Piopio artist Jo Gallagher is exhibiting in the Auckland area this upcoming weekend here. This past week Jo emailed us some of her recent work, which she has kindly given me permission to post:
The top work is titled "The Hills of Home," the bottom "Serenity." Jo's website can be found here with her contact details and information about obtaining her work. Images are copyrighted to Jo, and should not be used without her prior permission.
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It's official! Part of Sir Peter Jackson's movie "The Hobbit" will be filmed in Piopio in November. An accommodation person is in town making housing arrangements for 350 odd people in the area, so the word is out.
This is great news--more people than ever will want to visit Piopio, see our picturesque King Country limestone landscapes, and stay at Struan Farm.
Thanks Sir Peter, this will be a big boost to our local economy and little village.
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I was afraid that my blog posts this week were going to be thin on the ground.
Clifford (okay, the one who is sometimes a drama queen) was rushed to the vet at the end of last week. He got sick after eating his dinner, with complications I won't go into in detail. He seems fine now, but they're still trying to sort out what was, or is, wrong. He's lost quite a bit of weight the past month. We've had him on the South Beach Diet since he was too heavy, but now the situation is reversed, so much so that it's a cause for concern along with what happened.
I broke him out of the vet's on Friday night on the promise that I'd scoop up samples needed for further tests. He's on special food and will go back today for follow up. His blood and urine tests were fine, they're now suspecting a parasite or worm of some sort. John and I think his kibble might have gotten cooked in our very hot laundry room, where it's stored in a black plastic rubbish bin. We're going to get him new food and store it elsewhere, just in case this is what caused the problem.
Clifford and I travelled down to Struan Farm late morning on Saturday once I established that he was keeping food down and acting like his normal self. He promised to stay away from possums and rabbits as part of the deal.
We hit a snag when we got to Piopio: the road had been closed since early a.m. due to an accident involving an oil tanker, right near Paemako Scenic Reserve just up from the farm.
So we went to see our friends at The Fat Pigeon and Piopio Orchard to kill some time. Fortunately I also had one of my knitted pillow projects with me in the car. Inframax opened the road at 4 p.m., I was the first car to drive down, happy that we hadn't gotten up early or we would have been waiting all day.
Kids, yikes.
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Angela and Mike, our friends at Piopio Orchard, have just had these tee shirts printed up with their Piopio bird logo:
As you will remember, the Piopio is an extinct native thrush. The irony/humor in this relates to the fact that not too long ago there would have been questions about the survival prospects of Piopio Village itself.
Piopio extinct? We think not, or it wouldn't be joked about! And thanks to the efforts of people like Angela and Mike, Melanie, Jo and their team at The Fat Pigeon, and a committed group of community residents (I won't name names in case I miss anyone), the renaissance of Piopio is underway.
If you're looking for a great community in which to set up a small business (we keep thinking an artisanal cheesemaker would do really well with a shop on the main road, SH3), or a place to raise your family (with both primary school and college), this is the place for you....
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We've got the option of two routes from Te Kuiti to Struan Farm. One is through the town, on SH3, while the other cuts around the town through rolling green hillsides. The distance is essentially the same, the one that goes via Oparure and Troopers Roads is windier and scenic with less traffic.
This past weekend I went down and returned this way to ogle the scenery:
Love the pink doors on this weathered wool shed, can only imagine this was due to the influence of a beloved little girl or perhaps surplus pink paint!
This is one of those routes where time to stop and smell the flowers, which I rarely do, is relaxing and fun.
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At Piopio Orchard the strawberries are finished for the season while the blueberries are still in abundance. While it means that summer is starting to wind to a close, the autumn raspberries have just appeared.
Aren't they beautiful?
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We hadn't planned this. Even if John's Hut had been on our master worklist. Far too much clutter had accumulated, spades and rakes barricaded the doorway. It was a situation crying out for order, right near the Homestead, Maurie's workshop and the pool.
John resists having a worklist, particularly one devised by his wife. He prefers to tackle whatever particular project inspires him on a given day. I don't contest this since we have more than enough work to keep us busy for quite some time.
I have been interested in converting John's Hut into a usable garden tool and potting shed: "a place for everything and everything in its place." We had agreed that it was to be a joint project given the amount of stuff to be sorted through, especially native timber, as well as rustic/vintage items to be recycled or taken off to the dump. I anticipated uncovering a few "objets" that might be repurposed.
