Labour Day Weekend: three kiwi encounters

Queen Charlotte Track, Lochmara Bay

Labour Day in NZ falls on the fourth Monday in October in NZ.  (Yes, I have been trying to adjust to new, Brit-way of spelling words.  Lots of extra vowels, especially in the medical lingo: oesophagus, caecum, diarrhoea).  My first holiday on the job.  This long weekend was preceded by two days of lab worker strikes where only "life preserving" blood tests could be ordered.  Every test needed justification and no phlebotomists to draw them.  The week was also unusually busy.  This long weekend was a perfect remedy for the week.  Traveling affords the opportunity to strike up conversations with others.  Of the many folks we encountered, several shared some of the events of their lives.  Three of those feature in this blog entry later.

Heidi Pace

Saturday morning I drove to the domestic terminal of the Auckland airport.  I arrived as instructed, 30 minutes prior to flight time.  I walked to the self-serve counter, scanned my ticket, tagged my backpack, loaded it on the conveyor belt and enjoyed a cup of coffee for 15 minutes.  The flight was called. I scanned my boarding pass, walked on the tarmac to the propeller plane and found my seat.  No security lines, no scrutiny of my passport.  It was more like loading a bus than a plane.
Ninety minutes later, I was on the ground in Nelson, South Island, NZ.


Nelson is at the top of the south island and known for its warmer weather, drier climate, and sunshine. It has lovely beaches, is close to hiking, wine country, yet an hour and a half or so from mountains and snow.  I was met there by dear friends, Heidi and Jonathan Pace.

Our destination, D'Urville Island was a mere 65km away. The two lane, windy road that took us there  in two hours was breathtaking.  A myriad of bays, inlets, islands comprise the Marlborough Sounds of the south island.  D'Urville Island is a remote island where the bird life abounds, largely due to the absence of the Australian possum, considered an invasive species that has decimated the bird population of NZ.  Accessible only by boat, we climbed in to the water taxi that ferried us across French Pass, a treacherous narrows, particularly at tidal influxes.

Picnic at French Pass

Heidi and Jonathan are contemplating buying a piece of land on the north side of the island.  Located in a  beautiful setting on the water at the end of a long bay, the house is seventy years old and is heated by wood stove.  Exceedingly remote, the island has approximately 50 residents in its 58 square miles.  Two other houses dot the coast of the bay and comprise the community that Heidi and Jonathan would join if they moved there.

View from property @  D'Urville Island

Glimpse of Kiwi Life 1
A short walk along the beach to the west brought us to the homestead of Pip and Jeanette, a dynamic couple who have lived sustainably here for a decade or more.  Their compound has two small buildings, a beautiful garden, chickens and pigs.  Their tidy cabin, designed and built by Pip, a ship builder, is a delight.  Sun streamed in the windows that overlooked the bay.   The door had wooden pieces that were removed to let in the fresh, warm air.  We settled in for tea and talk.  Jeannette has written several autobiographical books, the first "The Lighthouse Keepers Wife" will be released again.  I did find the second book in a local store later in the week and am relishing the read.


Contemplating living here, on such a remote island, reminded me of long camping trips.  A certain quiet, introspection, and rhythm occupies your days.  Busy, physical days punctuated by time spent in quiet contemplation.  Such a different way of life than my current city lifestyle.  I have been considering culture, lifestyle, and "morals" folks have.  I certainly appreciate the life on D'Urville.  A simpler life, akin to the pioneering days in our history, but I think I would find it difficult from a social perspective.  Pip and Jeanette typically leave the island only once every 2 months or so.

Following our visit, we drove to Picton where we spent the night at a small Backpackers (insert "motel").  Sunday we looked at a lovingly restored wooden 22 foot sailboat, the Merywill,which was offered up for sale.

Jonathan on the Merrywill

Glimpse of Kiwi Life 2:
The owner of the sailboat had a tragic history.  One day, twelve or so years ago, he and his wife were returning from a long camping trip.  They had to take a helicopter out from the trail head.  Unfortunately, there was not enough room for them both to go.  The fellow went first, so as to get things unpacked and ready by the time his wife arrived.  That first helicopter crashed.  He lived, but sustained a severe head injury.  In that flight, he lost his short term memory, his ability to sail, work, and care for himself.  He recovered enough to continued to work on this sailboat, restoring it to a museum-quality wooden boat.  I saw the boat in a new light.  Therapy for mind, body and soul.  Hours spent sanding. Pictures taken to chronicle the restoration, serve as a story of his recovery, and a diary to aid him when memory failed. The sturdy seaworthy craft holds a history of more than the sum of its journeys.  Sometimes, I think about the history of an object, such as this sailboat.  The people that built her, the first buyer, the voyages it has taken from Sweden to NZ.  The sea and sea life that have passed beneath its bow, the owners, restorers, guests, all have contributed a yarn, the fabric of which comprises the history of the Merrywill.

Heidi and Jonathan on Queen Charlotte Track

After viewing the boat, we got back in the car and drove to the trail head for the Queen Charlotte Track, a ridge top trail along the Queen Charlotte Sound.  We hiked only a small portion, dropping down into Lochmora lodge, an eco-tourist lodge that supports local artists and protects several endangered species.  It was a magical place to stay, with delightful food to indulge in after our hike.

Lachmara Bay

Lachmara Lodge

We set our kayaks in the water on Sunday evening and kayaked across the bay to watch the shag (cormorants with white necks) land on the rocky point that served as their nesting ground.  We so enjoyed out kayak, that we went out before breakfast on Monday and paddled up the western shore.
After breakfast, we packed for the return hike, leaving with plenty of time to make it to the airport for my return.

The third Kiwi encounter occurred unexpectedly during our return trek to the car.  We came upon a group of folks walking for Retina NZ, a non-profit group raising money for retinitous pigmentosa.  With them, was Rob, a blind paraolympian who hailed from Auckland.  He was sure footed, and hiked the trail faster than we did.  His sighted assistant rarely gave him any verbal cues, as they barreled down the trail.

We finished our treck, drove to Havalock and lunched there.  I was early to the Nelson Airport and had time to hike/jog the 5k trail around the airport, along the beach, and next to the golf course before flying home.  The walks and flight afforded me time to contemplate the places we choose to live, the need to cherish every moment and be thankful for what we have, and the ability to take what adversity life gives us and accept it as a challenge, .  Each of the folks I had encountered had something unique, a gift, to give to the world.  One left a book, another a boat, the last a footprint, an example.  Each gift an emblem of meaning, of spirit, a gift of both great courage and of hope.  What will be my gift?  Yours? In the end, each relied on friends, partners, children, their support was a large part of what helped them be able to create their gifts.
Thanks, friends!