1 Captions by Jean Teng. Edited by Faith Hamblyn. Captions were made with the support of NZ On Air. www.able.co.nz Copyright Able 2017. (RELAXED, FUNKY MUSIC) (MUSIC CONTINUES) Kawau Island, in the Hauraki Gulf, has been called 'the biggest small community in the world.' There are only 85 full-time residents spread out over 9 miles of coastline on the western side of the island, along with a handful of holiday homes and 73 jetties ` that's about one per person. (RELAXED, FUNKY MUSIC CONTINUES) A friend brought me to Kawau not long after arriving from the UK. Within two days, I shot a gun, used a chainsaw, jumped off the wharf, fished off the rocks and cooked on an open fire. These were experiences that I never had when I was growing up in the UK, but I love it so much knowing that my children will have these experiences as their memories. Nowadays, coming to Kawau feels like coming home. And I'm not the only lucky one who feels that way about the place. In this episode of Neighbourhood, we'll meet a woman whose spiritual journey has brought her full circle. I didn't know who I really was. I was incredibly lonely a lot of the time. I used to come back here when I could to ground, and I always knew that this is where I wanted to be. A Kawau local shares the skills he honed in the work camps of Holland after World War II. My days were usually 12 hours' non-stop work. But I'm always glad if I can help somebody, and... But I don't do anything for myself. (CHUCKLES) Descendants of Kawau's most famous resident debate his legacy. It's just an amazing thing, that he took her under his wing when she was only 10, or 10 or 12, because, you know, she was an` an illegitimate child to his half-brother. And in those days, most illegitimate children would've been kicked to the kerbstone. And we'll meet a woman from America who circled the globe twice before deciding Kawau was home. One day, I just felt like my life was a bit stagnant. I got tired of the guys I was dating ` they were all university types, all far too serious. And I just decided I wanted to buy a sailboat and, um, learn about sailing. I'm Gareth Stewart, and this is my neighbourhood. (TINKLY MUSIC) (ACOUSTIC GUITAR MUSIC) (SEAGULLS CRY) My mother's from the East Midlands in England; my dad's from Jamaica ` he came over to the UK when he was 8. When he arrived, people were convinced that they were coming over to take their jobs. So racism was rife. (ACOUSTIC GUITAR MUSIC CONTINUES) My parents taught me to stand up to all oppression, not just what we experience ourselves. My dad was a policeman, who earned a lot of respect in the force despite the obvious racism. But I'm grateful to both my parents. They've helped me navigate some pretty stormy seas. (RELAXED MUSIC) (RELAXED MUSIC CONTINUES) I had no ocean experience ` no sailing experience, really. But one day, I just felt like my life was a bit stagnant. I was tired of the guys I was dating ` they were all university types, all far too serious. And I just decided I wanted to buy a sailboat and, um, learn about sailing. (RELAXED MUSIC CONTINUES) Long story short, I met Larry,... who was a, uh, charter captain at the time. We started chatting, and he was building a boat, a sailboat. And I moved in with him three days later and helped him build his boat. I was born in Detroit, Michigan, and, uh, grew up in California, just north of Los Angeles and the desert. Um, actually was sort of a desert rat. I first met Larry on our` on our first real date, cos we actually did date for three days. He was explaining to me about this boat he was building, and it was just an amazing afternoon of learning about his dream. And as I was saying goodbye, I said, 'You just showed me a wonderful, wonderful day. 'I just had a great day.' And he says, 'Well, stick with me, baby, and you'll go a long way.' Well, he lived up to that promise. (LAUGHS) He really did. (REFLECTIVE PIANO MUSIC) I was young; I was 20. I wanted adventure. It was a huge change, but it was an exciting change, because, first, I was learning to build things, learning to sail. But I was doing something that was exactly what I'd dreamed of doing when I grew up. I just wanted to be different, and being at sea and learning to sail a boat was different and, of course, led to amazing adventures. But always, we learned to watch out for each other; make each other look good. And he showed me that right from the beginning. From the first day I met him, that was his attitude towards having a partner. (BRIGHT, RELAXING MUSIC) We paid for our adventures right from the beginning by delivering boats for other people. Larry was a very good rigger. There's always people needing repairs to their boats as you're sailing. And that's how we did it for the first several years. My writing then kicked in, and then Larry started writing some technical articles about sailing. The joke that we always used to say is that I told the stories and he told the truth. Larry wrote very practical articles on how-to. In fact, he wrote a complete book on boatbuilding, which I did all the editing for. But I wrote the narrative stories, but then Larry was always backing me up with the technical advice. And that's what our books work for the sailors. (RELAXING MUSIC) Over 45 years, we sailed the equivalent of three times around the world. 