The Hut started its life as housing for Struan Farm's "single man," then became a sleep out for John when he lived at the farm before going overseas to the Solomon Islands on the VSA program (NZ equivalent of the Peace Corps) and attending university. In more recent years it has been used as a general storage shed.
Our routine over the holidays at the farm is for John to rise early and head off outside. I require more sleep so am usually left to slumber blissfully. On this particular morning I went into the kitchen to make coffee, and looked outside to notice through bleary eyes that John had started the clean out without me. I cried foul, gulped down caffeine, and proceeded to get stuck in.
Later that day, with the contents of the Hut spread out on the lawn, John decided he was going to put a new roof on using our surplus used corregated iron, while I was on hands and knees washing/scrubbing the walls and floor in anticipation of a major internal renovation/repaint. At one point all we could do was laugh and wonder if we were truly mad!
While we might be mad, and work like mad, we do take time to stop each day to enjoy a healthy, civilized lunch looking out on the garden (note: American iced tea, that great thirst quencher):
The Hut's mint green walls and ceiling are now white (it took three coats!). Pulling off lino revealed nice native timber floorboards, which was a bit of a dilemma. We had some discussion about sanding them, but sanity prevailed-- it is a shed after all. So the floor and window frames were painted green, with peg boards painted and hung for tools.
Originally we thought we'd remove the old louver windows and put in other old windows from our collection, but after taking them out and realizing the glass was in good shape and the louvers were good quality steel and brass, John sanded and repainted them.
We went to see Reg Parkes, a coppersmith in nearby Te Awamutu, to purchase a small funky copper light fixture made out of recycled copper:
We dug out a stash of old hooks, to be painted green and used for a tool rack to run along the walls:
Two found "objets" in the clean out included an interesting enamel pot, that John sanded and painted white for me:
And these little copper knobs, that I'll clean up and use for something interesting:
I've also got some old wooden crates to use as shelving, which should be rustic and useful.
So the project continues post-holiday. Next weekend I'll polyurethane the floors. We've got the electrician booked to come and install the light, then John will put up the tool rack once I finish painting the hooks, I've already painted some boards green to use as a base for the tool rack. We pulled out a rusty old sink and will install a stainless steel bench and sink removed from the old Homestead during our renovation, it's perfect for a garden shed. I've got a potting table to be moved in. We'll install an old copper water tank to collect rainwater from the roof for the sink, most likely after the exterior and the roof get painted.
This is one of those satisfying projects where you can see you've made major impact with a major amount of elbow grease (for me also bruised knees) but very little cost. We used recycled materials entirely except for paint, the copper light, and the cap for the roof.
There's also immense satisfaction (for me) in clearing out clutter (feng shui?), looking after tools properly, and giving this cute little Hut its next incarnation.
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This year I finally made it down to Piopio in time for the annual Christmas Eve parade. I packed the car before going to work in the morning, and barreled out of the office at mid-day and onto the motorway out of Auckland. I am really glad I made the effort to get down to attend.
What an amazing community event, both in terms of participation and attendance!
The main road, SH3, was closed for the parade itself, which included ten or so floats entered by local businesses, school and community groups. Afterward there were rides for the kids in the Village Green and behind the hall.
Parade "grand marshall" Jenny Yates kept everyone in line:
The Fat Pigeon Cafe won first prize in the business category for its gingerbread house float called "Candyland."
For me this spirit and fun are what make life in a small town special, it was a great beginning to the holiday period.
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Piopio has just published two new brochures with more information on activities in the surrounding countryside, "Scenic Routes and Loop Roads" and "Hiking and Walking Tracks:"
The latter includes short walks in the area along with longer hikes in the Whareorino Conservation Area and tramping tracks in Tawarau Forest.
The former includes the drive down the Forgotten World Highway to Whangamomona, which goes through amazing country. Yet another example of how close these remote places are here in New Zealand. Whangamomona has a great old pub that adds to the adventure. John and I made the trip during our Christmas break a few years ago, and are thinking we need to do it again.
The new Piopio website should be up and running soon with this info available online as well.
