I started travelling down to New Zealand in 1987 as a tourist, annually every year after 1992 or so. I'd pass straight through Auckland to the South Island from the US. My trips started in the Nelson area and then I'd drive down the West Coast from there, walking and doing photography, venturing down gravel roads to explore. While each time I'd explore a new area, I also returned to special places (and people).
Every year without fail I stayed with Glen and Stan Davenport at Doone Cottage in Motueka. http://www.doonecottage.co.nz The property overlooks the Motueka River and looks straight across to the often snow capped mountains and Mt Arthur. For some reason just being there is restorative. Over many years and long talks over the dinner table, Glen and Stan became dear friends. It is a homecoming every visit. One year Stan walked with me up to the summit of Mt Arthur (I wouldn't have made it there on my own, Stan was 70 at the time). Another year Glen, Stan and I joined a group that walked up Lodestone Peak to discover amazing 180 degree views of Nelson and Golden Bays. The gardens, animals, and homey ambiance that is Doone Cottage make it a cozy, welcoming place. Glen continues to take guests, and it is well worth a stay, just don't book the Garden Chalet when I want to visit!
Not far from Doone enroute to the upper Moutere is the settlement of Ngatimoti, where one day for the first time I called into artist Anne Bannock's Meadowbank Gallery in the Orinoco Valley. She displays her work in a wonderful old weathered shed. Anne and her husband Mike of course were friends of Glen and Stan. (And as it happens here, they lived in Te Kuiti before moving to Ngatimoti, and know John's sister Anna.)
When John and I decided to get married at St. James Church in Ngatimoti (Glen and Stan's local church), Anne and Mike were in attendance, Stan drove me to the church in his vintage Holden, and Glen decorated the car with ribbons and flowers and served as the "mother of the bride." Stan helped us find the right vicar, one who would be appropriately traditional but not OTT ("over the top"). We cut the wedding cake afterward with a small group of friends and family at Doone Cottage, where we spent our wedding night and honeymoon.
This is an area and these are people that have a special place in my heart.
Over the years I have acquired a number of Anne's paintings. I love the fact that her style varies, although I am drawn to her landscapes the most. She has recently set up a website, http://www.annebannock.co.nz showcasing her work, and is writing a blog (Mike may be in charge of the blog).
The painting below, "Ferns," was my first acquisition. We've decided it is going to hang in the bedroom at the Homestead, where its scale will work with the high ceiling:
These two below hang in Papakura for now. The first is "Marahau," the following "Kahurangi Hills," with our other "Annes" on display in the Cottage:
I'll tell you about my friends Rosie and Bruce from Estuary Arts in Golden Bay at some point too, but don't want to inundate you with too much good art all at once, it should be rationed and savored.
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