75 different countries. We actually worked in 19 different countries, restoring boats, doing boat repairs. It couldn't have been better. After about 20 years of sailing together, we sailed into New Zealand just to visit friends down here. We'd never been to New Zealand before. And, uh, it just... enchanted us, and... we actually came down to Kawau Island to join in on the anniversary regatta. And the night after we got here, a westerly gale blew in. We sailed around to North Cove to get protection from the wind, and the next morning Larry looked around, and he said to me, 'Lin, if I could find a little piece of land 'in this cove where there was just some room to do some boatbuilding, 'it would be perfect for when we decide to retire someday.' And three months later, we found this place. He bought me a little... 15ft daysailor ` it's a keeler. It's a little matte Herreshoff keeler that I enjoy sailing around here. But Larry's, uh, unfortunately, at the age of 78, has had to go into care. His memory has gone pretty badly. But, you know, six months before, when his mind was still better and with it, I said to him, 'Don't you wish we could go on one more adventure? Be planning one more crazy stunt?' And he says, 'That would be downright greedy.' Of course I wish Larry could've continued past his 77 years being my partner full-time, but not many people had 48 years of just about the perfect partner. (RELAXED MUSIC) (WATER SLOSHES GENTLY) This is Mansion House Bay, once home to governor George Grey. He stocked his estates with exotic plants and animals from across the empire, like zebras, peacocks, monkeys and wallabies. (RELAXED MUSIC CONTINUES) Kawau was like a microcosm of how the British Empire viewed the colonial world in the 1800s ` theirs for the taking. I've family tree on my father's side that dates back to the slave trade in Jamaica. I think it's strange to think that not so long ago, my ancestors were slaves. We're still trying to find out exactly where in Africa we originally came from. I think it's really important to acknowledge our links to the past. (SLOW, THOUGHTFUL MUSIC) And they don't teach you a lot. You learned by watching. (SERENE MUSIC) No food. (CHUCKLES) You know? (LAUGHS) (RELAXED MUSIC) (SEAGULLS CRY) My children, Zane and Jacob, they love spending time with Granddad. He's one of the biggest parts of the community, I think, here, so... We have our magazine, the Kookaburra, and he's in every episode for I don't know how long. Into everything to do with the Island. Granddad, do you wanna catch a snapper? Well, I got sick of building. I've a licence in commercial fishing for about... two and a half years. And that's why we moved to Kawau. I was doing quite good,... but the trouble was, the people on Kawau found out I was a builder,... and I was to finish off the fishing. He's one of those people that you can call with any issue at all. So, like, on Friday nights, he'll get phone calls ` they've just arrived at their bach about 8, 8.30, 'Oh, the hot-water cylinder's blown.' So George goes over there and sorts it and orders their new one, and it's in by the next day, or... Everything and anything, he's fixing. Come on, son. He tangled it. (LAUGHTER) Come on back! Bye, lads. Bye. Bye, bye, Granddad! My days are usually 12 hours'... non-stop work. But I'm always glad if I can help somebody, and... (SIGHS) Or putting a kitchen in for someone. But I don't do anything for myself. (CHUCKLES) (RELAXING JAZZY MUSIC) I like the water. I like the sunsets; people. (RELAXING JAZZY MUSIC CONTINUES) My wife, Robin, and I run a boat club. The old building was pretty difficult when we first arrived. We were complete novices and knew nothing about this place. And from day one, uh, if I ever had a problem, whether it was with a toilet or the hot-water cylinders or the showers, George would be here in his tin boat within 10 or 15 minutes with a bag old bits and pieces and would sort our problem out. He has looked after us beautifully since we've been here. He's our favourite. He usually likes a bit of brandy in his coffee. (LAUGHS) We haven't had the privilege, as a lot of people on Kawau have, to have George in their lives for a long period of time. But he's certainly made an impact on our life, and I just hold him in the highest regard and think it's an absolute privilege to have met him. (SOLEMN MUSIC) I think New Zealand is one of the most beautiful countries. I've been lucky I've... seen a lot of it. And... I think it's stunning. New Zealand's given me a lot, and... I'm always glad to give something back. (RELAXED MUSIC) So, netting's a bit of a ritual on Kawau Island. Every morning, we'll come down, and