marshall 8. Charlotte Grimwood

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Sinking ship & dying seabeds Farmer, paua diver, maritime rescuer – David Baker has an adventurous CV. He talks to Sophie Preece about our suffocating marine environment, and the sinking of the Mikhail Lermontov.

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avid Baker was 16 and could hardly swim when he decided to become a commercial paua diver in the outer Marlborough Sounds. That was 1966, a year after his family moved to a farm at Cape Jackson – an exposed peninsula thrust into tumultuous Cook Strait – looking for a new way of life.

“It was a hell of a big step,” David says of the move from a farm on the edge of Marlborough’s Wairau River to a rough 1910 homestead on a remote 650ha farm. Cape Jackson was accessible by boat alone, and nearly two hours’ steaming from Picton.

“That was fantastic for me. It was pretty bloody cool for a lad of 14 and a half.” The property came with a boat, the Tiki, and step-through Honda motorbike, David says, beaming like he’s still 14. “I was in seventh heaven.”

He ‘opted out’ of school and spent his time helping to build or repair fences, cutting hillsides of tauhinu (“the cancer of the country”), hobby-fishing (“that’s where my fishing career began”) or hiking through rugged bush country with wire, pliers and a strainer, following the single copper phone line to find and repair a breakage.

“The line ran over to Port Gore and then Endeavour Inlet. If your neighbours were away, you had to walk the whole thing to get it going again. Sometimes I had to walk all day, with a pack of wine biscuits, which I’d dip in the creek, for sustenance.”

Tough – and nurturing

Life on the farm was “bloody hard work and I got knocked into shape pretty quickly”, he says. But he certainly didn’t miss school, where he’d been bullied, and reckons he learned more on the farm and from his parents Betty and Tony, who were “very good 18

Photo: Jim Tannock

INTERVIEW

thinking people” and community-minded. “I had a loving home and that nurtures straight away.”

That community spirit saw Tony and Betty inviting people up for dinner if they were in the ‘neighbourhood’. On one evening that included a couple of paua divers, who helped to add another string to David’s bow, essentially kick-starting a 50-year career as a paua diver.

“They said, ‘David you should get a wetsuit’. David could hardly swim,” he says with a laugh. “I put on a snorkel and mask and learned the hard way.” His new hobby supplemented the family’s income, as did the rock-lobster potting and diving he did later on, working out of a small double-ended dinghy.

The paua were three or four deep in the nearby bays, so he dived close to home as a teenager, earning tuppence a pound for the meat. “They were very, very thick,” he says of the fishery, lamenting a huge decline in recent years. David still runs a paua diving company with his son Jason, and says the beds look nothing like they did in ’66.

“How it looked then was basically untouched to any degree.

There was no sedimentation of any consequence,” he says. “If you saw seven or eight boats in the weekend, that was a big weekend. The place was close to perfect.”

The decline of paua beds is only one of the disturbing transformations he has seen since his family moved to Cape Jackson. Back then the Macrocystis pyrifera (giant bladder kelp) was a forest around the peninsula, as it was around the islands of the Marlborough Sounds, growing so dense that it was hard to swim through, he says. Now he sees areas that are bare, “like you’d gone around with a vacuum cleaner and sucked it away”.

“How it looked then was basically untouched to any degree.”

DAV I D M O U R N S T H E D E S E C R AT I O N O F PAUA B E D S

“There was the ship, already starting to list to the starboard side, and the stern going up a metre or so.”

Oil from outboard motors and antifouling from ships have played a part, but David and wife Sandra blame sedimentation as the chief culprit in habitat destruction. They pull out a satellite map showing the bottom of the North Island, the top of the South, and the huge drifts of milky blue waters in between.

A narrow strip of untainted deep blue shows the rapid currents of the Tory Channel and central Cook Strait, unclogged by sediment washing in from rivers, but there’s little of that clean sea in the Marlborough Sounds, where the sediment settles.

David and Jason use such satellite maps to work out where it’s best to dive, and he says the ‘whitewash’ of sediment, largely resulting from forestry harvest and other land-based developments, has become the rule not the exception after rainfall. “In past decades – and the past decade in particular – we are seeing this so often from deforestation. It’s as simple as that.”

Sandra adds that the sea takes weeks to clear up after a rainfall. She has also witnessed a transformation over nearly 50

Oppostie page: David Baker This page: Clockwise from top: Life in the Sounds; From Left David, Sandra, Sandra’s mum Dorita, and Tony and Jason Baker; Jason Baker; David and Sandra Baker

years in the Sounds. The couple met in 1969, when the 16-yearold and her family, the Campions, moved to Port Gore. David, then 19, turned up to help them move in, as per the hospitality taught him by his parents. They met again (and again) when he walked over the hill with his pack of wine biscuits, she says.

“This fellow came walking to fix the phone line, and my folks said, ‘We think you should go out into the wide world and see what is out there’.” Sandra went to nursing school in Blenheim and was working at Wairau Hospital when she and David became engaged on her 20th birthday.

A year later, she was out at Cape Jackson, where they raised and home-schooled three children. Sandra soon became involved with the Bakers’ huge role in Sounds safety, as stalwarts of Marlborough Marine Radio, taking care of boaties in Queen Charlotte Sound and beyond.

Saviours on the airwaves

David says the radio became integral to their life soon after moving to the Cape, because the phone line was so vulnerable to the high winds common in that neck of the woods. They started out with a single sideband radio on the Tiki, which his dad Tony knew how to operate thanks to his flying service in the war. He now used it for simple tasks like ordering groceries from town.

“Then after about two or three years of us growing and getting experience of the weather and the Cape sea areas, people started asking us for advice on the weather conditions or what it was like,” David says.

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“If we don’t make some improvements in forest management in the next half-adecade to decade, there will be a massive impact on all inshore fisheries.”

When the radio moved from sea to land, from single sideband to double, they became an illegal radio station. Only later, after years of trying, did they receive the licensed call-sign of ZLJU Cape Jackson. Picton had its own operation, Picton Small Marine Craft Radio, which was set up as a base for commercial vessels, but evolved to encompass recreational boaties too, says David.

“Then Mrs Sylvia Kenny said to Mum, ‘Why don’t you take it over and run it?’ and Mum foolishly said ‘Yes’.” The radio connected them throughout the Sounds, resulting in relationships with people they would never meet.

But it was also a huge commitment, switched on 24 hours a day and seven days a week. The Bakers became accustomed to birthday parties and Christmas dinners being disrupted by a query or a mayday call. “That was what you did,” says David – “but sometimes you felt like throwing the bloody radio out the window.”

High drama with the Mikhail Lermontov

As a result of the radio, and their knowledge of the area, Tony and Betty started getting involved in search-and-rescue, which would eventually see them co-ordinate the Mikhail Lermontov rescue in 1986, for which they received joint Queen’s Service Medals in 1988. For David, who received his own QSM in 2012, just two months after being awarded a Kiwibank Local Hero medal, the Mikhail Lermontov drama began with a trip to the garden.

The family had watched the Russian cruise-ship going out on an unusual route, and Tony had called up and wished them a good trip, to which they responded positively. “But they were on a different angle – something we hadn’t seen before,” says David. He went outside to get parsley for scrambled eggs and heard a deep vibration, leading him to joke when he went back in that the ship must have hit the Cape.

“I was being stupid, but 10 minutes later they called up on the VHF to ask what the seabed conditions were like at the head of Port Gore because they had struck rocks and may need to be beached.”

David, Jason and a cousin jumped on motorbikes and raced to a lookout high on the farm. “There was the ship, already starting to list to the starboard side, and the stern going up a metre or so. As we watched it carry on up around by Black Head, in Port Gore, it was starting to stop and start, and we knew that didn’t look good – like the engine was flooding.”

However, the only mayday call sent out was from the master of the Mikhail Lermontov to Vladivostok in Russia just before the ship sank, he says. “That’s why our family played a big part. We saw what was happening.”

With no mayday sent, the Bakers made the call to mount a rescue, and alerted all the families in the outer Sounds, including the Fishburns, Guards and Heberleys, as well as boat operators like the Kennys and Johnsons. “We alerted all the people we knew who had good vessels and seamanship, and who had radar, because it was a claggy night. Then we started to search as a family.”

By the time David got to the ship it was on a steep angle,

Above: David diving for paua in the Marlborough Sounds.

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and people were clambering into life rafts and lifeboats, he says.

“We were a shivering mess really, thinking we have to be really careful or we will die as well … we were in a little boat and it’s a dangerous thing.”

Betty and Tony co-ordinated 50 vessels overnight and the next day, then continued to work intensively with authorities and the media for the next two days. It was hugely stressful for them, David says – “and I never got my scrambled eggs”.

Stalwarts of the boating fraternity

When Betty died in 1990, the esteem the family held in the boating community became clear, with letters coming in full of warm appreciation, and a ferry captain booming the foghorn in farewell. Soon after, the Bakers started to plan a move away from the farm. Sandra and David and their children left in 1993, having been at the Cape far longer than they intended, and are now living in Picton.

“We went there originally for 10 or 12 years and 21 years later we had had enough,” says David. “It was time to move on. Sarni had a big job running the house, teaching the children, and running the radio with Dad,” he says. “We had a 1600-acre farm with 2500 stock units and we were catching paua. It was bloody busy.”

Despite hanging up his fins last year, David still works on the boat with Jason when they head out diving, and is a champion for preserving and protecting the paua fishery and surrounding habitats. He’s supported voluntary cuts to paua quota and initiatives to enhance habitats and seed baby paua, but the sediment is what concerns him most. The problem of run-off from deforestation is ‘critical’, he says.

“If we don’t make some improvements in forest management in the next half-a-decade to decade, there will be a massive impact on all inshore fisheries.”

Enjoy a main and a dessert over a lazy lunch with friends or entertain guests with a business lunch in a beautiful setting.

Whatever the occasion, a $30 two course menu will be sure to suit.

See our latest menu www.codandlobster.com Open 7 days 11AM - Late | 300 Trafalgar Street, Nelson events@codandlobster.com | 03 546 4300

21

LOCAL CONNECTION

Sharing a primal joy

Photo: Ana Galloway

Music teacher Lucy Rainey is back in Nelson, and on a mission, she tells Sadie Beckman.

M

usic is one of the few things that transcends language, culture, age and experience, and people often speak of it having its own particular language. For Nelson musician and music teacher Lucy Rainey, music directly and positively enhances the brain, and the life, of the person experiencing it.

She has made it her life’s work to share this with others through musical inspiration.

Lucy taught clarinet and saxophone at the Nelson School of Music for many years and was a classroom teacher at Nelson College for Girls, before spending a decade away in Britain and Wellington. She completed a Master of Music thesis on the links between the voice and the clarinet at the New Zealand School of Music in Wellington. Lucy was invited to give a paper on her master’s thesis at the annual international clarinet conference, Clarinetfest in Assisi, Italy in 2013.

She is back teaching on familiar turf at the newly refurbished and renamed Nelson Centre of Musical Arts (NCMA), where new studios and recital spaces are breathing fresh energy into the local musical community. Lucy teaches voice, clarinet and saxophone as well as running a choral workshop and starting up an adult beginners’ singing class. She also does the warm-ups and vocal coaching for the Nelson Civic Choir and plays first clarinet in the Nelson Symphony Orchestra. “It’s busy 22

but it’s all really good,” she laughs. “I feel like I’ve been able to come back and add some value because of my experience away.

There’s a very strong musical community in Nelson so it’s lovely to be back.”

Lucy comes from a musical background and can remember hearing instruments, the clarinet in particular, since she was an infant. Her mother loved classical music and her father took her to her first clarinet lesson at age eight, learning the instrument alongside her to encourage her.

An amazing mentor

In her teens, she says, she was lucky to experience the teaching of the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra’s Bob Girvan, a mentor who taught students how to make music part of their lives and homes. “He was such an amazing teacher. He gave us an individual lesson each week, and he also composed special pieces for us. He used to have us to his home on Friday evenings.

“I feel like I’ve been able to come back and add some value because of my experience away.”

Photo: Nelson Centre of Musical Arts

His wife would provide supper and he would invite other musicians and we would play chamber music. I just thought that was what every music teacher did, and it was only later that I realise how incredibly lucky we were with him.” Lucy says the way Bob taught was so inspirational, she now wants to pass that on to her own students, bringing them ways to integrate music into their lives, and to experience the passion and sheer enjoyment for music. “It’s just such a wonderful thing to be able to share music with other people.”

Lucy is also a strong believer in the positive physiological effect music has on people. “Music is transformational, and it is also prelinguistic. Recent research shows the brain lights up like a Christmas tree when people play music or sing. We know this because of tests done with MRI imaging. This has also shown that music is prelinguistic. It actually precedes the neural pathway to language, and that is a very powerful thought.” She says music is a profoundly deep communication between human beings, capable of influencing emotions and attitudes. “That’s why I think singing and playing or listening to music is able to improve depression and anxiety. It can also help dyslexic students because it helps them hear the phonology of the words – the way the syllables are put together. It can help people with recovery from strokes too. I think recognising that music is pre-linguistic is a very strong idea.”

Sharing the magic

Having observed these concepts in action, Lucy aims to bring the positivity of musical experience to others through singing or playing in a group, of any genre where they can find connection. She is also very interested in the relationship between the clarinet and voice, noticing that the clarinet often operates as an extension of the voice in many different musical styles and ensembles, including opera, jazz and klezmer. Feeling as though she hadn’t quite put her finger on how that worked, she studied it as part of her master’s degree, observing the interaction between players and singers in a variety of ensembles.

“It became clear that clarinet players either partner, blend, mimic or extend the voice in a lot of musical repertoire. Very often the

“I believe it’s everyone’s birthright to sing.”

LU C Y R A I N EY

clarinet is the go-to instrument when the voice needs a little extension or it needs a bit of change of mood or colour, or to be partnered with, or extended into a different pitch range.” Lucy has also looked at the human voice in great detail, and says one of the most exciting aspects of her learning is that our voices represent an aural autobiography of our bodies. “No two singers will sound exactly alike and I think that’s what is so fascinating. You can train a voice and encourage it to be a beautiful voice, but there are always going to be individual differences such as the size of the mouth cavity and vocal folds, the shape of the face, the body shape. All of these things affect the quality and timbre of the tone.”

Learning to sing

No matter what physical characteristics a person has, Lucy believes everyone can tap into his or her own unique voice and learn to sing, “whether it’s on their own at home, or whether it’s with others in a choir. I’m fascinated with helping people to find their own unique voice.”

Lucy is tapping into a need, with plenty of interest around her choral workshop for adults, as well as her other offerings at NMCA. The lessons are designed to be fun and inspirational, and include achievable challenges to keep people interested and motivated, she says. They are also accessible to most people, with reasonable pricing and a communityminded focus – something NMCA, as well as Lucy, has made a priority. “It’s about helping people find their own natural voice to explore their personal creativity,” she says. “I believe it’s everyone’s birthright to sing.”

Above: Lucy singing in the Civic Choir 23

Nelson Arts Festival

DIY drama

for the brave Creating good theatre is like many things in life – you make plans, you research and try things out, and then do your very best to embrace or combat all the joyous and messy outcomes.

Frances Wilson talks to three theatre-makers who are part of the upcoming Nelson Arts Festival.

24

“We’re all stupidly insecure, and have to keep both pushing our shows and taking rejection all the time.”

P E N N Y A S H TO N

Austen leads to Dickens

After returning to New Zealand, Penny became frustrated trying to break into the local acting scene and so started doing her own poetry shows – a sort of stand-up/cabaret/word-smithing mash-up.

People came, so, using some work she’d been experimenting with in her improvisation class, she tried out a few Jane Austen characters, and lo-and-behold, she discovered the great Austen zeitgeist – from the novels themselves, to small-screen bonnet dramas, to Hollywood re-interpretations. From there, she developed a onewoman show, touring it round New Zealand and the world.

Next step? Dickens, with its plethora of characters, including the eponymous Olive Copperbottom. Most often, Penny travels on her own, and then sources props on arrival. Olive Copperbottom needs a wine barrel, a steamer trunk and a chair – easily found at any reputable theatre hire. It’s less stressful, and much cheaper, than excess luggage.

Penny Ashton’s one-woman shows keep the spotlight firmly on herself and her prowess at bringing multiple characters to life – theatre-making at its most self-reliant. She has a stable of shows that have been doing the fringe festival circuit to the sum of more than 700 performances in six countries. It’s on the road that she has found her ‘people’, so although she travels alone, at any given festival there will be someone she knows as part of her extended fringe family.

The drawback to travel is that it’s nigh impossible for Penny to write poetry or scripts, but this year she had a few months at home, to reacquaint herself with both her husband and her laptop. Penny has the beginnings of her next show, about “the fall

Photo: Elizabeth Lane

A

suite of plays written by the performers themselves graces the programme for the 2018 Nelson Arts Festival. This is multi-tasking at its best – finding the inspiration, writing the script, workshopping the staging, selling the season, hitting the road, and then, magically, presenting your play in a theatre you’ve never been to before. And by day, you’re working on your next piece.

Creating and performing solo shows means being on your own a lot, says Penny Ashton. That can become exhausting.

“We’re all stupidly insecure, and have to keep both pushing our shows and taking rejection all the time. But I also have a strong sense of self-belief, which has been nicely encouraged by reviews and awards and people like [Festival Director] Charlie Unwin.”

Penny appears three times in the festival: in her solo show, Olive Copperbottom (where she plays 15 Dickensian characters); in Captain Pinky’s Pirate Toddler Boogie (joined by two locally recruited dancers, Jolly and Roger, plus a stuffed parrot called Stinky); and as host of the Nelson Regional Poetry Slam Finals.

Poetry is her first love. After completing a degree in dance and drama, Penny did the great OE to Britain, where she initially worked as an office temp, before learning the intricacies of entertainment marketing and publicity to the point of producing Rhys Darby’s first solo show.

This page: Messy Magic Opposite page: Olive Copperbottom

and rise of a lounge singer” who must cope with both her ex and present lover being in the audience.

