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Great Barrier Island 2009 Annual Famil Report
The 2009 Annual Group Famil to Great Barrier Island, organised by Simon McManus - Report by Angela Pearse We knew we weren't on the mainland anymore when we spied the locals. Burly, unshaven men dressed in ill-fitting tweed jackets and battered akubra hats. They looked like they'd been engaged in hard physical labour from the day they were born. We still had neat hair, and mobile phones. Unusable mobile phones as it turned out. If you ever want to see travel writers squirm put them on an island without Vodafone coverage! But the beauty of Great Barrier Island soon overcame our need for technology. In the next few days we were plunged into nature and introduced to some truly stunning stretches of coastline.Visiting an island with wind turbines, solar panels and battery powered electricity proved interesting to say the least. The hot water stopped after 10pm and our meals on the first night in the Currach Irish pub kept disappearing and reappearing under the 'mood lighting'. One local man we spoke to at the Sunset Waterfront Lodge café told us he burnt cabbage leaves to make methanol to run his generator. Being so self-sufficient meant he sometimes didn't see another human face for weeks on end. He also mentioned he had eight baths on his property. Apparently it all depended on the wind direction as to which one he used. There were other personalities such as Sven Stellin, who felled great quantities of manuka and kanuka to extract the essential oil. His hand-drawn diagram of the process was perfectly explanatory, no PowerPoint presentations here. Then there was Tony Bouzaid of Glenfern Sanctuary who gave us a lecture about rat traps and drove us up the hillside in his Unimog for a bush walk through native kauri. His single-handed dedication to providing a safe haven for native birds was truly remarkable. Animals were a special highlight of the trip. A nesting mother shag and her babies. A brown teal duck and her fluffy bundles. Dolphins serenely cruising the breakers at Okupu Bay. The only animal that proved elusive was the rare Chevron Skink, although we kept our eyes peeled for it. Our tour guide Steve Billingham has a passion for Great Barrier that shone through in his anecdotes. In my mind he became 'The Barrier' and his energy, warmth and hospitality knew no bounds. I know I'm not alone in saying that blasting down the empty roads on his trike was a definite highlight of the trip. As was the great food and getting to know my fellow travel companions. I think I can safely say that Great Barrier Island brought out a little of the tweed jacket in all of us. A special thanks to Simon, Jo and Jean for organising such a unique travel writing experience.   |
| Left photo - Sealink Ferry and Harbour Right photo - Tryphena harbour and sunset   |
| Left Photo - Admiring the view Right photo - our tour guide Steve Billingham   |
| Left Photo - Nesting shag and babies Right Photo - Sven Stellin's Barrier Gold Property   |
| Left photo - Sven Stellin
Right photo - oil extraction diagram   |
| Left photo - wine and kebabs aboard Sundancer
Right photo - Tony Bouzaid's unimog   |
| Left photo - Jean Goodbrand braves the swingbridge
Right photo - Shane Boocock and swingbridge   |
| Left Photo - Jo Mackie at Awana Beach
Right photo - Medlands Beach   |
| Left photo - Rakitu Island looks like a duck
Right photo - Solar panel house   |
| Left photo - Bush walking to Kaitoke hot springs
Right photo - Angela Pearse and Jo Mackie enjoying the springs   |
| Left photo - Steve in his leather jacket
Right photo - Jean Goodbrand and Judith Doyle on the trike with Steve   |
| Left photo - Shane Boocock and Paul Rush on trike with Steve
Right photo - Simon McManus on the trike   |
| Left photo - kayaking at Whangaparapara
Right photo - heading home on our tiny plane!!! All photos copyright Angela Pearse. |