Artist Teresa HR Land (right) and her partner Pierre outside the renovated shearing shed on their property.
Matauri Bay art studio opens
It’s a shearing shed but not as we know it.
Artist, Teresa HR Lane and her partner, Pierre, bought a 30-acre (12ha) home block near Matauri Bay in the Far North, part of what was once a larger sheep farm. The original shearing shed and yards and the shearers’ cottage were on the block with their home.
They pondered what to rejuvenate, explored the option of hiring a builder and rapidly discovered that was economically unviable, so decided on DIY.
“We found recycled offcuts and seconds, we began by reroofing over a two-year period and Pierre managed to replace the entire roof for $1000.
“The window joinery came from houses in Auckland, a house lot of solid rimu windows for $1 came from an old state house in Avondale, the feature window was $1 and we got solid kauri from a fancy house in the eastern bays,” she says.
The plan was to have a studio art space and accommodation. They were guided by the use-less philosophy – recycle, reuse, relove. It’s the same ethos that underpins her art practice to the transformation stage of the space.
The wool processing side of the shed is Studio 1, a one-bedroom apartment for holiday accommodation.
The art studio, where the sheep once waited for a groom, is under construction. It has taken two and a half years to get this far and the long-term plan is to host workshops and residences.
“It’s the beginning of an exciting vision which is developing through our actions of living art,” she said.
During the Koast Art Trail over Labour Weekend, Teresa HR Lane presented new ‘Mine To Mine’ works alongside artist Leigh Tawharu.
Art exhibition and sale in Kerikeri
ArtCraft is a charitable trust based in Kerikeri.
For the past 35 years it has held an art and craft exhibition and sale. In November there is another, to be held at the Kerikeri Sports Complex, at the corner of the bypass to Waipapa Rd.
Committee member Jeannette van der Land said it’s the first time the trust has used the sports facility to exhibit.
“We are very excited about the fantastic space we can fill,” she said.
There will be paintings and ceramics (which are the main groups) and other crafty bits and pieces, including pottery, on display and for sale on Friday November 28, Saturday 29 and Sunday 30.
Members pay a $20 registration fee to be in the exhibition but there are no fees for visitors. Eftpos is available but there isn’t a credit card payment facility.
The nearly 60 members of the charity, working either from Cherry Park House or at home, have the opportunity to take part.
The events committee is responsible for the layout of the exhibition under the guidance of a “very experienced artist”, Judi Souter.
Van der Land says most of the artists are amateurs having fun, although some are serious artists.
There will be an education display on the dynamics of creating ceramics, and they “just don’t do pots”.
A raffle will be run for Christmas hampers; the draw will be at 4pm on the last day, Sunday.
Farewell to the airport
It must be a record. Robyn Roberts has worked at Kerikeri airport for 27 years from the days when it was a “one-man-band” operation to the technological assistance of today.
Back in 1998 there were just three people who worked there and it was under the auspices of Eagle Air.
They would do check-in, load the plane, unload it, report on the weather, refuel and oversee the startup of the aircraft.
They would also do a runway check and myriad other jobs involved in getting the aircraft in and out of the airport.
Back then the airport building was small and Eagle Airways was very much a manual operation. The Air New Zealand Link was introduced in 1991 to consolidate regional services from its subsidiaries.
Her first job was in a travel agency in her home town of Nelson. She did her OE in London from where she joined Cathay Pacific Airways for two years before returning to New Zealand.
She rejoined Cathay Pacific in Auckland in the town office but always had a love of airports: the atmosphere, the contact with people and the buzz. She made that attraction a reality when she started to work at Kerikeri airport.
“There were so many memorable moments in my time there,” she said. “I met so many important people like All Blacks, prime ministers, governors-general and world-famous actors.
“Waitangi Weekend was always huge for us and over my 27 years I never got to go to the Waitangi celebrations as it was always such a busy weekend at the airport.”
Her favourite moments were with the regular customers.
“That, I will certainly miss,” she said.
If there is one thing she could have waved a magic wand to change it would be that the wind would blow away the low cloud and fog that envelops the airport from time to time, especially in winter.
She has recently moved from Kerikeri to Mangawhai to be closer to her daughters and grandchildren who live in Matakana and Ōrewa.
She says at this stage she is technically retired. But adds: “I feel I might get a small relaxed job here.”