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We'd heard a rumor last weekend but this week it was confirmed in our local "Waitomo News" that New Zealand film maker Sir Peter Jackson and his crew visited a farm in the nearby Mangaotaki Valley, up river from Struan Farm, to scout a possible filming location for The Hobbit. They arrived in choppers last week.
Principal photography begins in February. Fingers and toes are crossed.
Piopio and Struan Farm will be ready Sir Peter, and of course we've read the book, it's available on Fishpond!
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Driving into Piopio from the north on Friday night I passed by Piopio Orchard and saw the good news:
They were closed for the day by the time I drove by, but after our successful tractor adventure on Saturday a.m. I went over to purchase and sample the first of the season.
They are really big and sweet for this early in the season. I just love my antioxidants.
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I arrived at the farm on Friday night to learn that John was going to drive our vintage David Brown tractor into Piopio the next morning so that one, possibly two, tires could be replaced.
Struan Farm is 9.42k south of the village, on the main thoroughfare south, State Highway 3. It is a windy, picturesque road that does get a bit of traffic on weekends.
John was excited about the impending adventure, while I had visions of a major disaster given speeding motorists around windy bends.
I suggested that I follow behind with my car emergency flashers on, but he would have none of it. Saturday morning he did finally agree to wear a reflective vest.
John and the tractor went out the gate at 8 a.m. at warp speed 30k per hour:
I was meant to wait a respectable amount of time and then follow, "just in case." We were going to have a celebratory coffee at The Fat Pigeon afterward.
Arrived safely, phew! Only problem: return journey next weekend...
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This time of year things change quickly in Piopio and in the garden at Struan Farm. I never know what to expect on arrival. In less than a week we have had two firsts of the season.
Our first roses. John's sister Anna tells me that these are called "Creamsicle." They are a lovely soft apricot color and are growing profusely over one of the trellises in the Homestead garden:
We'd cut them back pretty heavily over the winter and fed them, clearly the right course of action.
And Piopio Orchard has opened. So John and I savored the first strawberries of the season over the weekend.
They are particularly sweet for early berries, no complaints from us about that!
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I am one happy girl when the Piopio Orchard officially opens for the season. Mike and Angela Roy and their family work hard all season to grow and deliver beautiful, delicious strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries to their customers.
Their offering has expanded in recent years to include fruit ice cream and frozen yogurt, smoothies, coffee, and freshly baked muffins. Angela threatened last year to add jam to the mix; I'd thought she was way too busy to carry that off, but yes, this year they've got jams as well:
They've developed a great logo (yep, a bird), and refurbished what was a stock standard farm shed with neat corrugated metal counters and funky signage:
The entire family can be seen working during the peak summer season, we have watched the children grow into young adults. Elizabeth James, who attended Piopio Primary School with John, is an enthusiastic local and loyal employee (I'm sure they would say she is part of the family).
Fresh strawberries are a Christmas tradition in NZ, served with cream, ice cream, or icing sugar. Fresh Piopio strawberries are in their own special category; we place an advance order to make sure we can pick them up Christmas Eve for our large family gatherings both on Christmas and Boxing Days.
I pretty much live on Piopio berries all summer and autumn, eat them fresh and bake pies and crumbles and any other recipes I can come up with. I also now make strawberry and blueberry jams toward the end of my annual Christmas holiday break, have perfected both my technique and recipes (future post on that, it will be messy but fun).
Bring on the berries!
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John and I were at The Fat Pigeon Cafe in Piopio yesterday morning having our Sunday coffee. It's a weekly ritual for us before I head off to get ready for my work week.
Two interesting classic cars had passed me on the drive into town, a common sight along SH3 given its scenery--it's a great destination for Sunday drives in the rural countryside, and there are often vintage car rallies in the Taranaki region further south.
While enjoying our Ozone coffees, we looked out to see a group of classic cars pull up beside the park/rest stop next to The Fat Pigeon. (As I've mentioned previously, Piopio is known for having particularly clean public toilets!) Neither John nor I could figure out what make cars they were, so I hopped up to go have a chat and find out.
It turns out they were "Sunbeams," a make of car I had never heard of before. I've done some homework upon returning home, and have learned enough to make me realize that I should have asked this group alot more questions about these special cars.