Wild about The Fringe

Like Penny, actor/writer Anya Tate-Manning is a fan of the festival circuit. The granddaddy of them all is Edinburgh Festival Fringe with its thousands of shows. “It’s completely wild and exhausting and overwhelming,” Anya says. “And it’s incredible because you can see so much work, which really helps artistically with your own work.”

Anya is gearing up to present My Best Dead Friend, her first self-penned solo show. Yes, it’s based on real events, and yes, it features a friend who died, but the play focuses mainly on a night of thwarted pandemonium in downtown Dunedin, when Anya and her high-school buddies tried to stage a revolution.

She began with a clear goal of wanting to celebrate friendship, as well as exploring the themes of death and grief. “Generally the work I make is comedy, so this story was a challenge. It’s mostly biographical … at first it was quite intimidating because you feel the responsibility [to the real people in the story]. There are little bits of artistic licence because it all comes from my point of view, which is flawed, so there is a kind of mythologising that happens.”

Bottom line: it has to work as a piece of theatre.

Most often, Anya works in larger productions. She was at the Nelson Arts Festival last year as the hapless stage manager in Hudson & Halls Live! “The experience of performing solo is very new, and it is quite lonely and scary, but the benefit is that you have total control over the performance, and because I’ve written it myself, there’s a level of control with the content and being able to change little things in every performance.”

25

Inspiration on her honeymoon

Photo: Peter Jennings

The concept of perpetual re-working is common to theatremakers. For Lizzie Tollemache, from Rollicking Entertainment, it’s all about the back and forth.

The genesis for her show, The Dunstan Creek Haunting, is a perfect example of a vocation never taking a vacation. She and new husband David Ladderman (also her partner in Rollicking) were on their honeymoon in Central Otago when they started picking up on folklore and ghost stories from the gold-rush era.

“Our honeymoon quickly became a ghost-hunting mission.”

Again, the dramatic process is a long one. “We’ll write and test and rewrite. The process ping-pongs between devising on the floor and taking elements of that to put into the script.” For Lizzie and David, there is never a finite version. “We create shows knowing that every season will be quite different.”

This ethos of change being the only constant is part of any travelling show in that no two theatres are alike. Lizzie never tries to replicate a cookie-cutter version of the show, and like Penny and Anya when they are performing their own shows, they look out for the different responses from each audience, make subtle changes in each performance, and ultimately present a more unique live experience.

Doing a travelling show also hones your ability to problemsolve, as testified by Anya: “Sometimes you turn up to a space and there’s no venue technician, no front-of-house staff, and there’s one light plugged into the wall. So you just have to make the best of what you’ve got, and go buy some lamps.” Thankfully, this won’t be the case in Nelson, where all three are performing at the Suter Theatre.

26

Photo: Emma Brittenden

Unlike Penny Ashton, Anya has company on the road, with a technical operator and either her director or producer, which staves off the loneliness of travelling and performing solo.

The writing is continuous. “I recently undertook an MA in scriptwriting because I wanted to expand my skill set, and to start working in screen as well as theatre. It’s been challenging but I really enjoy being able to do multiple jobs.”

But there has to be a balance. “If I’m not performing, I start to miss the stage,” says Anya. “I miss the attention, the rush of a live audience, or the joy of making people laugh. These are things that are deeply addictive and incredibly enjoyable.”

This is where writing your own work is the perfect solution.

For Anya, the process is a mixture of writing, working with her director and using improvisation to test the work. “As actors we write best by doing it and saying it out loud. It’s there we discover the right phasing or the right words or the right story.”

Above: Dunstan Creek Haunting, below: My Best Dead Friend

Another factor of creating and performing your own theatre, of course, is that you can tailor the show to your own skill set. As a duo, Lizzie has a more conventional acting background, whereas David has years of experience on the circus and street-theatre circuit.

“I do most of the writing and the narrative,” says Lizzie, “then we work together to find which aspects of the circus and illusion worlds will help to tell the story.” This pays off – in the last season of The Dunstan Creek Haunting four people took fright and walked out mid-performance.

Catering for young patrons

Rollicking is presenting two shows in Nelson. The second is pitched at what many would regard as the more discerning audience – the under-10 crowd. In The Messy Magic Adventure! two cleaners, Spray and Wipe (naturally), are hired to clean a magician’s house. Mayhem ensues.

“We wanted to make New Zealand stories with New Zealand people in them. Plus, our talents in circus, slapstick and magic lend themselves so beautifully to the ridiculous fun that you can have with children’s theatre,” says Lizzie. “We realised too, that to keep theatre and the arts alive, the most important audiences are the ones who are coming to the theatre for the first time.”

For Penny, the festival is the premiere of Captain Pinky’s Pirate Toddler Boogie, although it did have a previous incarnation at Edinburgh Fringe as a baby disco. As you might expect, it’s an opportunity for littlies to dance around with their parents.

Having a repertoire of both children and adult shows means that writer/performers like Lizzie and Penny are more financially appealing to festival directors, as well as staying buoyant themselves. “We do have to work a bit harder to do both daytime and evening shows,” says Lizzie, “but it means we can [take time out to] create new shows, as well as being able to afford to pay our mortgage and live a life beyond starving artists.”

Olive Copperbottom, Captain Pinky’s Pirate Toddler Boogie, Nelson Regional Poetry Slam Finals, My Best Dead Friend, The Dunstan Creek Haunting and The Messy Magic Adventure! are on at the Nelson Arts Festival, October 11-26. See www.nelsonartsfestival.co.nz

PREPARATORY SCHOOL

OPEN MORNING TUESDAY 6 NOVEMBER

9:00 am Welcome & Info

9:15 - 10 am Tour

FESTIVAL AT NCMA A selection of sublime music.

NZTRIO: EXOTICA

Sat 13 Oct, 6pm

Come and see what you can achieve!

ENTR 2 Y

020

03 548 2194 | www.ncg.school.nz

TAKIRI ENSEMBLE Sun 14 Oct, 7pm

SOUNDS EXCELLEN

Mon 15 Oct, 7pm

T 2018

Locally made blown glass and jewellery by artists Ola & Marie Höglund and their family.

Makers of Nelson art glass since 1982.

VISITORS WELCOME – OPEN DAILY 10 TO 5

HÖGLUND GLASSBLOWING STUDIO 52 Lansdowne Road, Appleby, Richmond Ph 03 544 6500

Full programme at nelsonartsfestival.co.nz

www.hoglundartglass.com

27

More than a concert, Rhian Sheehan: A Quiet Divide, promises to be an other-worldly experience.

Frances Wilson talks to the Nelson-raised musician about his forthcoming tour.

H

e may not be a household name, but Rhian Sheehan’s compositions could well have infiltrated your home. He’s in demand worldwide – the cool guy making music for planetariums, video games and, best of all, for us.

Rhian’s vision is to fashion an immersive experience for the audience. The music in his new album, A Quiet Divide, calls to mind adjectives like atmospheric, ambient, melancholic, ethereal, mesmerising. Although he has numerous album releases to his credit, it’s been five years since his last. “I’ve just been so busy working on other projects.”

Rhian’s career as a music producer and composer has taken him from Nelson School of Music (as a teen he played guitar in Grease the Musical at the Theatre Royal) to an early boost via the Café del Mar compilation albums. Now Wellington-based, he’s written compositions for film, television and multi-media screens, on BBC Horizon, CNN, for the hit HBO series Silicon Valley, Netflix, America’s Got Talent, the Super Bowl and Academy Awards.

He seems to have a penchant for astronomy, having penned music for various space observatories, with actors David Tennant, Rupert Grint, Tim Allen and Andy Serkis providing narration.

Most recently, he’s been working on the orchestral score for an upcoming mixed-reality game.

Time to reflect

So when Rhian does take time for himself, it’s an opportunity to pause. “When I’m writing my own music it really is about conjuring up an old emotion or feeling. I’m always reflecting on our past and what may come in the future ... A Quiet Divide is a body of work that the listener can escape inside, reflect and ponder.”

28

“When I’m writing my own music it really is about conjuring up an old emotion or feeling.”

RHIAN SHEEHAN

The music does indeed wash over the listener. To bring it to life on stage, Rhian not only wants to recreate the sound with his eight-piece band and six local string players, but also to layer the stage with projections. He pitched an idea to Weta Workshop and they came on-board.

At the time of the interview, Rhian had just spent a few days working with lighting guru Jon Baxter in Auckland. “It’s by far the most technical show I’ve ever done. The visuals are integrated into what’s happening musically, so there’s definitely a lot to manage.”

The two have collaborated before, with Rhian writing the sound elements for Jon’s huge projections on the old Technical Institute building, and laser artwork in the Chinese Garden, as part of the recent Light Nelson.

For the forthcoming show, he taps renowned astrophotographer Mark Gee, who captures time-lapses of stars and galaxies, and animator Matt Pitt. “It’s tricky because I don’t have a massive budget and I’m asking these incredibly busy people to do something that’s really cutting-edge. I’m so surprised at how many came on-board – although a lot of them have become good friends, so that definitely helps.”

Nelson’s Theatre Royal is much smaller than all the other venues on the tour, but Rhian sees this as intensifying the performance. The only difference to the production will be the size of the string section.

A Quiet Divide is released worldwide on Friday October 5.

The show takes place at the Theatre Royal on Saturday October 20 & Sunday 21. See www.nelsonartsfestival.co.nz.

Photo: Alexander Hallag

Soaking in a soundscape

FESTIVAL AT FOUNDERS A workout for your brain and body!

When a disability makes even everyday activities a struggle imagine what it must feel like out here .

For people with disabilities, sailing provides a unique sense of freedom and movement – life’s daily frustrations are forgotten. Sailing pushes comfort zones and there are new risks to overcome. The sheer joy of sailing is immense for someone with a disability.

Sailability Nelson is one of ten active clubs across New Zealand, all of whom are part of a worldwide movement.

From the Nelson Yacht Club we sail two person Hansa yachts set up for any disability and any age. Each yacht has an experienced sailor helper and each sail is for around 30 minutes.

Our sailing season commences in October and we will sail every second Sunday until mid-March.

Please join us on a Sunday sail day and see what a difference we’re making. You are welcome to support us by becoming a volunteer, helper sailor, sponsor, or donor.

To discuss how you would like to help please contact John MacDuff: 0274 245 112. macduff@tasman.net

Join us to help disabled Nelsonians experience the freedom and joy of sailing. sailabilitynelson.org.nz

Full programme at nelsonartsfestival.co.nz

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Readers & Writers

A remarkable writing life

Photo: Steve McNicholl

National literary treasure Maurice Gee will launch his new book, Memory Pieces, on the opening day of the Page & Blackmore Readers and Writers programme.

He speaks with Kerry Sunderland.

O

ctober heralds a rare public appearance for author Maurice Gee, who all-but withdrew from public life when he turned 70. His last official appearance was at the Auckland Writers Festival in 2012 when he became the AWF’s inaugural ‘honoured New Zealand writer’. Now 87, he will appear on stage in Nelson with his publisher, Fergus Barrowman from Victoria University Press, on Friday October 12.

The publication of Maurice’s memoir closely follows renewed kudos for his landmark 1978 novel, Plumb. A group of fellow writers and book critics have voted it the best prize-winning book of the past 50 years.

30

Maurice Gee first moved to Nelson with his young family in 1975 and started writing Plumb soon after. He’d had the story in mind for a long time, saving it up in a way – his ‘grandfather novel’ – while he wrote the four that he now looks upon as ‘apprentice novels’.

“Nothing is better for a writer of my sort than to have interesting parents or grandparents. And my circumstances were right at last: my daughters at school; my wife Margareta keen to go back to work and support the family while I wrote. So in our new town of Nelson, in a little room I had built under the house, I sat down to write Plumb.”

Photo: Robert Cross

Set close to home

Place undoubtedly plays a big part in Maurice’s writing. He likes to set novels where he’s living. Of his memoir, he says, “Places play a huge part in it.”

The Nelson region inspired two of his novels. “Prowlers owes a lot to Nelson,” he says. “At the time, Margareta was working at the Cawthron Institute, where she was researching its oral history.”

Maurice drew on a lot of this research to bring the book’s main character, a soil scientist, to life. “Royd Thornton was the director of Cawthron at the time and was very supportive.”

Nelson’s landscape found its way into The Burning Boy. Maurice also mentions that his own home was the setting for a children’s book, The World Around the Corner. Illustrator Gary Hebley disguised the house slightly but it was essentially the old family home on Cleveland Tce, perched above the Maitai. One of Maurice’s greatest joys at the time was watching his two daughters slide down the backyard paddock to go for a swim in the river.

Walking has always been a big part of Maurice and Margareta’s lives, and one of the key reasons they moved back to Nelson in 2006 when Margareta retired.

For the past five years or so, Maurice has led a private life, venturing out only for quiet walks and visits to the bookstores.

During this time, he has been writing the story of his parents, his own upbringing and his wife’s peripatetic life as a child.

The first part of the triptych, titled Double Unit, describes his parents’ life. “I just wanted to get them down because I, of course, think they were remarkable people but I think most people would agree my mother certainly was a remarkable woman. I’ve written about her in some detail and have given her the credit she deserves for the early writing she did and explain why it stopped.”

The book includes excerpts of Lyndahl Gee’s writing. His maternal grandfather appears there too, ‘in all his glory’. This is the grandfather who was imprisoned for ‘seditious utterance’ and inspired the main character in Plumb.

Most of Maurice’s childhood up to the age of 18, which forms the second part of the memoir, Blind Road, was spent in Henderson.

It was, he says, “the most influential place in my whole life as far as writing is concerned. You’ll only find Nelson in the piece at the back, which describes Margareta’s early life, which is extremely interesting and unusual.”

Saved by his soulmate

Maurice’s wife of almost 50 years was born in Sweden. She was only five months old, and World War 2 was in full swing, when her mother

“… most people would agree my mother certainly was a remarkable woman.” decided to leave and join Margareta’s father, who was a seaplane pilot. Mother and daughter made an extraordinary journey, by land and air, to Australia.

“I sometimes say, over-dramatically, that Margareta saved my life. I was sliding when I met her and I don’t think I would have survived as a functioning person, or as a writer, without her,” he writes in Running on the Stairs.

“The book felt incomplete without her story,” he tells me. “I decided quite consciously to write about Margareta’s life because I’d written about everybody else and she kindly loaned me her teenage diaries.”

At this point, Margareta starts laughing and Maurice joins in, so I ask him what it was like reading them. “Ah, it was revelatory,” he exclaims.

When we first spoke in April, Gee said he was considering submitting the manuscript to a publisher. In a matter of weeks, it landed on Fergus Barrowman’s desk. Victoria University Press offered to publish it immediately and less than four months later the advance copies had arrived.

It proved, he says, the quickest publishing deal in his writing life. “Sometimes you wait for a year, 18 months, for a book to come out.” The presentation hits the spot too: “I am very, very fond of the sulky little boy on the cover.”

That VUP published the book was fitting, given that Fergus’s sister Rachel Barrowman wrote the eponymous biography of New Zealand’s leading living writer, which VUP published in 2015.

“The memoir is very much a companion piece to Rachel’s,” he says. “She hasn’t covered my parents’ lives as fully as I have, but she’s got the essentials. I’ve gone much more deeply into it, into what I call the sadness of my mother’s life, when she stopped writing in her early 40s.”

The Memory Pieces book launch is at 2.30pm, October 12, at the Granary Festival Café. Entry by koha but places strictly limited (first-in, first-served).

Above left: Cover of his new book, Memory Pieces; Above right: A 1987 image showing Gee sitting in front of a wall plastered with a huge map of the South Island 31

Queen Charlotte Track

A walk on the wildly underrated side A key group of Marlborough people are behind the push for Great Walk status for the Queen Charlotte Track, ranking it alongside other famous walks such as the Milford and Heaphy.

Brenda Webb hears about their passion for the track.

PHOTOGRAPHY RICHARD BRIGGS

J

uliet Gibbons fell in love with the Queen Charlotte Track when she first set foot on it more than 20 years ago – so much so that she became a guide and eventually bought the company that ran those guided walks.

“It sounds a bit like an ad but that’s exactly what happened – one thing just led to another,” says Juliet, who with husband Steve, owns and operates Wilderness Guides, a Picton company that specialises in guided walks on the track.

Juliet is co-deputy chair of Queen Charlotte Track Incorporated (QCT Inc), a voluntary marketing group that has been driving the Great Walks application with support from all other stakeholders, including Marlborough District Council, Destination Marlborough and Queen Charlotte Landowners’ Cooperative, which represents the privately owned sections of the track.

Juliet was a journalist with the Marlborough Express back in the 1990s when local identity Peter ‘Wally’ Bruce, from adventure company Action in Marlborough, asked her on a four-day guided walk from Ship Cove to Anakiwa. “It was amazing – the landscape, the views, the sea and the mountains,” Juliet recalls. “It was unlike anything else I’d done. It was my first multi-day walk and I was hooked.”

Juliet’s article was subsequently published in the Sunday Star-Times and kick-started a wave of visitors heading to Marlborough for the walk. She was also inspired to work as a guide on the track during university holidays. She and Steve eventually bought Action in Marlborough from Wally, selling off the rafting side to concentrate on the track itself.

32

Seeking the top echelon

Achieving Great Walk status would elevate the track to the top echelon along with other notable New Zealand walks, giving it the kudos and recognition it deserves, plus boosting marketing campaigns (national and international) as well as funding and infrastructure, says Juliet.

She’s not worried about increasing numbers on the track as they’ve been down since the Global Financial Crisis in 2008 and operators feel there is room for more walkers and mountain bikers without any fear of overcrowding. The track is naturally constrained anyway because of the required boat access and the fact that it’s generally walked one way, north to south.

“The QCT Inc is committed to the sustainable management of the track and we know we have a responsibility to ensure it is protected and preserved while it is enhanced,” says Juliet.

