Moonlight bewitched Trevor

Moonlight bewitched Trevor when he met Gail, together they have built a dream: a 9-hole golf course and lodge in the middle of nowhere.

Motivated by Gail's ancestral connection to the land and Trevor's love of the outdoors they have crafted an ecologically sensitive haven for native wildlife and guests alike.

Trevor and Gail now delight in their first grandchild.

Fringed by native forest, the golf course is linked by enchanting bush walks. Wild deer can sometimes be seen grazing the fairways at dusk & dawn. A large wetland is the centrepiece of the course and provides a haven for breeding waterfowl and the secretive fernbird.

The course consists of four par-3, three par-4 and two par-5 holes. Complimentary club use for guests.

Trevor is a Department of Conservation Ranger.

He and Gail have an active pest control strategy on the golf course and have planed their wetland garden to welcome other native wildlife.

Trev is an accomplished photographer and author. He celebrates the rugged environment of the Paparoa Range, on the West Coast, in his expedition journal "Touch the Wilderness"and his photos of native birds have been published in magazines.

Trev collects oral histories from the area and is always on for a yarn.

Trevor and Gail have sold a forested portion of their 120 acre property for the establishment of a Kiwi Crèche to be run by the Paparoa Wildlife Trust. Predator-proof fencing is currently being erected.

The Trust will collect eggs from the Paparoa ranges for incubation in a special facility in Canterbury. When the chicks hatch from the eggs they will be released into the safety of the Kiwi crèche until they are big enough to defend themselves against stoats and rats. Chicks are fitted with transmitters and monitored until they are 1.2kg.

You will be able to hear them calling and feeding at night from the lodge.

A Cultural Ambassador

Glenice speaks Japanese.
She needed to because she had sixteen trips to Japan, promoting New Zealand, Wool and Wool Craft.

A resilient and driven woman with eight children and a farm to run with her husband; Glenice was, and still is, a weaver in her spare time at home in South Westland.

In 1989 she received a NZ Wool Board Award which paid her expenses to Japan on behalf of the NZ Embassy.

Glenice spoke at fairs and events about New Zealand. She was motivated to share her passion for wool with Japanese craft groups. With a laugh, she says she didn't dare try and teach anything about weaving because the Japanese culture has mastery with silk.

Glenice spent the majority of her time in the northern Hokkaido Prefecture.

Wool Craft was particularly suited to the long winters and she thought it would be a useful thing to teach. She further explains that, in the North, there is snow for five months and the sea freezes as the temperature drops to 40 below.

One of her highlights was experiencing the autumn salmon run.

Glenice was often asked to talk about New Zealand at schools. She marvels at her experiences; she once taught a kindergarten class of 120 5-year-olds how to felt. After a very busy two hours, each of them had brightly coloured NZ wool ball to take home to show their family.

With a New Zealand-Japan Foundation Grant she was able to take her husband Jim to Japan with her. He was a great help; carrying and organising her equipment for events. He also entertained with the men, which saved her another job.

Jim had been part of the occupying force after WWII.
He had always liked the Japanese, their diligence and their strong work ethic had appealed to his farming mindset. He was astonished at the developments since his time in Tokyo during the war when the city had been flattened.

Glenice described her trips to Japan as unpaid working holidays - "I was just a cultural ambassador" she says, as if anyone of us would have the artistry or the tenacity.

View Glenice Purcell in a larger map

Putting eco-friendly into action

Andre is a South African with a passion for New Zealand. He regularly volunteers for DoC. Andre is an outdoorsy sort of bloke, he has guided throughout the South Island for 27 years and climbed Mt Cook. Andre married his Scottish maiden in an Edinburgh Castle 8 years ago and brought her home to New Zealand. Alison brought her Aga… Her passion for cooking has extended to a vast vegetable garden. Almost all the vegetables she cooks with have come from her own tunnel houses. They both love that they share their home with native birds. Weka, Owls, Tui and Bellbirds are regular guests. Kiwi are sometimes heard. Alison and Andre are mindful of their impact on the environment. They have a plan to manage their consumption. They have thought it through and put it into action. They collect rain water and are installing solar water heating. Alison and Andre have green thumbs. They have made the most of the temperate climate and ample rainfall to foster an extensive fruit and vegetable garden. They use coffee grounds, high in nitrogen, from a local café to mulch their gardens. Andre and Alison provide luxury accommodation in a unique, remote and beautiful location. Unwind in the outdoor bath while the sun sets and enjoy sumptuous food and engaging hospitality.

Reclaimed, Pre-Loved and Re-Used.

Reclaimed, Pre-Loved and Re-Used. These were Sandy's words to describe the eclectic mix of influences that she and Russell put into their home in Barrytown.

It was easy to get Sandy and Russell talking about the process of building their home. As I listened I realised they were talking about their own journey. I heard their hopes and dreams for a lifestyle that shares the values of the past and allows freedom to enjoy life at a slower pace. They want people to come and share this magic.


Sandy said they felt the building should belong to the West Coast.

They have gone to extraordinary lengths to incorporate local history and pay respect to wholesome working people of the area.

They elevated timbers from farm outbuildings to treasures remodelled for indoors.

A collection of beautiful wood salvaged from old sheds and cattle yards sits comfortably under the gaze of a stained glass window from the Greymouth Post Office.

When they reclaimed the timber floor from a joiner shop they made a marvellous discovery: Carved on the underside of the boards was the date 1901. The carpenters who laid the floor in the early port of Greymouth would certainly be surprised about the current presentation of their elaborate signatures. Their names now feature as a cryptic decoration in the living room.

A giant wave of bush clad hills rises up behind the house. She sits safely anchored to the land with sturdy beams from the old Cobden Railway Bridge.

Russell designed the high curved ceilings to echo the curves of the land. "He is good with plans, being a landscape gardener" said Sandy as she minimised her input by describing it as "a steep learning curve for a hairdresser."

It was Sandy's vision to rough plaster the vaulted ceilings. Lovely natural light entering from watery seascapes outside is captured by the plasterwork and scattered across the kitchen.

Local beauty outdoors and local culture inside crafted from the imaginations and different backgrounds of these two understated people. Russell from his New Zealand culture and Sandy from her Caribbean roots in British Colonial Bermuda.

The overall effect sings of people and places, here and beyond.