Sunbeam was a British company that made bicycles, motorcycles and then motorcars from the late 19th century up until 1936. It was the first British car to win a Grand Prix race and set a number of land speed records. In 1935 the company went into receivership and was purchased by Rootes Group, which continued to use the Sunbeam marque.
The group was on a drive organized by the Sunbeam Club of Waikato, and was travelling south down to Mokau, at which point they were going to follow the rugged coastline. John and I did this trip last year for the first time, and were amazed to discover just what is out there, how isolated it is yet still close to our farm as well as to more populated areas. In my mind this is one of the special things about New Zealand, that these remote places still exist and are accessible.
One of owners proudly advised me that his car had an interesting heritage: it had been owned and driven by the legendary British racing driver Stirling Moss in the 1950's:
Here's another in a beautiful shade of cherry red:
After a quick pitstop the group drove off with big waves all around to enjoy the brilliant day, reminding us once again that Piopio is definitely on the road.
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The landscape of the King Country is dotted with limestone rocks but also rustic sheds, picturesque barns, and sometimes abandoned houses.
The latter are somewhat unusual from my perspective. They are left untouched to weather and eventually collapse. We drive by two often in our travels:
John wants me to research the histories of these weathered structures, write about their stories and photograph them seriously. While we do not understand the cultural issues that may be associated with this practice, it is thought that in the early days when a person died in a house that it was abandoned. We really don't know if this is true, "rural legend," or simply misinformation.
Isabel Allende's novel "The House of the Spirits" drifted into my mind as I was thinking about this. It makes me smile to think the spirits may have kept their homes for eternity.
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I remember a verse from childhood that it turns out was a poem written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow called "The Village Blacksmith." The first part of which is:
"Under a spreading chestnut tree, the village smithy stands;
The smith, a mighty man is he,
With large and sinewy hands;
And the muscles in his brawny arms
Are strong as iron bands."
In Piopio the old blacksmith forge and the smithy's cottage have been preserved as part of a simple country museum open to the public. John remembers as a child taking spades, axes and horse shoes to Bill Glascow, the blacksmith in Piopio village, to be repaired or made. He always wore a black singlet, and seemed very imposing and strong with his red hot forge.
This past weekend we stopped in so I could photograph the old anvil and forge:
There was also a board of different horse shoes on the wall, which must have been used as samples:
Thinking it might be nice to have a resurgence of this skill.
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Recently I've done a bit of work researching the bird after which Piopio is named. I'd always been told that the Piopio was an extinct native thrush, but had no idea what it looked like and why it became extinct. Below is a picture of a print taken from Walter Lawry Buller's "Birds of New Zealand, 2nd edition, 1888." One thousand sets of the edition were produced, although 251 copies were lost in the wrecks of the Matai and Assaye sinkings in 1890. The image below is a photograph of a chromolithograph by artist J.G. Keulemans of the North and South Island Thrushes (Turnagra tanagra and Turnagra crassirostris) that we own, purchased from a company in Greytown called New Zealand Birds, http://www.nzbirds.com . (The South Island bird is in the front, North Island in the back):
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It was a passerine bird of the Turnagridae family, common in 1873 but declining rapidly thereafter due to predation by cats and rats, with the last specimen seen in 1900 or thereabouts. The bird was commonly named a thrush, but is now thought to be more closely related to the bower birds and birds of paradise from Australia and New Guinea.
Still can't find out how/why the village was named after the bird, my detective work continues....
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John attended Piopio Primary School many moons ago. He still keeps in touch with a number of people from his class, several of whom continue to live in the area.
The school sits in a lovely tree lined setting, near Piopio College, with a traditional wooden exterior and high windows. I especially like the fact that the signage is in both English and Te Reo Maori:
The school was the first in NZ to have a school bus. Picture of this school bus taking students from Paemako (near Struan Farm) to Piopio circa 1924-25, courtesy of our National Library, http://mp.natlib.govt.nz/detail/?id=15841 :
We have a print of this image framed in the cottage, although no one can really figure out where on the road it was taken!
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We have a nice public golf course in Piopio, about 10 km up the road from Struan Farm. It has beautiful trees that help make the course rather picturesque (I think Maurie might have been involved in planting some of them years ago).
But the thing that tends to get the most attention from passersby (especially foreign tourists) is the course maintenance crew:
Suffice it to say that the greens are really green.
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