Countless hours of work by many people went into preparing the submission for Great Walk status and the Queen Charlotte Track ticked all the relevant boxes. Juliet says achieving the status would take pressure off other New Zealand walks and

“… I’m not overly concerned an increase in numbers would make it too crowded.”

TA N YA JA C KS , A N A K I WA 4 0 1 BA C K PA C K E R S

J U L I E T G I B B O N S , WA L KS G U I D E

hotspot tourist areas, ensuring regional dispersal of tourists.

Locally it would increase visitor numbers and therefore inject more dollars into the local economy.

Love at first sight

Fellow track enthusiast and Picton tourism promoter Rob Burn is another for whom the track was love at first sight. Chair of the QCT Inc group and a tireless promoter of the area, Rob first walked the track with his family during Christmas 1993 and he remembers carrying his young son Declan on his shoulders over the saddle at Ship Cove.

“We walked to Furneaux Lodge and fell in love with the track and the Sounds – the views are to die for,” he says. “We kept going back and staying with the Sowmans at Resolution Bay whenever we had the chance. We loved the birds and the bush, and most of all the views and the fact it was so understated – just rock into the bar at Furneaux or Punga or Portage and chat with the locals.”

Rob has been involved with promoting the track since buying The Villa backpackers with his wife Carolyn 25 years ago – yes, the same time he first discovered the Queen Charlotte Track.

“I am passionate about it as it has attributes such as the preEuropean history, the meeting of the two cultures and the stories behind Cook’s arrival.”

For Rob, that ‘quirky’ nature makes the track so unique. And the people are just as interesting: “The old characters who lent their land to form the track and the stories they would tell to anyone who would listen,” he says. “The old mines, the failure of the farms, the pig release from Cook that subsequently grew into a sport – all great stories.”

He has no fears about overcrowding on the track or it becoming spoilt. “We have seen the rise in numbers, the fall and now constant low numbers. Track numbers are self-limiting by the cost and capacity of the water transport and accommodation options available, even if a hut goes in up on the ridgeline and the DOC campsites are enlarged,” he says.

Rob loves the fact that the track can be as luxurious or basic as the walker wants, plus it’s a place where people can truly get away from everything and everyone. “But if you want a nice bed and a beer it could be just around the next corner.”

Visited – and stayed

Tanya and Shayne Jacks run Anakiwa 401, a self-catering guest house, and the Green Caravan Café at the very southern end of the Queen Charlotte Track.

British-born, they stumbled across Anakiwa in 2008 while travelling round New Zealand in a campervan on their honeymoon. Quite by chance they took a drive from Havelock to Anakiwa and to the end of the Anakiwa Rd ‘for a look around’.

They saw a ‘For Sale’ sign at Anakiwa 401 but it wasn’t until they returned to Britain that they began researching Marlborough and its attractions, particularly the Queen Charlotte Track.

“We made an offer on the property, packed up our life in the UK and moved to Anakiwa three months later,” says Tanya, who is now co-deputy chair of the QCT group.

Her early memories of the track are walking their dog Scruff (who came out from Britain with them) on it, enjoying the beautiful punga trees and native beech canopy, the stunning colour of the water and the sheltered sandy beaches. Not long after buying Anakiwa 401 Tanya and Shayne flew over the track

Photo: Brenda Webb

“… we know we have a responsibility to ensure it is protected and preserved while it is enhanced.”

Juliet Gibbons

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“It never ceases to blow me away ...”

JA C Q U I L L OY D , D E S T I N AT I O N M A R L B O R O U G H

by Picton floatplane, and at the end of their first season the couple treated themselves and walked the whole track.

“We now understood how everyone felt about completing the challenge and we were able to reminisce with them,” she says. “And of course, for our guests we’ve since been able to make suggestions based on our own knowledge and experiences.”

Tanya particularly remembers the lack of people on the track and its cleanliness and lack of litter. “For us personally to have a track of the great standard it is with the views, available for us to mountain bike or walk from the bottom of our garden, is a wonderful asset, as it is for all the residents of Anakiwa, Tirimoana and Marlborough,” she says.

Tanya also believes the track is underused. “We know there is plenty of capacity available on the track and so I’m not overly concerned an increase in numbers would make it too crowded,” she says. “We also understand that all stakeholders involved are aware of the potential of overcrowding and discuss ways to prevent it.”

Precious childhood memories

Destination Marlborough’s general manager, Jacqui Lloyd, is another for whom the track holds a special place in her heart.

As a child she enjoyed many happy family holidays in Queen Charlotte Sound, visiting all those iconic spots along the track such as Ship Cove, Furneaux Lodge, Punga Lodge and Portage.

“We used to spend a lot of time out in our own boat, but visiting all those places that are a key part of the track,” she says.

Since coming to Marlborough to take up the role with Destination Marlborough she has reacquainted herself with the track and is excited about the opportunities it offers to local, 34

national and international tourists. “From an international travel perspective, the track resonates in particular with the Europeans – they love the way they can connect with people along the way.

They can stop for a chat with track owners.”

This facet of the track – the way it winds through public and private land, and that landowners have been an integral part of it from the beginning – is special for Jacqui. “It never ceases to blow me away, particularly its legacy – the way the private landowners opened up their properties and worked with DOC to allow access, and the way the stakeholder groups all work together to make it happen.”

On track for Great Walks status

Marlborough’s Queen Charlotte track is one of three tracks under consideration to become part of New Zealand’s Great Walks network.

A final decision will be made later this year once the Department of Conservation has further engaged with community groups, iwi and representatives from the recreation, conservation and tourism sectors.

In November last year DOC invited groups to put forward existing walks that could be enhanced to become part of the Great Walks network with seven being shortlisted, later whittled down to three including the Queen Charlotte Track.

Other contenders are Northland’s Te Paki Coastal Track and Southland’s Hump Ridge Track.

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35

Photo: ‘Concrete Vision’ by Jason Mann

Master Builders

Registered Master Builders

House of the Year Each year the work of New Zealand’s Registered Master Builders is recognised with the annual House of the Year Awards, held regionally then with the top 100 Gold Reserve Finalists contesting the national titles. Lynda Papesch checks out some of the Nelson Marlborough regional winners.

W

orkmanship, design, style and functionality are all taken into account when judging the House of the Year Awards.

Split into two sections – renovations and new homes – the awards are hotly contested across 14 main categories. The supreme winners in each section are chosen from the category winners.

The renovation awards are for residential renovations and restorations and feature three categories: Renovations up to $500,000, renovations $500,000 - $1 million and renovations over $1 million.

Categories in the new home awards include homes up to $450,000, homes $450,000 - $550,000, homes $550,000 - $700,000, 36

homes $700,000 - $1 million, homes $1 million - $2 million, homes over $2 million, builders’ own homes, show homes, group housing up to $450,000, group housing $450,000 $700,000 and multi units such as apartments, duplexes and terraced housing.

Additionally, awards are judged and presented for best craftsmanship, outdoor living, best kitchen, bathroom excellence and sustainable housing.

All entrants in each of the award categories are judged by the same panel of two judges throughout the country e.g. a new home up to $450,000 in Nelson is judged by the same two people as a property, in that category, in Invercargill.

Each property is judged against a scorecard of 2000 points (1300 Workmanship and 700 Design, Style and Functionality).

Multi-unit properties are judged slightly differently (1100 Workmanship and 900 Design, Style, Functionality and general consideration). Properties are then awarded either gold, silver, bronze or no award. The gold award winner with the most points in each category takes out the category win.

Photo: ‘Hooked on a ceiling’ by Wayne Johnson

Photo: ‘A light touch’ BY Renee Edwards

Photo: ‘Spill your secrets’

by Wayne Johnson

Awards are judged and presented for best craftsmanship, outdoor living, best kitchen, bathroom excellence and sustainable housing.

House of the Year Categories Carter’s New Home over $2 million Country Idyll: Scott Construction Ltd

Carter’s New Home $1- $2 million Concrete Vision: Scott Construction Ltd Evening Star: Hybrid Homes and Living Ltd Poised for Greatness: Jason Gardiner Builders Ltd

Hearts Aflutter: Smith & Sons Nelson

Nulook New Home $700,000 - $1 million Hooked on a Ceiling: Inhaus Developments Ltd Heaven and Hill: Hybrid Homes and Living Ltd

Placemakers New Home $450,000 - $550,000

Resene New Home up to $450,000 Hillside Haven: Hybrid Homes and Living Ltd/Ekohome Finely Tuned: Stonewood Homes Nelson

Builder’s Own Home A Light Touch: C Moore Building Ltd

GIB Show Home

Renovation over $1 million

Easy on the Eye: C Moore Building Ltd

Spill your Secrets: Jennian Homes Nelson Bays Ltd

Beaming with Joy: Dan Anderson Building Ltd

Individual Style: Stonewood Homes Nelson

Rock Steady: Peter Ray Homes

Volume/Group Housing New Home up to $450,000 Made to Measure: Mike Greer Homes Nelson Ltd Everyday Luxury: Stonewood Homes Nelson The Place to Be: Stonewood Homes Nelson

Volume/Group Housing New Home $450,000 - $700,000 A Stone’s Throw Away: Jennian Homes Nelson Bays Ltd Quietly Confident: Jennian Homes Nelson Bays Ltd

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AWARD-WINNING RESIDENTIAL AND COMMERCIAL CONSTRUCTION COMPANY

AWARD-WINNING RESIDENTIAL AND COMMERCIAL CONSTRUCTION COMPANY We are proud to take home five awards for our work on ‘Concrete Vision’.

Proud to be the main contractor of The Suter Art Gallery Te Aratoi o Whakatū

Proud to be the main contractor of The Suter Art Gallery Te Aratoi o Whakatū Congratulations to The Suter for its vision. Thank you to our staff, subcontractors and suppliers for their support in this project.

AWARD-WINNING RESIDENTIAL AND COMMERCIAL CONSTRUCTION COMPANY

Congratulations to The Suter for its vision. Thank you to our staff, subcontractors and suppliers for their support in this project.

NEW BUILDS • RENOVATIONS • SEISMIC STRENGTHENING

Proud to be the main contractor of The Suter Art Gallery Te Aratoi o Whakatū

11 Nayland Road, Stoke l info@scotts.nz l 03 547 9469

www.scottconstruction.nz

Congratulations to The Suter for its vision. Thank you to our staff, subcontractors and suppliers for their support in this project.

NEW BUILDS • RENOVATIONS • SEISMIC STRENGTHENING AN AWARD-WINNING ATTITUDE: Care and attention to detail drives NEW BUILDS • RENOVATIONS • SEISMIC STRENGTHENING 11 Nayland Road,l Stoke l 03 547 9469 exceptional quality. By embracing the challenges of modern building 11 Nayland Road, Stoke info@scotts.nz l 03 547 9469 www.scottconstruction.nz www.scottconstruction.nz l info@scotts.nz practices we demonstrate smarter thinking and building excellence.

NEW BUILDS • RENOVATIONS • SEISMIC STRENGTHENING

11 Nayland Road, Stoke l info@scotts.nz l 03 547 9469

www.scottconstruction.nz

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Concrete Vision Scott Construction Ltd Carter’s New Home $1- $2 million Supreme New Build Winner, Gold Award, Regional Category Winner, Regional Craftsmanship Award, Gold Reserve Finalist P H O T O G R A P H Y B Y WAY N E J O H N S O N

T

he Supreme New Build Award 2018 went to Scott Construction Ltd for the winner of the new home $1 million - $2 million category, the craftsmanship award and the regional category.

Judges were impressed with its modern lines and the masses of glass framing spectacular water views in this three-bedroom, two-bathroom home in Nelson. The concrete construction has a chic, contemporary presence atop the Port Hills. Its prime position affords the home a 270-degree panoramic outlook from the port to the Waimea Plains. Terraces open to the east, north and west providing a mix of open-air entertaining options. These spaces provide effective shading in summer while allowing the lower winter sun inside. Feature glass fins provide privacy and shelter.

Every detail of the build had been carefully considered to create a cohesive whole. Exterior marble-chip concrete splices through the home to become a feature of the internal staircase. Dark stained oak joinery in the designer kitchen complements the light stained oak floors and stairs. The spacious 336sqm home exudes a holiday feel year-round.

“We feel incredibly fortunate to have found somewhere so special with such magnificent views, we will never take it for granted,” say the owners.

Judges were impressed with its modern lines and the masses of glass framing.

Beaming with Joy Dan Anderson Building Ltd Renovation over $1 million Supreme Renovation Award, Regional Category Winner, Gold Award, Gold Reserve Finalist P H O T O G R A P H Y B Y WAY N E J O H N S O N

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he Supreme Renovation Award went to first-time entrant Dan Anderson Building Ltd for a ‘beautifully crafted’ Kaiteriteri renovation; the win proving a highlight of director and full-time company builder Dan Anderson’s 30 year career.

“Considering this is the first time I’ve entered the awards, this is a fantastic result which I will take with me and build upon.”

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AWARD-WINNING MASTER PAINTERS

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PROUD TO HAVE WORKED WITH DAN ANDERSON BUILDERS ON THE AWARD-WINNING ‘BEAMING WITH JOY’

Standing out from the competition was a key aspect for Dan, and it was his attention to detail, including extensive timber work, that really made the difference.

“This is an outstanding renovation that took place on a difficult site,” the judges said. “The builder needs to be congratulated on a job well done.”

The Kaiteriteri renovation transformed a simple bach into a beautifully crafted holiday home, they said.

“This extensive three-level holiday home has been completely renovated and extended.

“Large steel beams and posts were installed over the garage to carry the new large kitchen, dining and living rooms above. They also provided cantilevered support to the new large decking areas which now allow good indooroutdoor flow.”

Dan said relocating the three-car garage to underneath the existing living space required extensive excavations, whilst the original dwelling was propped up.

“We had to work closely with the engineers to ensure our high standards were a priority,” he said.

“Renovations need to be approached methodically as you work your way around the home and ensure all the correct steps have been taken and completed to a high standard,” he said.

The Kaiteriteri renovation transformed a simple bach into a beautifully crafted holiday home.

Country Idyll Scott Construction Ltd Carter’s New Home over $2 million Regional Category Winner, Gold Award, Gold Reserve Finalist, Regional Lifestyle Award P H O T O G R A P H Y B Y WAY N E J O H N S O N

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cott Construction scored a second notable win with its Country Idyll entry in the new home over $2 million category winning a gold award, a regional category award and a lifestyle award.

Overlooking the mountains on one side and Tasman Bay on the other, this architecturally designed homestead combines a timber and plaster exterior in neutral earthy tones that blend perfectly into the landscape.

Although large and impressive, the natural stone and timber continue inside giving the house a warm and welcome feel. A large country kitchen is the heart of this two-storey home. An adjoining family room sits on one side. On the other side you can step down into a bar lounge with a large open fireplace for the cold nights, or in the summer slide the doors open to a tranquil outside patio surrounded by water features. Every aspect of the house has an amazing view over the bay including all the six bedrooms, which each have their own en suite.

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AWARD-WINNING RESIDENTIAL AND COMMERCIAL CONSTRUCTION COMPANY

AWARD-WINNING RESIDENTIAL AND COMMERCIAL CONSTRUCTION COMPANY We are proud to take home 4 awards for our contractor work on ‘Country Proud to be the main of Idyll’.

The Suter Art Gallery Te Aratoi o Whakatū Congratulations to The Suter for its vision. Thank you to our staff, subcontractors and suppliers for their support in this project.

Proud to be the main contractor of The Suter Art Gallery Te Aratoi o Whakatū Congratulations to The Suter for its vision. Thank you to our staff, NEW BUILDS • RENOVATIONS • SEISMIC STRENGTHENING subcontractors and suppliers for their support in this project.

AWARD-WINNING RESIDENTIAL AND COMMERCIAL CONSTRUCTION COMPANY 11 Nayland Road, Stoke l info@scotts.nz l 03 547 9469

www.scottconstruction.nz

Proud to be the main contractor of The Suter Art Gallery Te Aratoi o Whakatū Congratulations to The Suter for its vision. Thank you to our staff, subcontractors and suppliers for their support in this project.

NEW BUILDS • RENOVATIONS • SEISMIC STRENGTHENING

NEW BUILDS • RENOVATIONS • SEISMIC STRENGTHENING 11 Nayland Road, Stoke NEWl BUILDS info@scotts.nz l 03 547 9469 • RENOVATIONS • SEISMIC STRENGTHENING 11 Nayland Road, Stoke l info@scotts.nz l 03 547 9469 11 Nayland Road, Stoke l www.scottconstruction.nz 03 547 9469 www.scottconstruction.nz www.scottconstruction.nz l info@scotts.nz

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With all its rustic charms this house has all the modern conveniences and boasts a library/retreat, gym, office, media room and a five-car garage.

Structurally engineered, the design of this stunning home left no detail unconsidered to deliver fine country living.

... this architecturally designed homestead combines a timber and plaster exterior in neutral earthy tones that blend perfectly into the landscape.

Made to Measure Mike Greer Homes Nelson Ltd Volume/Group Housing New Home up to $450,000 Regional Category Winner, Gold Award, Gold Reserve Finalist P H O T O G R A P H Y B Y WAY N E J O H N S O N

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ike Greer Homes Nelson Ltd’s winning entry is contesting the nationals as one of three homes in its category.

Based on a stunning pre-designed plan, this new home in Montebello has been crafted by the builder to suit the owner and maximise all aspects of the beautiful section and surroundings.

Positioning of the aluminium joinery has been altered to allow for best possible daylight exposure and thermal performance. Inside, high ceilings deliver drama in the openplan living and dining area. A large skylight draws natural filtered light into the entertainer’s space. The heart of the home, the kitchen is located for good flow through the openplan area to the alfresco space. Set under a pergola, this is a picture-perfect spot to enjoy fresh air and fine company. The home is kept cosy and warm thanks to a gas boiler which powers radiators throughout. A gas fire in the main living area 43

Pinnacle Painters “Where the finish is foremost”

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creates a warm welcome, adding ambience on winter nights tucked up inside. With two bedrooms, two bathrooms and a second lounge, this cleverly designed house provides the owners with everything they desire, in a package that suits the site perfectly.

