The old-fashioned scythe, in the clutches of the Grim Reaper, may have dark undertones for some, but for Coromandel woman Beth Pearsall, it’s practical, easy to use and a peaceful way to maintain her orchard.
Unlike modern-day mowers and weedeaters, ithas no numbing vibrations or sputtering fumes, and almost helps her meditate as she swings it over the weeds, she told RNZ’s Country Life.
With whetstone and snath - the curved shaft - in hand, Pearsall is a convert to the ancient skill, once a common sight at hay harvesting time when teams of workers would take to the fields with their scythes and pitchforks and horse-drawn wagons.
“I find it very relaxing, sort of like doing Tai Chi or something.
“You can go out in the morning ... and it works best when the grass is a bit damp ... and it’s quiet, you know, all you have is the swishing of the blade.”
She imports the scythes from an Austrian firm that has been making the tools since the mid-1500s.
Pearsall might be one of the most remote shopkeepers in New Zealand, selling the scythes and other traditional implements from her home tucked away in the bush at the northern tip of the Coromandel Peninsula.
She recently took over the business, The Garden Tool Store, from her mother, Joanna Pearsall, and Bryan Innes, Joanna’s partner.
An interest in permaculture and the desire to cut carbon emissions sparked their interest in scything, and they began touring the country to teach, later branching out into other tools, such as those traditionally used in Japan and Korea.
“They need to work well,” Joanna said.
“They need to be well designed, and they need to last a long time, and a lot of indigenous tools are like that.”
Bryan Innes and Joanne Pearsall in their kitchen. Photo / RNZ, Sally Round
Beth has followed in their footsteps and holds workshops to teach people how to use the tools, including the skill of scything, while keeping fingers and toes intact.
“It can be a bit awkward or something while you’re learning the movement, but once you get it, it’s easy.”
The tools don’t come cheap.
Some are made of bronze and copper, some with ash handles and all with a solid hand-made feel.
A well-used garden tool in the Pearsall's orchard. Photo / RNZ, Sally Round
“I had people contact me after the cyclone because their lands in the East Cape, you know, had silt go all over them, and all these weeds had sprung up, and they needed a way to cut through it.
“And so, a scythe was actually the perfect tool for that job.”