Evening Star Hybrid Homes and Living Ltd Carter’s New Home $1 - $2 million Gold Award, Regional Lifestyle Outdoor Living Award PHOTOGRAPHY BY DANIEL ALLEN

S

tyle and quality are the cornerstones of this beautiful architectural home. Perched on a steep site in Nelson, with enviable panoramic views of Nelson Bay, the Tasman ranges, Rabbit Island and beyond, smart engineering will ensure it stands the test of time, as will extensive sustainable features including solar power and thermally broken construction. Cedar cladding frames the view from the wonderful alfresco spaces. Tasteful touches of the timber appear inside too. The interior exudes understated luxury. A fashionable mix of materials, finishes and textures includes Timaru blue stone, marble and polished tiles. The house has four uniquely designed bedrooms. The master includes an en suite finished with highly polished black tones and a beautiful freestanding bath – perfectly positioned to enjoy the views.

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Proud to supply Scott Construction for ‘Country Idyll’

Spill your Secrets Jennian Homes Nelson Bays Ltd GIB Show Home Gold Award, Regional Category Winner P H O T O G R A P H Y B Y WAY N E J O H N S O N

T

his eye-catching plaster and Linea weatherboard home with chic schist twists shows that you can achieve family-friendly functionality without sacrificing style.

With three bedrooms, two bathrooms and separate living areas, the intelligently designed 230sqm home is wellequipped for modern life. Open-plan living is the heart of this home, with the kitchen its commanding focal point. Tiled floors and a brick splashback add warmth amid an otherwise monochrome colour scheme. Textured black kitchen joinery proves a pleasant counterpoint to the sleek white work surfaces. A scullery makes this a home cook’s dream. Carpet in the dining area spills down to a sunken lounge; a cosy living area that’s still open-plan. A raking ceiling ties living and dining together and in the media room a tray ceiling adds interest. Inside flows to a choice of decks for morning or afternoon sun.

Quietly Confident Jennian Homes Nelson Bays Ltd Volume/Group Housing New Home $450,000 - $700,000 Gold Award, Regional Category Winner P H O T O G R A P H Y B Y WAY N E J O H N S O N

L

inea weatherboard and schist cladding create lovely exterior appeal that’s eye-catching without being flashy.

The colour palette is echoed in the well-appointed interiors. Step through the tiled entrance hall and experience the warm welcome of the open-plan zone – the heart of this three-bedroom, two-bathroom home. A mix of stud heights adds architectural interest throughout. Both the master bedroom and separate lounge are capped off with pitched ceilings. Bifold doors and carpet create a cosy feel in the second lounge. Top-ofthe-range appliances and stacks of storage make the kitchen a dream space for the resident entertainer. A mirrored splashback amplifies the feeling of space. The scullery is a lifesaver for concealing clutter when there’s company. All living spaces plus the master bedroom spill out to a large L-shaped patio. A retreat for two, the master also boasts a walk-in robe and en suite with dual vanities so the owners can get ready on the double.

The scullery is a lifesaver for concealing clutter when there’s company.

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Hooked on a Ceiling Inhaus Developments Ltd Nulook New Home $700,000 - $1 million Regional Category Winner, Gold Award, Regional Lifestyle Sustainable Award, Gold Reserve Finalist P H O T O G R A P H Y B Y WAY N E J O H N S O N

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rapped around a hilltop in Redwood Valley, this Richard Sellars designed cedar-clad home wowed the judges. Incorporating a variety of outlooks and an assortment of unique outdoor living areas, the home’s main gable roof connects the garage, workshop, wine cellar and firewood buildings to the dwelling while framing views to the estuary. The interior is swimming in space and light.

It all starts at the front entrance which flows through a glass gallery into the family room with its high ply ceiling – the pièce de résistance of the open-plan zone.

Every room pays heed to the landscape and there are many outdoor areas to enjoy, from small and intimate to spacious and open. Different levels of shade and shelter cater to weather conditions and time of day. Utilising a long, narrow layout, the 360sqm single-level home opens itself superbly to solar gain. Cross ventilation is also a happy result of the design. Three bedrooms, two bathrooms and two living areas promise modern comfort.

The interior is swimming in space and light.

A Light Touch C Moore Building Ltd Builder’s Own Home Silver Award P H O T O G R A P H Y B Y R E N E E E D WA R D S

T

he builder’s own home renovation of a 1940s stucco townhouse, in the heart of old Nelson, proved a winner for C Moore Building Ltd. Previously a community house with four bedrooms and one bathroom, the house was gutted and then fully modernised inside, transforming it to a relevant, three-bedroom, two-bathroom home with a new roof and new windows.

The location fully justified the extensive renovation, the company said in its entry.

“Capitalising on the good bone structure and interior potential of the original rundown 1940s bungalow, they’ve turned it into a modern-day performer that’s dressed to impress and ready to entertain.

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“Incorporating all of their desires into the existing 134sqm footprint, the home is now equipped to truly embrace inner-city living. Now with three bedrooms instead of four, the home offers generous sleeping quarters, including a contemporary master retreat with walk-in robe and en suite.

“An office space has been incorporated into the main living area, achieving that all-important work-life balance.

LED lighting, high ceilings and feature walls give the home contemporary character and wow factor. Walls have been knocked down to create knockout flow to alfresco spaces, all the while maximising all-day sun and highlighting this stellar transformation.”

Poised for Greatness Jason Gardiner Builders Ltd Carters New Home $1 - $2 million Silver Award, Regional Lifestyle Kitchen Award, Regional Lifestyle Bathroom Award P H O T O G R A P H Y B Y WAY N E J O H N S O N

C

able Bay is the setting for this NZIA Architecture award-winning home with wow factor. Expertly fitted on to a rocky, narrow hillside platform, this modern home proves that challenging sites are not obstacles but opportunities for excellence.

Utilising a mix of cladding materials, the front of the home is wrapped in a cedar screen, giving it a woolshedlike character. The building’s numerous angles sit well in the scenery, complementing rather than clashing with the surrounding hills. A striking fluted concrete beam starts in the entertainer’s kitchen and runs the length of the home.

This material echoes the look of corrugated iron, engendering a classic Kiwi feel. A window seat spans the living/dining area facing the kitchen providing another stylish, sweeping visual statement. Glass is utilised extensively to both soak up the sun and make the very most of the home’s picturesque outlook. This is a new build with soul in a location that is close to the owners’ hearts.

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52

2/76 Gladstone Road, Richmond 03 544 4007 | 027 447 0087

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A Stone’s Throw Away Jennian Homes Nelson Bays Ltd Volume/Group Housing New Home $450,000 - $700,000 Silver Award P H O T O G R A P H Y B Y WAY N E J O H N S O N

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onderfully homely’, this four-bedroom, two-bathroom home sits proudly in its lush surrounds. Plaster cladding and stone veneer accents combine to bring an inviting feel to the exterior. A sheltered entryway gestures to the home’s warm interior, enhanced by a well-placed gas fire and great use of lighting.

“At the home’s heart is an elegant kitchen, complemented by the grandeur of high ceilings. A concealed scullery offers foodies their dream storage space for delicious ingredients and quality amenities. In the main bathroom, a stand-alone tub makes for the perfect place to unwind after a busy day.

“A media room offers plenty of space to sit back with family and friends to watch the big game or latest flick.

Bristling with versatility, this home also features an office, internal laundry and separate sewing room. Extra storage is cleverly gained from utilising attic trusses over the garage. Beautifully defined by trees and smaller foliage, an outdoor alfresco area is a thoughtful addition.”

Plaster cladding and stone veneeraccents combine to bring an inviting feel to the exterior.

Rock Steady Peter Ray Homes GIB Show Home Silver Award P H O T O G R A P H Y B Y WAY N E J O H N S O N

A

classic design with a difference won a silver award for Peter Ray Homes in the show home category.

Near Nelson, it features schist pillars and a large chimney for added street appeal. Landscaping provides a grounding force.

As you step inside, the wow factor is evident. The main living area serves up kitchen/dining/living spaces.

A scullery is perfect for performing messy tasks out of sight. The open-plan area flows through double doors to a second lounge designed for peace and quiet with views to the western ranges. Well-selected fixtures and fittings show nice attention to detail.

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Styling is tasteful and sophisticated throughout. Modern flooring in the dining/kitchen area delivers the texture of wood in a light shade that perfectly complements the rest of the decor. Carpet keeps it warm underfoot in the family areas.

These also offer seamless access to stretch out on a choice of two patios, for all-day sun. Four spacious bedrooms give everyone their own space.

Easy on the Eye C Moore Building Ltd Placemakers New Home $450,000 - $550,000 Silver Award P H O T O G R A P H Y B Y R E N E E E D WA R D S

C

Moore Building Ltd also won silver in the new home $450,000 - $550,000 category. The entry – a ‘forever’ home for the owners – required an absolute commitment to the high levels of construction and finish, resulting in a classic but modern design with four bedrooms and two bathrooms.

With its modern clean lines, mod cons, and commanding views over its surroundings, this Nelson home was also smartly dressed with its cool contemporary exterior presenting striking architectural detailing.

The 202sqm home’s western face incorporates large fullheight windows and doors for a direct connection with the environment. Light and lovely interior living flows out to the alfresco entertaining deck, which surveys the wider Nelson area.

The main living area features an open-plan design. Warm and spacious, this area relies on floor detailing to create a smooth transition between rooms. Clean lines are maintained thanks to built-in storage, which cunningly hides away electronics. A stunning fireplace with recessed television remains the centre of attention in the cosy lounge. Four bedrooms include a beautiful master retreat with en suite and direct access to the deck and grounds. LED lighting and up-specced fittings and fixtures are the small things that make a big difference.

... smartly dressed with its cool contemporary exterior presenting striking architectural detailing.

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EDWARD GIBBON BATHROOM | KITCHEN | LAUNDRY | HEATING | OUTDOOR LIVING

03 544 4006 | edwardgibbon.co.nz salesnln@edwardgibbon.co.nz | 23 McGlashen Ave, Richmond

Locally owned and operated

www.architecturemapua.co.nz simonewenk@xtra.co.nz

021 1049 039

www.mypod.nz landon@mypod.nz 022 1607 086

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Heaven and Hill Hybrid Homes and Living Ltd Nulook New Home $700,000 - $1 million Silver Award P H O T O G R A P H Y B Y R E N E E E D WA R D S

E

xpertly constructed on a very tricky site in Nelson, this heavenly hillside home is glowing with pride. Beautifully designed inside and out, the two-storey residence with adjoining garage offers stylish quality and easy living. Breathtaking views reach almost every room. The sweeping balcony is an elegant response to the question of outdoor living on such a steep site. But there’s much more to this beauty than meets the eye. Sustainable features include passive solar design, thermally broken construction, double insulation values, non-toxic building materials, energy and water efficiency, solar power, rain water collection and grey water recycling.

... there’s much more to this beauty than meets the eye.

Hillside Haven Hybrid Homes and Living Ltd/ekohome Resene New Home up to $450,000 Silver Award P H O T O G R A P H Y B Y WAY N E J O H N S O N

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his two-bedroom, two-bathroom Nelson home is a joy to live in for its first-home buyers, who prize its warmth and efficiency. Despite its humble 130sqm footprint, this home enjoys ample space. The open-plan living and dining areas offer more than enough room for entertaining guests or wider family. Well-placed glass introduces an abundance of natural light throughout – even the master bedroom, which is tucked away for privacy. The residence incorporates sustainable features to ensure it stands as a healthy home for generations to come. Its passive solar design helps save energy, keeps the interior dry and supplements other heat sources. It benefits year-round from thermally broken windows and doors, plus high-grade insulation.

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T HE S ELLERS R O O M

FOR SMART RESIDENTIAL &

KITCHEN DESIGN / BUILD

Wardrobes • Furniture • Kitchen Bathroom • Laundries • Stairs

Re si d e nt i al & Co m m er cial Joine r y

PROUD TO HAVE

worked alongside Jason Gardiner Builders and we congratulate them on winning the Regional Lifestyle Awards Kitchen at the House of the Year awards.

Freephone 0800 469 537 Phone 03 547 7144 Email msellers@thesellersroom.co.nz View our showroom at 9 Echodale Place, Stoke

www.thesellersroom.co.nz

It’s what’s

inside

that counts

INTRODUCING KĀKANO LANE: •

A modern suburban community located in the desirable Daelyn subdivision in Richmond.

•

Refined streetscape unifies the overall development.

•

Integrated architecture and landscape design.

•

Choose from a variety of predesigned homes or be part of the design and build process.

•

Select your own finishes from a quality materials palette.

•

Be part of quality development by award winning builders Inhaus.

STREETSCAPE

PLAZA

Contact Russell to discuss further Inhaus Developments LTD phone: 021 756 755 email: russell@inhaus.co.nz web: inhaus.co.nz/kakano

Kakano ARRIVAL

FUNDRAISING FOR

n o i h s Fa s k c i l F

Feels like home

at the

ih on hion s a F cksFlicks FUNDRAISING FOR

FASHION SHOW, CHARITY AUCTION AND MOVIE

FASHION SHOW, CHARITY AUCTION AND MOVIE SUTER ART GALLERY 31 October, 5.30 - 8.30pm

SUTER ART GALLERY Tickets: $50 31 October 5.30 - 8.30pm

at the

Price includes bubbles and nibbles on arrival, fashion show, charity auction, movie and goodie bag. Tickets on sale from Morrison Square Centre Management Office (above the Morri St Café) - open Mon - Fri 9am - 4pm, 03 548 9191, nelson@morrisonsquare.co.nz.

@nrbgctfashionattheflicks

AND A SPECIAL THANK YOU TO OUR KEY SPONSORS

THANK YOU TO OUR MAJOR SPONSOR

Tickets: $50

Price includes bubbles and nibbles on arrival, fashion show, charity auction, movie and goodie bag.SHOW, Tickets on FASHION sale from Morrison Square CHARITY AUCTION Centre Management Office (above the Morri St Café) AND MOVIE Open Mon - Fri 9am - 4pm 03 548 9191 SUTER ART GALLERY nelson@morrisonsquare.co.nz 31@nrbgctfashionattheflicks October, 5.30 - 8.30pm Tickets: $50 Price includes bubbles and nibbles on arrival, fashion show, charity auction, movie and goodie bag. Tickets on sale from Morrison Square Centre Management Office (above the Morri St Café) - open Mon - Fri 9am - 4pm, 03 548 9191, nelson@morrisonsquare.co.nz.

Proud supporters of NRBGCT

@nrbgctfashionattheflicks

Winners of the Reader’s Digest Quality Service Award in Real Estate Sales 2018

AND A SPECIAL THANK YOU TO OUR KEY SPONSORS

THANK YOU TO OUR MAJOR SPONSOR

AND A SPECIAL THANK YOU TO OUR KEY SPONSORS

Harcourts Nelson Licensed Agent REAA 2008

03 548 3034 www.nelson.harcourts.co.nz

Staging the scene P HO T O G R A P H E R , I S H NA JAC OB S S T Y L I S T , S O N YA L E U S I N K S L A D E N MODEL, LIANA @ PORTFOLIO MODELS HAIR, CARDELLS HAIR DESIGN M A K E - U P, P R I C E S P H A R M A C Y V E N U E , G H O S T L I G H T T H E AT R E

Dress, coat and jewellery, Shine Glasses, Kuske

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Top, Trouble & Fox Jeans, Stacey Dress, shoes, handbag Necklace, Jens Hansen and jewellery, Shine love shoes Backpack, Taylors…we Slip, Hartleys Artworks, Maggy Johnston, Glasses,Plastic Kuske Teddy Bear Knitted

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Dress and handbag, Trouble & Fox Coat, Stacey Shoes, Taylors… we love shoes Glasses, Kuske Jewellery, Jens Hansen

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Dress and jacket, Stacey Shoes, Taylors…we love shoes Jewellery, Shine 64

Dress and jacket, Hartleys Shoes and blue bag, Taylors‌we love shoes Black mesh and grey leather bags, Trouble & Fox Earrings, Shine All other jewellery, Jens Hansen Glasses, Kuske

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Coat, Hartleys Jewellery, Jens Hansen Dress, Trouble & Fox Glasses, Kuske

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SHOE OF THE MONTH

Metallic combinations

A

very strong influence across footwear fashion at present is that of metallic colours and materials. Many variations and combinations of metallics, together or with other materials or textures, make for a huge choice for spring and summer.

Silver, gold, soft gold and pewter can be featured on their own, as a combination or with other colours and materials. Mixed with rope, suedes, nubuck or whatever else, they look great, and because they are neutral, metallics will team with most other colours. This example has the very popular silver blended with both black and white.

MINX ‘Humanity’ $189.90, from Taylors…we love shoes, Nelson and Richmond.

SHOES IN THE NEWS Audio

by BRESLEY Silver

Gestuz Charmaine Reveley Lounge the Label Julian Danger Dyrberg/Kern Miss Crabb ottod’Ame Widdess

$179.90

Edda

by WONDERS Made in Spain Rose Gold, Gold & Silver $315.00 Franca

by GABOR Made in Germany Beige $289.90

weloveshoes.co.nz 253 HARDY STREET, NELSON 03 548 4848 FACEBOOK.COM/SHINEDESIGNSTORE

2 GREAT LOCATIONS 245 Trafalgar St, Nelson 211 Queen St, Richmond

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Lela Jacobs

Lela Jacobs

Lela Jacobs

FA S H I O N S H OWC A S E

Plenty of options for fashionable looks P HO T O G R A P H Y A N D T E X T BY I S H NA JAC OB S

Jarred Goodamn

is hard to do when a model is pelting at you at 30km per hour down the runway.

On the whole I felt New Zealand Fashion Week was a pared back affair in 2018; I was fortunate however to have a K’Rd walk and chat with James from the label Jimmy D, and his thoughts on the ebb and flow of NZFW left me reassured that next year was going to be big. “Designers often take a step back from NZFW for a year, take a breath, pursue new projects, and then return with an amazing show,” he said, which for me means 2019 is going to be a spectacle not to be missed.

Jarred Goodamn

Ryan Turner

Knuefermann Knuefermann

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designers, even those emergent shadow dwellers such as Jarrad Godman and Ryan Turner, breaking the black mould and dabbling in a blue and rust palette, and as always the envelope pusher Lela Jacobs taking her collection ‘END TO END’ back to the earth and into hues of peach and grey.

I was pleased to see designer Rachel Mills going past the runway norm with a static install of her collection. Models moved incrementally to music and the audience was allowed to move around the garments and get close to the pieces, which

Rachel Mills

N

ew Zealand Fashion Week 2018 was nothing short of eclectic; if you’ve got your heart set on being ‘on trend’ over the coming year, you’ll be pleased to know that the playing field is large. Styling included ruffles, figure huggers, oversized jackets, something that looked like a toilet brush and some bold lines from the New Gen Show with Starving Artists Fund debuting a bold collection of clean architectural lines.

For the dedicated followers there is plenty of colour to look forward to on the 18/19 fashion horizon with many

SUMMER 2019

253 HARDY STREET, NELSON 03 548 4848 FACEBOOK.COM/SHINEDESIGNSTORE

New Season Italian Fashion

SPRING HOURS Thursday & Friday 10am-4pm 1 st Saturday of Month 10am-2pm 205 PATON ROAD, HOPE | WWW.BEACONHILLESTATE.CO.NZ

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MM Y YH H OO MM EE

Rich in timbers & treasures

Brenda Webb explores a Jimma Dillon classic.

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P H O T O G R A P H Y PA U L PA L M E R

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rinkburn is a house jam-packed with special memories. Since building it 14 years ago, Richard and Wendy Batchelor have filled it with art and treasures collected from travels around the world, made it incredibly welcoming and comfortable, and surrounded it with a carefully manicured garden.

But what is most special about their rural Marlborough home is that it was designed by their precious friend, the late Jimma Dillon. He was responsible for a number of notable Marlborough buildings, including The Store at Kekerengu.

Jimma’s signature cupola and solid timbers are evident in Brinkburn, along with extensive use of natural timber such as cedar joinery, bargeboards and American oak floors. Wendy sums up the house along the Inca philosophy of ‘symmetry, solidity and simplicity’, a style they saw in Machu Picchu and thought appropriate for their house.

The Batchelors bought the Rapaura property in 1990 with their daughter and son-in-law, who lived in the original cottage. At the time Richard and Wendy were living in the Marlborough Sounds. They renovated an existing barn on the property so they could stay there when they were in Blenheim. They eventually decided to build on the property.

1. The intriguing open fireplace takes centre stage in the living room.

2. Sleek lines in the kitchen 3. A solid dining table made from antique doors on dark oak flooring 4. A large front door, a Jimma Dillon trait, under the portico 5. A neutral colour scheme allows art, furniture and rugs to highlight.

6. Treasures collected from travels feature throughout.

7. Two living areas mean there is always space for entertaining.

8. Jimma Dillon’s signature cupola graces Brinkburn homestead.

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Brinkburn is classic Jimma Dillon, with thick walls (300mm) featuring lots of curves rather than sharp edges.

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“I was doing a lot of work in the vineyard and we were coming in and out a lot. It just made sense to move here,” says Richard.

The cottage (which featured in the August issue of WildTomato) was shifted off and Richard and Wendy lived in the barn during the build. They were on-site every day doing a lot of the work, including painting. The couple worked very closely with Jimma, who helped with all aspects of the build, including the colour scheme. “We really got on so well – we had similar ideas and it all just worked,” says Wendy.

Curves and grand fireplaces

12

Brinkburn is classic Jimma Dillon, with thick walls (300mm) featuring lots of curves rather than sharp edges.

Construction is concrete block with a plaster finish inside.

High ceilings feature throughout, while in the large living and lounge areas floor-to-ceiling open fireplaces dominate.

With plenty of doors, especially in the living area, rooms can be opened. The clever design means shelter from Marlborough’s winds can always be found. The house sits 20 degrees off north, allowing for ample sunlight in all seasons.

The Robert Watson-designed garden consists of beautifully manicured lawns, specimen trees, a large daffodil glade, raised vegetable beds, feijoa hedges and masses of productive fruit trees.

A few years ago the Batchelors sold their vineyard, leaving the house and garden sitting on one and a half hectares. While they love the property, their family are now in Canterbury and they have a family home in Wanaka, so they’ve made the hard decision to sell and move on.

While they are sorry to leave Marlborough, the Batchelors aren’t the kind to dwell on the past, preferring to look ahead. As well as gardening, they enjoy boating, Richard is a keen pilot and Wendy an enthusiastic golfer. They are both looking forward to their new home in Christchurch and already planning changes for the garden there.

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The rustic barn where Richard and Wendy lived while building Daffodils bloom on the undulating lawns The sheltered pool area framed with neatly clipped hedges.

A hot tub sits in a private courtyard outside the bedroom.

Large picture windows provide wonderful views from the bedroom.

.

Building more of what matters QUANTITY SURVEYING SERVICE - Construction feasibility reports - Full measurement and takeoff from construction plans - Concept or consent drawing cost plans - Engineered timber and prefabrication cost plans - Analysis, reports and value plans for damaged buildings - Construction contracts management - Payment scheduling and fund allocation - Sum insured values

021 288 1311

propertyvaluesltd@aol.com www.propertyvaluesltd.co.nz

Nelson's own small house company, specialising in the design and construction of beautifully-crafted, multi-functional spaces and homes. We provide the market with a refreshing alternative, based on client focus, clever design and a premium build.

022 365 3847 | office@spacecraftnz.com

SPACECRAFTNZ.COM

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INTERIOR

Using natural materials

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BY REBECCA O’FEE

Green communicates peace, life, balance and harmony in an interior space. It can rejuvenate and restore, giving the feeling of being connected to nature and creating positivity.

2

Green is a neutral colour and therefore can be paired with many other colours or blended with multiple shades of green to create depth. It is often used to create a calm and relaxing atmosphere in bedrooms and bathrooms.

Using natural materials such as timber, wool, wicker and linen in homes is currently a massive trend and this isn’t going to change anytime soon. People are focusing on owning less but investing in key pieces that are smarter products with multiple uses.

3 1. Cumulus pendant by Vermont Modern from The Lighthouse

Nelson: $2299.00 Hanging Mussel by Diana McMillian from Darby & Joan: $POA Green blown glass wine glasses from Darby & Joan: $14.20 each Wicker mirror from Moxini: $725.00 NED bag from Darby & Joan: $69.00, wool pompoms $9.60 Citta mustard rug from Moxini: $39.90, Citta sage rug from Moxini: $89.90 7. Tree of life stool from Darby & Joan: $620.00 8. Linen oak chair from Moxini: $1,150.00, Citta cushion from Moxini: $84.80 with inner 2.

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NEW SPRING / SUMMER COLLECTIONS NOW IN STORE

12 John Wesley Lane, Richmond (off Queen St, behind Avanti Plus)

Phone: 03 544 1515

www.moxini.co.nz

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MY GARDEN

Old friends grace new home Brenda Webb visits a ‘happy place’ created on the quick, thanks to trailer loads of potted treasures.

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ianne Croad describes her spickand-span urban Blenheim garden as her ‘happy place’. She’s only been there two years and yet the garden is already well established with large trees, garden sculptures, a well-ordered potager and dozens of pots. Many of these pots – planted with treasures grown over the years – came from her previous garden.

“I had more plants in pots than furniture – there were several trailer loads,” she laughs. “I feel some of the garden is still quite raw but I am building it up. I often sit in this chair and scheme,” she says from her comfy seat in the sun-drenched lounge.

Dianne moved after selling the property she and late-husband Neil shared for many years, and the place she thought she’d always stay. But it was on a steep section and she came to realise a smaller, flatter garden would be more suitable.

Sealing the deal was the new property’s neighbour, Wither Hills Farm Park, giving a private and rural aspect.

“… now I like nothing more than sitting out there and reading a book.”

D I A N N E C R OA D

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“It’s like living on a farm – sometimes there are sheep, sometimes cattle. Of course you can’t plant anything along the fence, but I don’t mind … I love looking out to the farm.”

Above: Clockwise: Productive herb and vegetable beds in the potager; a clever corner where succulents are made a feature; Dianne’s white-and-green theme is evident with white daphne in a shady spot.

A place to relax and heal

with further screening, Dianne designed an archway over which she plans to grow white climbing roses.

A green-and-white colour scheme is used throughout, with the odd pop of colour such as crepuscule roses in planter boxes along the southern boundary.

White hydrangeas, hellebores, roses, hostas, daphne and annuals such as impatience create a wonderful show in spring and right through summer.

Garden art is a feature, including a large wire ball that is a focal point in the eastern garden. Raised beds in the potager contain a wealth of vegetables, herbs and berries, in a ‘no-bend’ way of gardening.

With most of the hard work done, Dianne is looking forward to enjoying her garden, although as with all gardeners, there is always another plan in store. “We never used to have the time but now I like nothing more than sitting out there and reading a book.”

While Dianne has always loved gardening, she never previously had a lot of time for it because she and Neil travelled a lot and were always busy.

Now she finds it’s a place she can truly relax, and it’s been therapeutic in the short time since Neil died.

When Dianne moved in the paths and concrete areas were laid but the garden itself was a blank canvas, so she asked local garden designer Tusha Midgely for advice. “I had definite ideas about what I wanted and Tusha was great because she didn’t take over. I still feel it’s very much my garden.”

Tall columns of hornbeam greet the visitor, while neatly clipped hedging surrounds the house, creating a formal air that continues through the side gate.

Repeat plantings provide continuity and for Dianne, create an air of simplicity that she feels is crucial in a small garden.

Being in an urban situation, she created privacy with a hedge of michelia on the northern boundary. To help

Dianne’s garden is new on this year’s Rapaura Springs Garden Marlborough Urban tour.

DINE OUT

CBD CAFÉ

HARBOUR LIGHT BISTRO

RIVER KITCHEN

S

H

S

The Forum, Queen Street Blenheim 03 577 7300

341 Wakefield Quay, Nelson 03 546 6685 harbourlightbistro.co.nz

81 Trafalgar Street, Nelson Find us behind the Information Centre next to the river 03 548 1180 riverkitchennelson.co.nz

MELROSE HOUSE CAFÉ

CHOKDEE

T.O.A.D HALL STORE & CAFÉ

S

E

xperience the exquisite and delicious flavours of Thailand. Our food is prepared from scratch, the traditional way, using only the freshest ingredients. We have something for everyone as we cater for a vegan, vegetarian or gluten-free diet, along with your choice of heat.

Takeaways available online at chokdee.co.nz

W

Cnr of Brougham Street & Trafalgar Street, Nelson 03 548 9179 melrosecafe.co.nz

109 High Street, Motueka - 03 528 0318 83 Hardy Street, Nelson - 03 539 0282 chokdee.co.nz

502 High Street, Motueka 03 528 6456 toadhallmotueka.co.nz

ituated in the heart of Blenheim, we are open every day for breakfast and lunch.

We have a delicious range of chef-inspired cabinet food, breakfast and lunch menus.

Homemade pies, and sweet treats and salads.

Delicious coffee. Recent winners of the Best Café 2018 - Marlborough.

ituated in Nelson’s grandest historic home lies Melrose House Café. Boasting elegant yet uncomplicated cuisine the café caters to those with a notion for all things good in life. Open for breakfast, brunch, lunch and famous ‘High Tea’.

A visit to Nelson’s enchanting Melrose House Café is a must!

arbour Light Bistro is a locally owned Nelson restaurant based on Wakefield Quay, one of Nelson’s beautiful waterfronts.

Harbour Light offers a selection of locally and internationally inspired dishes. All dishes are freshly made using locally sourced produce where possible, with seasonal menu changes.

Local and internationally sourced wines to complement the menu.

ituated in Nelson city centre but away from the hustle and bustle, on the banks of the Maitai River. Relax on the terrace or find a cosy seat inside. Open every day for breakfast, lunch and freshly baked treats with local wines, beers and locally roasted Sublime coffee. Fully licenced and available for events and functions.

here the food is genuinely paddock to plate. Fresh literally means picked this morning by their gardeners and chefs. Keep an eye out for seasonal menu specials and chef-inspired cabinet delights. Open every day for breakfast and lunch treats, great coffee and craft beers and ciders from the on-site Townshend brewery. Contact them for weddings, private parties and function details.

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MY KITCHEN

Fresh & healthy snacks As we move into days filled with more sunshine, it’s lovely to have a healthy and fresh snack on hand for those longer evenings with friends. The crackers taste beautiful with a simple slice of avocado and the dip can be used as a healthy dairy- free version of mayo.

Or serve them together just like we have.

BY MADAME LU’S

Toasted sesame and almond crackers with caramelised onion cashew dip Crackers 2 cups of ground almonds or sunflower seeds 2 tbsp black sesame seeds 1 egg white 2 tbsp olive oil 2 tbsp of seasoning such as za’atar Salt and pepper to taste Method:

1. Preheat oven to fan bake at 170c.

2. Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor and blitz until a dough forms.

3. Roll out between two pieces of

baking paper. Remove the top piece of baking paper and cut into squares, but leave together in one large piece.

4. Bake for 15 minutes, once

cooked turn the oven off and allow to cool in the oven to further dry out.

Caramelised Onion Cashew Dip 1 red onion, thinly sliced 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar 1 tsp mustard 1 1/2 cups cashews, soaked overnight 2 cloves of garlic, crushed 1/4 cup olive oil Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

1. Place the red onions, balsamic

vinegar and mustard on a low heat and simmer for 15 minutes until the onions looks sticky, dark and caramelised.

2. To make the dip combine the

cashews, garlic, olive oil, salt, pepper and caramelised onions in a blender and blitz until well combined.

3. Serve with the crackers and crudités as pictured.

madamelus.co.nz

DINE OUT

Fine dining at the inn Hugo Sampson and friends find a venerable hostelry can still foot it with the best.

PHOTOGRAPHY DOMINIQUE WHITE

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ou could be excused for thinking things might be a bit rumpty as you pull up outside The Moutere Inn. It claims to be New Zealand’s oldest pub, and the building is certainly ‘original’ but as a craft beer ‘free house’, and purveyor of all things local, it has a loyal following.

Located in the heart of the stunning Moutere Valley, The Moutere Kitchen is open seven days, lunch and dinner, with regular features like Steak Wednesday and Sunday Roast every week, and a not-to-be-missed five-course Fine Dining Night ($55 pp) once a month. If you are feeling expansive, you can extend the budget a bit further and enjoy wine matches with each course ($90 pp), exploring the excellent selection of local wines on offer.

All sorts of other innovative food and wine matching events happen here. Check into their Facebook page to explore what’s on offer, like cider/food matching, whisky and cigars, dark-beer tastings and a host of great, foot-stomping music events to keep you happy. But it’s the Fine Dining Night we’ve come for, and I can honestly say, it’s a very fine experience.

Three of our party of four were pescatarians. No problem at all. New chef Cal happily caters for vegans as well. Dining numbers are limited, the service is efficient and friendly, the décor, deliciously dated – I’d love to get my hands on those old bistro mirrors.

Salmon and pork starters We started out with a slightly retro dillcured Anatoki smoked salmon and grilled grapefruit starter, matched with Neudorf’s Rosie’s Block Chardonnay.

Next, the meat eater tucked into a pretty pork croquette with black pudding and apricot sauce. The rest of us enjoyed one of the highlights of the meal for me, an enticing medley of crispy hot haloumi, clove- and cinnamon-poached pear, toasted walnuts and roquette. The Sea Level Wines Pinot Noir worked well with both options.

Flavoursome monkfish ravioli over shrimp saffron bisque followed. Gutsy flavours slightly overpowered the Spencer Hill Rosé. The meat eater declared his main of herb-crusted loin of lamb, with pearl barley risotto, chestnut and cherry, the star of the show. We others enjoyed a creamy fish curry. Both were paired with a fine Kahurangi Montepulciano.

… I can honestly say, it’s a very fine experience.

The deconstructed lemon meringue was as tasty as it was artful – lemon sherbet, crunchy meringue and pillowy lemon cream flowed across the plate; a deliciously refreshing finish, washed down with Glovers Oasis Sauvignon Blanc 2007 served in big brandy balloons.

Great meal, great night. Aren’t we lucky to have this gem in our neighbourhood?

The Moutere Inn 1406 Moutere Highway, Upper Moutere.

Ph: 03 543 2759, www.moutereinn.co.nz Cost: $55 for five courses per person, plus wine. Or, $90 for five courses with five matched wines.

Prego & Comida - two of Nelson’s finest ingredients in one location. Buxton Square, Nelson

NEW GREEK PRODUCTS Organic olive oil, Kalamata olives, 5ltr oils, dried figs, filled green olives, balsamics, souvlaki herb mix, oregano and more ...

Prego banner – locked spot Nelson's Mediterranean Pantry In the giant seal & squid building, Buxton Square, Nelson

79

WINE

Taking a longterm view Much more than vines are planted at a Moutere Valley vineyard, writes Sophie Preece.

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efore he moved to Nelson for love, Jonny Hiscox’s experience of gorse was of a benign shrub-like plant in Britain. So preparing the land for Wakatū Incorporation’s Whenua Matua vineyard in 2005 was as much adventure as it was horticulture, says the vineyard manager behind Aronui Wines.

“I didn’t know it could grow to the size of a tree until I came to New Zealand. As we cleared the gorse, we found gullies and drains and cars and all sorts of stuff. It was like playing in a big sandpit with massive Tonka toys.”

A little more than 10 years on, steep or wet gullies have been planted in native species, as have the margins of streams and around a lake put in for irrigation. That has encouraged the likes of native banded kokopu and freshwater koura (crayfish) to populate the waterways, along with several breeding pairs of New Zealand scaup, “a groovy little native diving duck” that is rare in the top of the South Island, says Jonny. “It’s like being on a David Attenborough documentary.”

He loves the long-term vision that Wakatū, and its food and beverage business Kono, has for the land, with biodiversity and herbicide reduction all part of ‘land wellness’ aspirations.

Guardianship of the land Wakatū is owned by about 4000 descendants of the original Māori landowners of the Nelson, Tasman and Golden Bay regions, and kaitiakitanga (guardianship) is at the core of its ethos, says Jonny.

Above: Jonny Hiscox says smaller vineyards require hands-on attention. “That really spins my wheels.”

Top-right: View over the Whenua Matua vineyard 80

“A lot of the trees we have planted here I won’t see though to adulthood, but my daughter will. And she’ll be able to bring her children here,” he says of Whenua Matua, which means ‘significant land’. “I love growing grapes, but to grow grapes for such a cool company with such amazing morals and values is even cooler.”

A little over half of the 60ha block is planted in vines, with pinot noir, albarino, chardonnay, riesling and pinot gris thriving in the heavier clay soils found in the Moutere. The breadth of varieties is fairly typical of Nelson winegrowing, which lacks the varietal focus of Marlborough with its sauvignon blanc or Central Otago with its pinot noir.

Jonny, who heads Wine Nelson, says that’s partly down to Tasman wine companies being smaller, family-owned affairs, with owners looking to spread their risk across varieties, while also satisfying their passion for lesser-grown wines.

“The majority of Nelson wine companies are owned by family and Wakatū is no exception to that. Granted, it’s a big whānau at around 4000 people, but we are a family-owned business,” he says.

“A lot of the trees we have planted here I won’t see though to adulthood, but my daughter will.”

JONNY HISCOX

Jonny’s picks Aronui Albarino. This multi-awardwinning wine is a great seafood match, making a perfect pairing for Kono, which has crayfish, mussel and finfish interests through its fishing business Yellow Brick Road. The wine is zingy and vibrant, says Jonny, “and it’s a pretty cool variety to grow”. They crop it at about seven tonnes per hectare, with “plenty of TLC in the vineyard and winery”, then sell it through restaurants and high-end bottle stores.

Aronui Pinot Noir. “We have such an awesome patch of dirt to grow pinot on,” says Jonny, who’s particularly partial to the two-hectare Tarākona (dragonfly) block. “It’s one of the few north-facing rows that we have. We dry-farm it and the vines are giving really good expression of site.”

BREWS

Cider champs are DIY dynamos

BY MARK PREECE

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hen British migrants Caroline and Alex Peckham needed a good cider, they made a batch.

The couple behind the award-winning Peckham’s Cidery and Orchard settled in Upper Moutere almost 15 years ago. “When we first came we struggled to find any cider, so started making our own,” says Caroline.

Then they struggled to find the traditional cider apple trees they needed, so planted a 6000-tree orchard, with 30 varieties of specialist apples. The business grew from there – quite literally.

Peckham’s ciders use a combination of their own apples, supplemented with locally grown heritage varieties.

Timing of harvest differs between varieties of cider apples, says Caroline.

“We leave our apples on the tree until they are fully ripe – like you would a wine grape – because we want maximum sugar in the apples to convert into lovely alcohol in the cider.”

Peckham’s started selling their cider at the Wednesday Nelson Farmers’ Market, and distribution grew from there to local cafés across Nelson and Tasman, as well as into retail and a small amount for export. As their distribution grew, so did their accolades – having won Champion Cider for the past three years in the New Zealand Cider Awards, and this year taking a gold medal in the New World Beer and Cider Awards.

Cider Festival Talking about all things cider, the New Zealand Cider Festival is back for its third year, taking over Founders Park on Saturday 3 November. Nelson, described by National Geographic as ‘heaven for cider seekers’, produces more than 60 percent of the country’s cider, making it an optimal place for a cider celebration. Here’s what to expect at this year’s festival: Cider-makers attending include Old Mout (rhymes with fruit), Zeffer Cider Company, New Zealand’s oldest cidery Rochdale Ciders, and of course Peckham’s Cidery and Orchard.

This year festival organisers have created even more cider-related activities for the growing number of enthusiasts

“… we want maximum sugar in the apples to convert into lovely alcohol in the cider.”

CAROLINE PECKHAM

in New Zealand and worldwide. ‘Fringe’ events, from 31 October to 4 November, including cider cocktail making, sensory tasting sessions and informative tours and talks.

And where there’s cider, there’s ‘ciderologist’ Gabe Cook, globetrotting consultant, writer and teacher on everything cider-related. He is on a mission to educate the world on the heritage, diversity and innovation within the cider industry, and believes cider has a place alongside the popularity and love of wine and craft beer.

“Cider can exude all of the finesse and elegance of any wine and carry the swagger and attitude of the craftiest of beers,” says Gabe. “Yet crucially, it is entirely unique with its own heritage, language, quirkiness and geekdom.”

Above: Caroline and Alex Peckham 81

Photo: The Woods Photography

High style for hire

BY RENÉE LANG

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he opportunity to put your own mark on a special occasion is an opportunity to grab with both hands, whether it’s a wedding, work function or anything in between. And the best part is that all the hard work in sourcing the props you’ve been dreaming about has already been done.

Gareth and Kim Rosser of GK Events Hire have put a huge amount of time and energy into developing their enormous range of props, furniture, games and so much more, and the steady growth of their business has been very satisfying.

It all started when the couple began researching possibilities for their own wedding, which they hoped would be memorable beyond the ceremony and the usual order of events. In particular, they wanted a ‘country fair’ theme but despite doing some serious research, they found This page: GK’s Gareth Rosser serving gelato to Greg, Jasmine and Macy Teece, Venue: Lancewood Villa Opposite page: Clockwise: Colossal Kerplunk game - Pirate Party from Joy Co Events, Rabbit Island; GK family in their warehouse showing the handcrafted curved bar. Gareth, Kim and Mason Rosser, Max Bidlake and Jimi Rosser (dog); groom Kieran Hall playing cornhole, Venue: Grand Mercure Nelson 82

there was very little in the way of quality items from a ‘one-stop-shop’ that could be hired to add a tailor-made touch to theirs or any other kind of occasion. With such a strong vision of what they wanted their wedding to look like, and as they both enjoy craftwork of different sorts, Gareth and Kim literally rolled up their sleeves and began creating their wished-for scenario for themselves. “We’re both kind of nonstop people,” Kim comments. The results included – but were not limited to – some rather special signage and a series of large-scale outdoor games to entertain their guests. At this point they quickly realised that they had the beginnings of a viable business, which was only confirmed by the enthusiasm and enjoyment experienced by their guests on the big day itself.

Some two years down the track, their business has now expanded to fill a purpose-built facility that sits alongside their home in the hills above the Coastal Highway between Richmond and Mapua, where they live with their three-yearold son Mason and Jimi, their energetic black labrador. Visitors are welcome to come and browse through the treasure

trove of items that the Rossers have built or collected, however Kim and Gareth recommend that they make an appointment to do so.

“We’ve always wanted to have our own business,” says Kim, “but it was a matter of finding the right thing. And for me, doing this covers everything that’s important to me: I get to work with people, we get to make stuff which I’ve always loved doing, and we get to source and buy interesting things.”

Regarding the latter, the couple grab the chance to do a road trip now and again, during which time they keep their eyes open for items with a ‘wow’ factor. “We’ve always been good at spotting random items that can be turned into something else,” says Kim. Among their most recent finds were a bike and a coffee table which they plan to turn into a rather special drinks cart.

It’s very much a family business as Max Bidlake, Kim’s father, lives not too far away. Although he’s retired now, Max enjoys working with his daughter and son-in-law and his expertise in working with wood and metal has been much appreciated as the couple’s business has grown.

Photo: Sweetpea Photography

WT + GK EVENTS HIRE

You won’t find any cheap or hastily thrown together items in this ever-growing collection as Gareth and Kim are committed to the idea of only using quality materials.

Photo: Nelson Wedding Photography

You won’t find any cheap or hastily thrown together items in this ever-growing collection as Gareth and Kim are committed to the idea of only using quality materials.

“It’s about upcycling, repurposing and restoring wherever possible,” comments Gareth, who just happens to be trained as a welder, among other things.

So what can you expect to find in this unique collection? Far too much to list here but the couple is particularly proud of their very latest acquisition, the Icicle Tricycle, which has been adapted for use at almost any event. As its name

suggests it is effectively a refrigerated unit on wheels, stocked with Italianstyle ice cream that comes from Nelson’s very own Gelato Roma, which is happy to provide classic flavours and even custom-made combinations to suit the occasion. Although the tricycle itself is a cheerful fire-engine red, its accessories – which include an umbrella and carrier boxes – can be mixed and matched to suit your taste. In the event of a PR-related or similar function the Icicle Tricycle is the perfect tool to promote your brand as one side of the freezer has been designed to

carry your logo or appropriate message.

Furthermore, any paper cups or flavour menus that may be required can also carry branding so that your company name is always a part of the event.

Then there are the handcrafted games, over 50 of them that have been designed for just about every scenario you can imagine including – but not necessarily limited to – family fun for kids and adults alike; team building; conference activities; fundraising and games night events; work ‘dos’ and, of course, celebratory parties such as weddings, which is where this all started.

Gareth and Kim are constantly on the lookout for new game ideas so the collection is very much a moveable feast. And should it happen that you know exactly what you want, but it’s not yet in their range, they will be happy to create it for you. What’s more, you can choose to brand it if you wish, making it a worthwhile investment because it can be used again and again. Gareth and Kim are particularly excited about this bespoke side of their business, which has added another dimension to what they can offer their customers.

Contact gkeventshire.co.nz Phone 021 035 2882 83

T R AV E L

Brews to die for

One of the joys of travelling is sampling the food and beverages in different countries. When visiting Brugge in Belgium, Justin Papesch found that beer was on the top of his bucket list.

P H O T O G R A P H Y LY N D A PA P E S C H

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elgium arguably makes some of the finest brews in the world so when my wife Lynda and I decided to spend a few days there, I started smacking my lips with anticipation.

En route from The Netherlands to Britain, we decided to head for Brugge (also known as Bruges). I can highly recommend it for the architecture, the insight into life in Belgium past and present, the chocolate and, of course, the beer.

As always, we stayed just outside the main city centre – you invariably get more for your money – and sussed out the excellent local public transport options. Then it was off exploring what locals tout as the city’s 10 ‘must see’ attractions.

We initially hopped on a bright yellow City Tour shuttle to see what was on offer and to sort out our bearings for further exploration on foot, but were also unable to resist a trip back into history with a horse-and-buggy ride around the main square.

Magic, and a great way to soak up the atmosphere.

Among the list of attractions were Burg Square, Beguinage, The Flemish Primitives, the former Hanseatic quarter, the old alms-houses, the concert hall and Market Square. The latter is home to the Beer Experience, a.k.a. the Bruges Beer Museum, where eager punters can discover all sorts of fascinating aspects of beer in a fun and innovative way. Tasting is included too.

Having caught up with the history from beginnings to This page: Colourful Market Square Opposite page: Clockwise: Minnewater Park, also home to the Lake of Love; amazing architecture in central Brugge; traditional brick buildings; hurdy gurdy entertainment 84

present-day brewing in Brugge, I added to my knowledge about Trappist beers, beer types and brewing processes. What makes beer exciting for me is that it – especially ‘new world’ brewing has upwards of 1000 tasting and textural profiles, whereas wine is limited to about one-tenth of that.

Hundreds of brews We’d set aside four days to experience Brugge and much of that time centred around the beverages on offer. Who could resist the lure of quality beers, each in their own monogrammed glass, and the stories of how they were developed.

One of my favourite bars was called 360 because that’s how many different local Belgium beers it had on offer. On a corner site overlooking a canal, Bar 360 was exceptional, as were the beers it poured. With more than 30 beers on tap – the selection changing regularly – and the rest in bottles, 360 paid a major role in my Belgium beer education and also in Lynda’s. Not overly fussed with a coconut beer, she switched to her favourite fruit beers. None of those sweet cherry brews that pass for fruit beers in New Zealand; Belgium fruit beers are dry but fruity and very refreshing.

Not that we sampled more than a few brews each day, but those few were enough to impress me. I’d rather quaff two quality

… I added to my knowledge about Trappist beers, beer types and brewing processes.

I chose a large bowl of hot milk with a selection of dark and milk chocolate squares to add ...

beers than four average beers, and I like the alcohol around 6-7 percent because of the weight and texture it gives to the palate.

That’s why it was great to indulge, encouraged by the Belgium ratings of single 4-5 percent, double 6-7 percent and triple 8-10 percent, with none of the ludicrous New Zealand pour restrictions.

I was in a bar in Nelson recently and was told that I could only have half-a-pint of a particular brew because it was 7 percent alcohol. The barman was probably 20 years younger than me, yet made me feel like an underage, irresponsible drinker.

The range of beer styles on offer in Brugge is immense; not just your basic lagers, pilsners and ales but brews that are handpulled, matured in different types of oak, filtered and unfiltered and using different house yeasts and all manner of ingredients to enhance flavours and aromatics.

Chocolate like no other Talking with locals is a sure-fire way to discover the real delights of a city – where do they drink and dine, for instance. Doing just that led us to a venerable (and authentic) tearoom known as The Old Chocolate House. Within its tiny two-storey confines, friendly staff served up a delicious array of chocolate goodies, including ‘the best hot chocolate in the world’. I chose a large bowl of hot milk with a selection of dark and milk chocolate squares to add, and using my blending skills created what was the best hot chocolate I have ever had.

Following the locals’ advice also led to memorable meals, 85

some wine and food, others beer and food. Market Square is lined with contemporary cafés and restaurants offering international cuisine and often suggesting beer/food matches.

Heaven on earth.

Adding to the ambience is the architecture dating back hundreds of years, the waterways that meander through its centre and the solicitous service proffered.

One beer stood out during my educational excursions and as luck would have it, the brewery was right there in Brugge.

De Halve Maan Brewery is a family business dating back six generations to 1856 and its ‘Brugse Zot’ (Bruges city beer) is brewed in the city centre.

Do you think I could find the brewery? After two days of searching, I’d given it up as a lost cause until Lynda decided to shop for some tapestries down a small side street. I did the husband thing and sat down outside to wait, gazing around uninterestedly – until voila! Outside a small entrance directly across from my seat was a familiar sign announcing De Halve Maan Brewery.

I was not disappointed in the brewery tour, the beer or the fantastic cold-meat platter washed down with Brugse Zot. Ya ya.

Above: Clockwise: Market Square; ornate gilding features on many older buildings; scooting in for a beer 86

Sometimes referred to as the ‘Venice of the North’, it was once one of the world’s chief commercial cities …

Tree-lined canals Brugge is not all about beer, of course, and we loved exploring its cobbled streets and tree-lined canals. The capital and largest city in the province of West Flanders, Brugge covers an area of more than 13,840 hectares, including 1075ha off the coast at Zeebrugge.

Sometimes referred to as the ‘Venice of the North’, it was once one of the world’s chief commercial cities, and thanks to its port, still plays a major role in Belgium’s economy.

Tourism is thriving, along with many specialised crafts dating back to medieval times. Tapestries are one such craft and the place to check them out is a small shop called Mille Fleurs (A Thousand Flowers). Tapestries were a prominent Flemish specialty during the Middle Ages; handwoven and often depicting religious or mythical scenes.

High-quality reproductions of the world’s best-known scenes line the walls at Mille Fleurs, along with more contemporary designs – the perfect place for wives and girlfriends to shop for souvenirs while their men enjoy a pint across the road at De Halve Maan Brewery.

Cnr Champion & Salisbury Roads, Richmond OPEN 7 DAYS 8am–6.30pm Ph: 03 544 0824 | raewardfresh.co.nz

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MOTORING

Holden’s kick-in-thepants SUV Geoff Moffett samples a new direction for the Aussie carmaker, and there’s not a ‘big six’ in sight.

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gentle buzz in your backside is the first surprise you’ll experience when driving the Holden Equinox and get within collision range of the vehicle in front. There’s also a red flashing in the windscreen.

It’s the little things that make a difference in a first-impressions drive, and Holden’s new SUV has quite a few tricks to reveal – an indication of how far Holden has come in this medium SUV category from the Captiva days, now in its last run-out phase.

The ‘safety seat’ vibration alarm for the driver proves to be much more than a gimmick as I try the feature out again. But there’s so much more to this good-looking SUV, which is offered in two petrol versions (1.5 and 2.0-litre) and a 1.6-litre diesel – all four cylinder and all turbocharged. All are front-wheel driven, with an option of on-demand four-wheel-drive on the top models, the LTZ and LTZ-V. The engine capacities are also a telltale about Holden’s new direction – no big sixes on offer here. But if you’re wondering whether a smallish ‘four’ is up to the job of hauling around a decentsized family car, have no fear. Certainly, the highest-spec LTZ-V diesel I drove was impressive, developing its meaty torque at low revs for smart overtaking, and it was pleasantly quiet in cruising mode.

I haven’t driven the petrol models but expect the two-litre would be the one to choose, although it’s relatively thirsty. By comparison, the diesel is a modest sipper.

… if you’re wondering whether a smallish ‘four’ is up to the job of hauling around a decent-sized family car, have no fear.

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This is a civilized SUV, with a rocksolid build quality feel, and a pleasure to drive with its sharp, sure-footed handling (all-wheel-drive adding to the sense of security in damp weather). The Equinox is relaxing on the open road and isn’t jiggled off course by uneven surfaces, thanks to a McPherson strut front and its four-link rear-end suspension.

This is a well-fitted vehicle, full of passive and active safety technology. All but the base model have rear cross-traffic alert, blind-spot alert, forward collision alert, lane-keep assist, autonomous emergency low-speed braking, and that buzzing safety seat.

The cabins are well-appointed, especially in the top-range LT versions.

My LTZ-V even had a heated steering wheel along with the heated and cooled front seats (warmed in the back, too), a massive panoramic sunroof that extends over the rear seats and a power tailgate that opens with a wave of the foot.

The leather seats and stitched console look give an upmarket feel but, more importantly, there’s plenty of room in the back for even tall passengers, and a sizeable hatch that folds down for 1800 litres of load.

Although the Captiva sold reasonably well, Holden dealers are happy to have a strong rival in the medium SUV class to do better against the likes of Toyota RAV-4, Mazda CX-5,

Kia Sportage and Hyundai Tucson in the ultra-competitive $40-$60k range. After all, this is where many buyers are now looking for their next family car.

Tech spec Price:

Equinox LS, 1.5-litre petrol turbo $33,990-$39,990, six-speed auto; LT 2-litre turbo $43,990-$56,990, 9-speed auto; LT 1.6-litre diesel, $46,990-$57,990, 9-speed auto.

Power:

1.5-litre turbo, four-cylinder petrol FWD, 127kW @ 5600rpm, 275Nm torque @ 2000-4000rpm; 2-litre turbo, four-cylinder petrol (FWD or AWD), 188kw @ 5500, 353Nm @ 2500-4500 ; 1.6-litre turbo, four-cylinder diesel, 100kw @ 3500-4000, 320kw Nm at 2000-2250 (FWD or AWD).

Fuel economy: Combined-cycle, 6.9l/100km – 8.2l/100km (petrol); 5.6l/100km – 5.9 l/100km (diesel).

Vehicle courtesy of Nelson Bays Motor Group

SPORTS

Brothers in gloves Nick and Matt Lowe are softball prodigies, Phil Barnes reports.

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ears of practice and hours of dedication have led to Nelson brothers Nick and Matt Lowe being selected to play for New Zealand age-group softball teams. Nick, 17, who plays infield, has been selected for the Under-17 Emerging Sox. Catcher Matt, 15, joins the Under-15 Developing Sox. The brothers first took up softball at primary school at Clifton Terrace. Nick says he started in Year 6, initially because the school was short of players. He soon became keen on the game, and played for his school teams at Clifton Terrace and then Nelson Intermediate.

At the age of 13 he joined Nelson club side the Stoke Eagles, and graduated through the various Nelson and Upper South Island rep teams until making Southern Pride, who are effectively the South Island Under-17s team.

As part of Southern Pride, Nick twice went to Australia to play tournaments.

Then in June he was selected for the NZ Under-17s. When WildTomato spoke to him he had just returned from playing in the International Friendship Series in Brisbane.

“We played against the Australian Under-19s B side and the other Australian state sides. We finished up third out of eight teams.”

Inspired by his brother Matt says he took up softball after watching his brother play. He played at primary and intermediate school before joining the Stoke Eagles at 13. “I then went to Christchurch and took part in the Under-13 South Island club champs and we won that.”

While still at intermediate school he sometimes played for the Eagles’ Senior B side. Last summer he started playing for the A team. He also played for Nelson rep-level age-group teams, joining the Under-13s when he was 10 and the Under-15s when 12.

Matt then played in the Marlborough Under-15s rep team, which took part in the South Island tournament and came fifth. He says national selectors looked at the statistics from those tournaments, resulting in his selection for a South Island tournament team who played

Matt also played for Nelson rep-level age-group teams, joining the Under-13s when he was 10 and the Under-15s when 12. against their North Island equivalents.

“From that game some of us got selected into a training squad where we took part in a three-day training camp in Wellington in the July school holidays.”

Matt was then selected to be part of the New Zealand Under-15 Development Squad, destined to travel to Mackay, Queensland to play in the Australian state championships.

Reward for hard work The brothers have not reached this level without putting in long hours of training.

They devote around 20 hours a week to the sport, which is time that has to be juggled around school and other commitments.

As well as training twice a week with

the Stoke Eagles and playing at least one game a week in the season, Nick also goes to the gym four times a week. Matt is too young for gym workouts so he runs and does body-weight exercises as part of his preparation. He also plays rugby for Nelson College.

The brothers have to find time to attend rep, regional and now national training camps and tournaments.

Although softball may be a summer sport, at this level they are involved with it year-round.

“Sometimes you do feel pretty drained,” Matt says.

Above: Matt Lowe,15, left, training with brother Nick, 17 89

AUTHOR PROFILE

Making science accessible Writer Naomi Arnold is brave and talented enough to go freelance in uncertain times.

She talks to Renée Lang.

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ith an impressive portfolio of published material in local and international magazines (including New Zealand Geographic and North and South), several books and a string of awards under her belt, freelance writer Naomi Arnold still manages to find time to enjoy the outdoors. She walks her beloved dog Dusty most days on Nelson’s Back Beach.

Naomi has just finished editing Headlands: New Stories of Anxiety, due out this month through Victoria University Press. It’s a compilation of stories written by a wide variety of New Zealanders, a number of them well-known in their respective fields.

Born and raised in Te Puke, Naomi studied English literature at Otago University, where she was awarded a firstclass honours degree. This was followed by a stint in Western Australia and then the best part of three years teaching in South Korea “to help pay off my student loan”. She also tried her hand at some travel writing and had her first two pieces published in the New Zealand Listener.

Naomi returned to New Zealand in 2008 to study for a graduate diploma in journalism at the Canterbury University.

While still a student, she was offered a scholarship to go to Antarctica as a science writer, which involved spending 12 weeks at Scott Base.

“As someone keen on the outdoors I’ve always been interested in the natural world, and as a journalist I enjoy translating concepts I find interesting for

“… I’ve always been interested in the natural world ...”

NAOMI ARNOLD

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an audience. Science writing is perfect for that,” she says.

Cutting her teeth So with her appetite for science and environment-related writing firmly whetted, she moved to Nelson and started work at the Nelson Mail in 2009 as a health and environment reporter.

“It’s quite a learning curve being a new reporter for a regional paper – I think it’s really good training [for writers and journalists] in that you meet so many different kinds of people.” After that came a couple of years as a full-time feature reporter, which was rewarding but the possibility of writing longer, in-depth stories, not just on the local scene but for international consumption, proved too hard to resist.

In 2014 she went freelance and quickly established herself as a talented and versatile writer. Accolades followed, including the 2015 Regional & Community Newspaper Feature Writer of the Year and, most recently, 2018 Science and Technology Award finalist at the Voyager Media Awards.

“It’s been full-on at times, but I’ve certainly learnt a lot about running a business, self-motivation and working

independently. There’s quite a discipline in writing feature stories quickly and accurately enough to make a full-time income, especially in the current media landscape.”

As for her favourite magazine, she doesn’t hesitate: “I love writing for New Zealand Geographic because they are so committed to top-quality journalism and photography.”

Naomi’s next book, on New Zealand astronomy, is due out through HarperCollins next year. She’s juggling deadlines with making the most of the milder weather. “I love the outdoors and try to incorporate it in my daily life through tramping, walking and cycling as much as possible.”

Naomi will be joined by author Danyl McLauchlan, one of the contributors to Headlands, and Green Party MP and mental health advocate Chloe Swarbrick to talk about mental illness in a session called Mind Matters during the Readers and Writers Week at this month’s Nelson Arts Festival. Naomi is also chairing The Robots are Coming session at which poet Helen Heath, Ministry for Women head Jo Cribb and education manager David Glover discuss the impact of robots on our lives.

BOOKS

What to read in October COMPILED BY RENÉE LANG

That F Word: Growing Up Feminist in Aotearoa

Journeys to the Other Side of the World David Attenborough

Lizzie Marvelly

Available now, $37.99 Hachette

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ost people would agree that it’s hard to imagine a world without David Attenborough in it. Over the years he’s done such a splendid job in reminding us of the importance of our environment and its unique wildlife, but did you know he’s been doing it since the 1950s? Here, in Further Adventures of a Young Naturalist, he writes about not just rare and exotic animals, but his discovery back then of the way of life of some of the tribes in faraway places such as those found on Pentecost Island, New Guinea, Tonga and the Northern Territory of Australia.

Available now, $35.00 HarperCollins

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his talented young musician proves there’s a whole lot more to her than her singing ability in this down-to-the-wire account of New Zealand’s feminist roots. With first-hand experience of abuse, sexism and trolling, plus a string of awards behind her including in 2017 the Canon Media Award for Opinion Writing and being a semi-finalist for the Young New Zealander of the Year, Lizzie Marvelly is well placed to expose our gender imbalances. That F Word does a great job of challenging the traditional expectations in New Zealand society but at the same time it never forgets to celebrate the indomitable spirit of Kiwi women.

Awatere:

Jamie Cooks Italy

Portrait of a Marlborough Valley

Jamie Oliver

Harry Broad Available now, $65.00 Penguin/Michael Joseph

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ho doesn’t love Jamie Oliver? He’s the chap who taught us to cook with a handful of this, a glug of that, a bunch of something else and total respect for fresh produce. So a new set of recipes under the banner of Italian cooking, and dedicated to his dear friend Antonio Carluccio, will be a ‘musthave’ for many home cooks. One of the most popular chefs over the last couple of decades, Jamie Oliver has spent much of the last two years travelling in Italy, sourcing this delicious mix of fast and slow cooking based on many of their time-honoured culinary traditions.

Available now, $69.99 Potton & Burton

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ictures most definitely tell tales and the stunning photography by Jim Tannock, Rob Suisted and Dave Hansford in this fascinating and extensive collection of stories by journalist and former farming editor Harry Broad serve to illustrate the changing face of rural New Zealand. It also explores both the people and the landscape of Awatere, the area that runs from Molesworth Station in the high country all the way to the sea below the township of Seddon, and which is now the second-largest wine sub-region in New Zealand, with three times the production of an area like Central Otago.

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ARTS

Moutere artisans open their doors Nelsonians usually take their visitors to the beautiful valley because it offers a feast for all the senses. John Cohen-Du Four previews the annual showcase of tastes and talent.

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xactly 175 years ago this year, the first German settlers to our region gazed up at the hills overlooking the stunning Nelson-Tasman coastline and thought ... well, we don’t know precisely what went through their heads, but they certainly knew a good thing when they saw it.

The newcomers set about making it their home, and within the decade they’d succeeded, founding the village of Sarau in 1850, marked by their building of what is now the Moutere Inn, New Zealand’s earliest pub.

The rest, as they say, is history, and even though the German name Sarau was dropped during World War 1, the village never lost its character and charm; its unique sense of self.

This will be proudly on display during Labour Weekend’s Moutere Artisans Open Day on Sunday October 21, when the village’s finest craftspeople and producers open their doors to show off 92

the best of what they do.

Judy Finn of Neudorf Vineyards, current chair of Moutere Artisans, says it’s a wonderful opportunity to experience the unique richness of the region.

“What makes this place so special is it still has a European feel about it. On our Artisans Day you are talking to the actual producers, the people who make the wine, the cider, the pots, the olive oil – it’s very much in that middle-European style of farming small holdings. The traditions they breathed into us are still alive and thriving.

“We’re all family-owned businesses,” Judy says. “It’s the classic case of people producing something they love and selling it at the gate.

“The Moutere Artisans is a special group of people. From tiny businesses to slightly larger operations, there’s a great sense of community and a lot of interaction between us. Things change over time, people come in and move out of the group, but the standard of excellence remains. That’s the test: world-class products from this tiny village of a few hundred people.”

Delights for every taste The Open Day promises something for everyone: olives, mushrooms, cheeses, fruit, wine, cider, sculpture, ceramics, baskets and even alpacas.

“Every year we look at doing something different,” says Judy. “At Neudorf we’re opening up 30-year-old wines for tasting. Katie Gold is planning

“... it’s very much in that middle-European style of farming small holdings.”

J U DY F I N N

an interactive activity where visitors can make small pieces of ceramic art that she will use to create a large sculpture that will sit in her garden.

“Dave Barrett of Thorvald will be offering a special tasting of his entire range of sheep’s milk cheese and dairy products – the only day of the year he opens his farm for this. Hannes Krummis of Neudorf Mushrooms is presenting an educational talk on mushrooms. There truly is something at every stop.”

Two new stops this year are the latest members of the Moutere Artisans group, Terra Nova Alpacas and Heartstone Baskets.

Andrew and Donna Cudby, of Terra Nova, moved with their family to Nelson in 2014. “Before coming here we lived in Fiordland for six years, where we were introduced to alpacas,” says Donna. “We started with two pregnant females and quickly fell in love with them. By the time we moved up we had 30 of them.”

Andrew says that while alpacas have a reputation for spitting, “they’re normally very placid animals that make great lifestyle pets. They’re easy to care for and easy on the environment.”

Donna adds: “They’re also cuddly and adorable, with sweet faces, large round

Above: Alpaca wool is exceptional.

Right: Tanya Doty, of Heartstone Baskets making one of her willow creations

pupils and long eyelashes. They’re very inquisitive and terrific with children.”

Terra Nova’s focus has been to breed and sell pet alpacas and improve the fleece quality of their herd. The wool is an exceptional natural fibre, says Donna. “It’s fine and incredibly soft. Unlike sheep’s wool, it has no lanolin oil, so it’s fantastic for sensitive skins. It doesn’t irritate, is very light and wonderfully toasty.”

Terra Nova now offers a range of wool products crafted from their fleeces by another local, Wendy Kooistra, under her brand Riketty Kate Handspun. “We’re selling babywear, scarves, throws, shawls and hats,” says Donna. “They’re 100 percent alpaca fleece with no added dyes, in a range of natural colours, including white, fawn, grey and black. We also have hanks of wool and raw fleeces.”

In addition to alpacas and fleece products for sale, the Open Day will include spinning and felting demonstrations.

Children will also love the stop as there’ll be young alpacas to meet.

Where there’s a willow ...

Tanya Doty, of Heartstone Baskets, makes traditional wicker baskets as well as baskets and pieces constructed from other natural materials.

“I started making willow baskets about 12 years ago after attending a basket course with Peter Greer in Golden Bay,” she says. “My mother was a cane weaver back in the ’70s but I didn’t take much notice of what she was doing – of course, now I wish I had.

“I love that it takes strength to construct a basket, and that most of the willow I use is from my own small willow bed.”

TA N YA D O T Y

“I work from an old caravan on our property. I’ve experimented with many different fibres and types of basketmaking but I have to say I’m firmly addicted to willow. I love the smell, and the sound it makes when I’m weaving. I love that it takes strength to construct a basket, and that most of the willow I use is from my own small willow bed.”

Tanya sells her baskets in the shop at Upper Moutere’s Old Post Office, where she recently ran a series of pine needle basketmaking courses.

The technique, she explains, is quite different from willow basketmaking. “It’s an ancient coiling technique used by many cultures. I was introduced to this style of basketmaking some 20 years ago when I attended a course in Motueka run

by Willa Rogers.

“It’s special being able to talk to the people who are buying your baskets

and know where they’re going to end up,” says Tanya. “It takes many hours to make a basket and I can get attached to some pieces. That probably sounds corny but each piece is unique, with its own challenges and pleasures.”

Finding all the artisans and activities will be easy thanks to special Open Day maps available from the Old Post Office as well as from each of the artisans. The Moutere Inn will have craft beers on tap and is serving German snacks throughout the day.

“People can just pick up a map and potter around,” says Judy Finn. “It really is a great day out.”

For more information visit: www.moutereartisans.co.nz

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IN THE GALLERY

October’s top art picks If you’re a bit of an art collector you’re certainly living in the right place.

The Top of the South boasts a well of high-quality galleries featuring creative superstars. Check out this month’s pick of must-have artworks.

1 1. Jens Hansen, Hand-forged bangle, Jens Hansen, Nelson, jenshansen.co.nz, Image credit: Studio La Gonda 2. Marilyn Andrews, Quail in My Garden, ink and acrylic on paper, framed, 700mm x 520mm incl frame, Marilyn Andrews Gallery, Nelson, 03 548 9400, marilynandrewsart.co.nz, $2,200 3. Roz Speirs, Blue Depths, fused glass platter, Art@203 Gallery, Nelson, 027 500 5528, clarityglass.co.nz, $195 4. Jane Blackmore, Rodina Margaret, limited edition print, framed, 790mm x 800mm, Red Gallery, Nelson, 03 548 2170, redartgallery.com, $1220 5. Russel Papworth, In Flight, stainless steel sculpture, Forest Fusion, Mapua Wharf, 03 540 2961, www.forestfusion.com

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W T + TA S M A N B AY F O O D G R O U P

Managing Director Marina Hirst Tristram with the new look Zesti bakery range

To market, to market …

B Y R E N É E L A N G | P H O T O G R A P H Y B Y A N A G A L L O WAY

T

he efficient processing premises which the Tasman Bay Food Group now occupies in Brightwater is a far cry from the company’s modest beginnings back in 1985 when fruit juice was its main focus. And although pressing apples for fruit juice is still a significant part of the business, over recent years this successful local company has diversified so that it now offers a range of innovative food products including dairy and organic bakery items.

In his role as chairman, Brian Hirst remains committed to the business he established some 35 years ago, initially with the Robinson and Smith families, but it is his daughter, Marina Hirst Tristram, who holds the reins on a daily basis. As managing director, she is responsible for the running of the company and its 50 employees, a mix of part-time and full-time, some of whom have been with Tasman Bay Food Group for many years.

Tasman Bay Food Group is all about innovation and getting its products as far afield as possible.

“I grew up amongst Mum and Dad’s boysenberries and grapes in Ruby Bay,” recalls Marina, “and although Dad was quite keen for me and my sister Ainslie to eventually join the business I went to university first. Then I did my OE, but I was always going to come back to the Nelson Tasman region.”

Tasman Bay Food Group is all about innovation and getting its products as far afield as possible. The company’s popular Juicies and Moosies have been selling well into schools around Australia for some years now and can also be found in more than 20 other international markets, including Korea, Taiwan and Japan.

“We’d really like to be selling into the USA in the next few years so we’re working on a plan for that,” notes Marina.

She adds that all the products that Tasman Bay is selling internationally were ‘born and bred’ here in Nelson and wherever possible they continue to evolve.

An example of this is the new Coconut Juicies, which were recently added to the range of these enormously successful frozen treats.

The Tasman Bay team has also been busy developing the Zesti range of products, delicious snacks in the form of

organic fruit bars, organic cookies and biscotti. Marina says that in the case of the bakery products it was an opportunity to make quality snack products, the proper way – using locally grown organic apples, Fair Trade ingredients and whole grains – that taste like baking used to taste. She adds that they knew they were on the right track when someone called in to their office to tell the team that the company’s cookies taste just the way he remembers from his childhood.

“I particularly like that we’re trying new things here all the time,” says Marina.

“We’re quite nimble so we can develop, test and get products to market really quickly.”

As for the future of the business, she is in little doubt that at least one of her children will be involved. “My elevenyear-old son has been drawing machine designs for the factory since he was about five.”

Contact tasmanbay.co.nz Phone 03 543 5340 95

MUSIC

Musical hothouse achieves harmony

BY PETE RAINEY PHOTO BY MAREEA VEGAS

G

lenn Common and I are very proud of what young Kiwis have achieved through Smokefreerockquest over the years, with some particular achievements standing out.

In the first few years of Rockquest we shifted to an all-original music format and since then the event has generated literally thousands of original songs.

Most will have filtered off into oblivion, but some have germinated into material that has endured.

With 40 gigs every year, the national event has encouraged a huge contribution to the line-up of New Zealand musicians, with so many bands and individuals cutting their musical teeth on a Rockquest stage.

Given that it’s Suffrage 125, I like to think our most enduring accomplishment is unlocking the potential in so many young women. Bic Runga, Anika Moa, Julia Deans, Anna Coddington, Aldous Harding, Chelsea Jade, Georgia Nott of Broods, Nadia Reid, upcoming star Robinson and many more performed in Rockquest.

When we started the event in 1989 it was dominated by young men. We introduced a Women’s Musicianship Award to encourage and foster female participation, and this paid dividends over the years. So much so that we dropped this award a few years ago 96

because its job was done.

This year the Smokefree Tangata Beats and Smokefreerockquest events attracted a total of entries from 288 schools, with 2849 students enjoying the experience of performing live on a professionally set-up stage.

Smokefreerockquest alone has experienced almost 50 percent representation by young women in 2018: 1301 boys and 1284 girls, with another 48 opting not to disclose gender. This is a great success for us, but sadly one that I feel is not reflected in the music industry itself.

Tour champions women One of our cherished alumni agrees. Julia Deans championed women musicians in her recent We Light Fire tour and has gone out of her way to highlight the music industry’s long-term issues regarding gender disparity.

As Julia acknowledges, figures show a lack of female representation in all areas of the industry, but especially in the live arena. The percentage of women artists and female-fronted bands in festival line-ups, or as support artists on tours, is minimal.

Julia used We Light Fire as a platform to create opportunities for women. All of the support artists on her tour were locally appointed, with a focus on female-fronted bands or solo artists. The team behind

“Gender should not be an issue.”

JULIA DEANS

her tour is also predominantly women – booking agent, promoter, publicist – as are most of Julia’s band and touring crew.

“Throughout my career I have strived to be recognised as a musician first,” she says, “but often my being a woman has meant I’ve been looked upon as some kind of novelty. To me, gender should not be an issue. I strongly believe we need to foster an environment that not only welcomes women and encourages them to get involved, but which also encourages men to support women and embrace them as equals.”

To close with a local accolade, the Nelson Arts Festival has achieved a great line-up of musicians for this year’s festival, with Julia being joined in the programme by other notable women such as Ali Harper, Anna Leese Guidi and Holly Fullbrook (Tiny Ruins).

Julia Deans and Band Nelson Arts Festival Mainstage Fri Oct 12, 8pm Tickets from Ticketdirect

Music for everyone • Pre-school music • Free beginner classes • Affordable group classes • Individual lessons • Orchestras • Choirs • Big band jazz

guitar, ukulele, improvisation, singing, flute, recorder, oboe, clarinet, percussion, drums, trumpet, cornet, trombone, tuba, violin, viola, cello, bass, organ, piano...

Find out more at ncma.nz/education

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FILM

The Notorious RBG

BY MICHAEL BORTNICK

RBG Documentary, biography Directed by Julie Cohen, Betsy West Starring Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Bill Clinton, Gloria Steinem 98 minutes Rated PG

“I

ask no favour for my sex. All I ask of our brethren is that they take their feet off our necks.” Hey boss, here’s an idea for a new superhero film: A 1.5m-tall old woman lawyer with a giant brain fights to attain justice and equality for the downtrodden, especially women.

She hardly ever sleeps and can battle cancer, raise children, care for a sick husband and graduate from Harvard at the top of her class.

Her workout now includes more than 20 pushups while listening to classical music. Her main concession to hitting her late-70s was to give up water skiing.

Too implausible? But such a person really exists.

An absolutely fantastic indie documentary film now in theatres introduces us to Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

Most Kiwis have never heard of her, but now, gratefully, they will.

The unique personal journey of this pocketsized, quiet warrior’s rise to America’s highest court has been largely unknown, even to some of her biggest fans.

In the States, the mention of her name draws divergent responses. Republicans consider her crusty, controversial and liberal to a fault. To the left, she’s a pop-culture icon; all that is right about freedom and the American spirit.

Young female law students, who because of ‘The Notorious RBG’ were finally allowed to pursue their dream, stand in long queues just to touch her tiny black robe.

Ginsburg was nominated to the U.S. Supreme Court by President Bill Clinton in 1993. She was only the second woman and first female Jewish judge to be appointed.

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... motivating, informative and charming.

For the last 25 years she has been the strongest and most intelligent voice of reason on the bench.

Justices may serve for life and as the oldest of the bunch, at 85, she is not ready to step down – all because of Donald Trump, who gets to choose her replacement.

In 2016, Ginsburg said: “I don’t even want to contemplate what Trump’s victory would mean for the country and the Supreme Court. Now it’s time for us to move to New Zealand.”

As a reply, ‘Liddle Donnie Whineypants’ tweeted: “Justice Ginsburg of the U.S. Supreme Court has embarrassed all by making very dumb political statements about me. Her mind is shot – resign!”

We agree, Donald – RESIGN! RBG is motivating, informative and charming.

The film depicts the entirety of her life and the impact she makes on the world today.

It is stunningly beautiful in telling the story of a contemporary hero; an idol of our times, a woman who has weathered extremely difficult conditions and sits on the highest court in America as someone dedicated to equality for all of us. She is a modern heroine and, as shy and quiet as she is, packs a wallop of a punch.

RBG is a relevant film that all women should see. And all men too, if they know what’s good for them.

* Michael Bortnick has left the theatre to allow an old lady to help him cross the street.

EVENTS

Nelson Tasman

Regular Markets

Find out more details on Nelson Tasman events at itson.co.nz

Every Saturday morning The Nelson Market

Friday 5 to Sunday 7

MONTGOMERY SQUARE

Nelson Festival of Quilts

Every Sunday

The biennial exhibition with guest exhibitor Anne Scott from Wellington.

Originally a Nelson girl, Anne is founder of the New Zealand Quilter magazine.

Motueka Market 8am to 1pm DECKS RESERVE CAR PARK

Every Wednesday Nelson Farmers’ Market

NELSON COLLEGE FOR GIRLS

KIRBY LANE

OCTOBER Monday 1 to Monday 31 December Suffragists at home - stitching and styles for a cause Home was heart and hub for many suffragists in 19th century New Zealand. Visit an 1893 suffragist home, see women’s stitching crafts and learn how clothing helped the quest to get women the vote.

BROADGREEN HISTORIC HOUSE

Thursday 11

Church on Sunday at 9.30am.

Saturday 27

Mako v Hawkes Bay

MOUTERE HILLS COMMUNITY CENTRE

The Quizzical Mr Jeff

A home game for team Mako in the lead-up to the semifinals 19 & 20 October and the premiership final on 27 October.

Kick-off is 7.35pm.

TRAFALGAR PARK

Saturday 13 Abel Tasman Coastal Classic Celebrating its 25th anniversary, the 33km coastal classic trail run from Awaroa to Marahau is a sellout, with a strong contingent of overseas competitors.

KAITERITERI RECREATION RESERVE

Monday 1 to Saturday 13

Saturday 20, Sunday 21

Impressions National Art Awards 2018

175th Celebration of German settlement in Nelson

Hosted by the Tasman Art Focus Group, the awards attracted nearly 180 applications from around New Zealand, with 110 images selected for the exhibition and judging.

Open daily from 9.30am-4.30pm.

MAPUA COMMUNITY HALL

Thursday 11 to Friday 26 Nelson Arts Festival An amazing line-up of artistic talent headlines this 16-day event and associated activities. For the full list of events visit the website nelsonartsfestival.co.nz ASSORTED VENUES

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Various events. Search German Settlers/Upper Moutere-Sarau.

Celebratory church service at St Paul’s Lutheran Community

Saturday 20 Lift Off Festival Motueka A family-oriented event that includes skydiving exhibitions, scenic flights, aircraft displays, a hot air balloon night glow, fireworks and a twilight market and food village.

Runs 3pm to approx. 10pm.

MOTUEKA AIRPORT

Sunday 21 Moutere Artisans Open Day

THE VILLAGE THEATRE, GOLDEN BAY

Wednesday 31 NRBGCT Fashion at the Flicks

The village of Upper Moutere hosts 16 specialty producers celebrating country life. Taste gourmet mushrooms, check out handmade baskets and taste new vintages wines.

Visit moutereartisans.co.nz.

11am to 4pm.

Book in for a night of fun, fashion and a movie and help raise funds for the Nelson Regional Breast and Gynaecological Cancer Trust.

Starts at 5.30pm. Tickets available from Morrison Square Centre Management Office or email nelson@ morrisonsaquare.co.nz

UPPER MOUTERE VILLAGE

SUTER ART GALLERY

Sunday 21 Balloons on the Beach at Kaiteriteri Day two of the Lift Off Festival with a beach party theme, including volleyball and table tennis, skydive beach landings and the world’s first balloons on the beach balloon night glow. Also a twilight food village and cocktail bar. Visit the Lift Off website.

KAITERITERI BEACH

An entrancing solo show by one of New Zealand’s most talented cirque creators. A playfully perplexing fusion of circus and mime, Mr Jeff takes the audience on a mischievous and memorable journey of the mind, dazzling the senses with colour, sound and optical illusion.

EVENTS

Marlborough Find out more details about Marlborough events at marlborough4fun.co.nz

The third Sunday of every month

Sunday 7

Marlborough Artisan Market Summer hours 9am-1pm

A Festival of Beer A fun afternoon of music, food and beer from Marlborough’s boutique brewers – Golden Mile Brewing, Boomtown Brewing and Sinka Brews. Craft beers and fantastic food with live Bavarian music!

THE QUAYS, HIGH STREET, BLENHEIM

Every Sunday Marlborough Farmers’ Market A&P SHOWGROUNDS

VINES VILLAGE

OCTOBER Saturday 6 Top of the South Film Festival A premiere screening featuring 15 of the best short films from Marlborough, Nelson and Tasman.

A selection of fiction films, documentaries and music videos ranging in genre from drama to comedy, there is something for everyone.

ASB THEATRE

City Otari and ‘O-Taiko’ from Dunedin and Otago University.

MARLBOROUGH BOYS’ COLLEGE SAT 6, QUEEN CHARLOTTE COLLEGE PICTON SUN 7

Sunday 7 Loved Ones Wedding Fair A fresh alternative to a traditional wedding expo, this fair showcases an exclusive selection of wedding creatives for modern to-be brides and grooms.

VINES VILLAGE

Saturday 6, Sunday 7 Japanese Drum Performance A special Japanese drumming performance featuring the ‘Shinshu Otari Taiko’ from Marlborough’s Japanese Sister

Sunday 28 Elizabeth Lissaman book launch Marlborough’s Elizabeth Lissaman was New Zealand’s pioneer studio potter. A new book by Jane Vial and Steve Austin traces her life and works. The book will be launched at 2pm. RSVP

by October 20 to info@ marlboroughmuseum.org.nz or 03 578 1712.

MARLBOROUGH MUSEUM

Regular Markets

Tuesday 16 Don McGlashan Free Flight Tour Kiwi songwriter/musician Don McGlashan performing a series of intimate shows in some

of the country’s most idyllic venues. Listen to recent songs, along with plenty of gems from his sprawling back catalogue.

THE PLANT, BLENHEIM ALSO SUNDAY OCT 14 – THE MUSSEL INN, GOLDEN BAY WEDNESDAY OCT 17 – MEMORIAL HALL, KAIKOURA

Saturday 20 Anthonie Tonnon Musician Anthonie Tonnon has toured widely as a solo performer around North America, Europe and Australasia, with a show combining both electronic and traditional instrumentalism, a surreal sense of storytelling and physical movement.

FRAMINGHAM UNDERGROUND

Wednesday 17 Always Delicious with Lauraine Jacobs Celebrate the release of Lauraine Jacobs’ newest cookbook, Always Delicious.

Wines by Dog Point, food by Arbour and tall tales from Lauraine’s couch sessions with Dog Point’s James Healy, Ivan Sutherland and Marg Sutherland.

ARBOUR RESTAURANT

Sunday 21 Hammers & Horsehair German and Bohemian music for soprano, piano and cello with Douglas Mews on the square piano, Robert Ibell playing cello and soprano Rowena Simpson.

PICTON LITTLE THEATRE

Sunday 21 Nopera Speed golf A first for Marlborough, Clarke Construction Nopera Bay Speed Golf tees off from 10.30am onwards.

Email noperagolf@gmail.com for an entry form. Entries close Sunday 14 October.

NOPERA BAY GOLF COURSE

Saturday 27 Gumboot Epicurean Marlborough’s iconic annual Food Tour hosted by Arbour Restaurant and the Feast Merchants. Relax on the bus and race the chefs around the region, stopping at secret locations that showcase special food and wine producers.

13 SEYMOUR ST, BLENHEIM

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Excess eyelid skin makes the lids feel heavy and applying make-up difficult. In some cases it can effect peripheral vision.

Blepharoplasty nowadays is carried out with local anaesthetic

supplemented by oral sedation. Most people find this very comfortable. The procedure is done as a day stay procedure at our day stay surgical facility. A return to work can be planned for 5 to 7 days.

We provide 24/7 post-op on call, and post-operative care indefinitely to ensure you’re well looked after.

We also offer the following procedures: Facelift and necklift | Breast augmentation, breast lift or reduction | Otoplasty (ears) | Abdominoplasty (tummy tuck) Liposuction | Crow’s feet | Frown lines | Dermal fillers | Cosmetic/Medical tattooing; eyeliner, eyebrows, lips, areola/nipple

Level 2 - 105 Collingwood St (Collingwood Centre) P: 03 548 1909 | E: nelsonplasticsurgery@outlook.co.nz Visit nelsonplasticsurgery.co.nz for more information

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DIRECTORY

31 Oxford St, Richmond 2/105 Collingwood St, Nelson 027 291 7077 beautytherapyrichmond.co.nz

pedicure & reflexology

022 079 0550 info@anagalloway.co.nz www.anagalloway.co.nz

118 Bridge Street, Nelson cardells.co.nz • 03 548 1505

Design Concepts Colour Consultancy Space Planning

027 469 8840 | interiors@ofeeinspo.com WWW.OFEEINSPO.COM

Thai with a twist

Cnr Champion & Salisbury Roads, Richmond

OPEN 7 DAYS 8am–6.30pm Ph: 03 544 0824 raewardfresh.co.nz

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NAHM.CO.NZ

DIRECTORY

NEW SPRING / SUMMER

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FRENCH POLISHING FURNITURE REPAIRS INSURANCE WORK

sjkuperman.co.nz

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sam@sjkuperman.co.nz

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. Clarinet . Saxophone . Voice . Choral workshops

At the Festival Programme news and lively interviews Hosted by our Arts Festival team, Dagmar and Arnott

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Nelson-Tasman 104.8 • Nelson Central City 107.2 • Takaka 95.0 • Blenheim 88.9

022 407 9501 lucyrainey360@gmail.com https://ncma.nz/education

Your local electrical expert.

027 842 3543

www.elevateelectrical.co.nz

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M Y E D U C AT I O N

From mentor to student Kirsty Glen has always believed in helping others achieve their dreams. After achieving five diplomas in other disciplines she is looking to the future, keen to integrate 15 years’ work experience as a vocational consultant with her most recent study towards a Bachelor of Career Development at Nelson Marlborough Insitute of Technology.

She talks with Jessica Walden.

P H O T O B Y A N A G A L L O WAY

For those who don’t know, what is career development?

Career development is working with other people to help them identify what it is they want to do. If they are unsure about this, then it’s about helping them figure that out by exploring their values, passions, strengths and skills, and figuring out how they are going to get where they want to go.

What inspired you to start your degree? Did your previous work experience influence your decision or is it a ‘change of career’?

I’ve been in the field for the last 15 years and it was my clients – their courage and resilience in the face of adversity – as well as being a parent that inspired me. Here I was encouraging people to gain the qualifications needed for them to follow their paths and it wasn’t very congruent if I wasn’t doing the same thing. Studying is a way of formalising the experience that I already have and to learn new skills to help with my work going forward.

Do you have any advice for people wanting to study in this field?

Be prepared to be surprised. People are surprising and there is a lot of research involved because the world of work is constantly changing. You need to be up to play with what is happening out there in the world of work. You also

need to like people and be empathetic, non-judgemental and encouraging.

What do you see yourself doing once you graduate?

I really like working in the vocational and rehabilitation field with Fit For Work, they are really passionate and positive. You see real growth and change with people. When I finish studying I’ll have nearly 20 years in the field by then, it might be a nice change to share knowledge and experience with other people coming through.

Do you see yourself working elsewhere in the world or is New Zealand where you plan to be?

We went on a family trip to India a few years back and I’d like to go back and work there in career guidance for a while because it’s quite a big field, and we get so many Indian students coming over here. I think it would be helpful for them to understand our culture and also what it’s like to study in Nelson and at NMIT.