we'll throw some baits out and hopefully bring back some beautiful piper. It's a fish that's really underrated by Kiwis, and it's just great for throwing on the barbecue or even chopping up raw in a bit of ceviche. So I really look forward to netting when I come to Kawau. I've always been fascinated by food. At a young age, I'd go to the supermarket with Mum, and I'd always spend a lot of time just staring at the fish and the fishmongers. I was baking cakes with Mum, and by 7 or 8 I was cooking a family dinner. At 16, I left school and began my career as a chef. I've been really lucky with my career path, and now I'm lucky enough to work in some of the finest restaurants in Auckland. But sometimes, life takes a circular path and brings you back where you need to be. (TRANQUIL MUSIC) Part of being on Kawau, this beautiful community that I live in, is coming home ` coming to the place that I feel the happiest in, that I feel the most me, that I can hear my heart... and be amongst nature. I'm so lucky. I'm so, so, so lucky. # There on a branch # with a blossom of red,... # Tui is calling... # so pure... # and so true. # You can choose freedom... # and love,... # she says. # I show the way with my voice when # I play, for... # tui is calling me. # I started off at law school,... and then my sister died, and I decided, you know what? Life's pretty short. I hate law school. The only thing that appealed to me about law was the, you know, 'Ladies and gentlemen of the court.' Um, the theatricality of it. So I then went off to Toi Whaakari, the New Zealand drama school. I pretty much got snapped up immediately into the world of international music theatre, which I lasted about seven years ` developed a bit of a drug habit. (REFLECTIVE MUSIC) I was very unhappy. I hadn't dealt with my sister's death. I didn't know who I really was. I was incredibly lonely a lot of the time. I was always the person in rehearsal who was wearing bare feet and going to the parks and` and looking to get to beach or to go horse riding or to do something with nature, and often it was, like, 'Oh, she's a bit strange', you know. (LAUGHS) So I alienated myself, and I also felt very alienated. I used to come back here when I could to ground, and I always knew that this is where I wanted to be. Those times were rough. They were hiding from who I was through being someone else. Acting onstage as someone else meant I didn't have to deal with my` with my problems. (RELAXING GUITAR MUSIC) (MUSIC CONTINUES) My family have owned Pohutukawa Bay, uh, Accord Point of Kawau Island since 1952. Growing up here as a child was absolute paradise. We spent all day in the sea. We were pretty feral ` feet tough enough to walk on oysters, chasing wallabies, um, you know, listening to the tui, uh, swimming with dolphins occasionally. So it was` it was paradise. Swimming in the bay off our wharf, which still looks exactly the same. This whole point still looks exactly the same. The boat shed's still the same. Absolutely beautiful, beautiful times. I was never gonna be happy full-time on a stage. I was never gonna be happy full-time in a recording studio. I was never gonna be happy touring the world as a travelling artist. That was a life that I tried for a little while, and... I just` I'm a` I'm a nature girl. You know, I need to be amongst the trees and the birds and living in a way where I can go out into the world from a place of stillness. When I met Simon, we were partying hard. But then we both put ourselves through Higher Ground, which is the drug and alcohol rehab treatment centre in Auckland. Both Simon and I went through that journey to` to realise why we were self-destructing with drugs. And it was grief, but it was also a deep, um, disconnect from who I was. We basically made the decision to change our lives quite radically. We were both in our very late-30s, early-40s, and that was the time we went, 'OK, we're going to go and live on Kawau.' It's where we'd been married; um, it's where my sister is ` uh, this is where we had to be. (GENTLE MUSIC) This is my home, my soul home ` this incredible deck, this view, this beauty and simplicity. And being so high up on the cliff face. Being so high up, absolutely. This view. We get the wind; we get the birds; we get the sky; we get the sea. And incredibly lucky that I happened to marry a man who` or fall in love, and then marry a man who wanted this as well. It took a long time for us to get back to a point where we were comfortable with the world again. Our crutches had been taken away, and we needed to learn to walk again, and it took some time. But we` we got there, and now we've got this wonderful life on this island. Yeah. We're very, very blessed. (RELAXED MUSIC) A Jamaican barbecue is serious stuff. Food has a massive part to play in any occasion. There's always jerk chicken, jerk pork, rice and peas, fried dumpling, hard dough bread and pickled fish. There's just so much music and laughter. It's a good time. (UPBEAT MUSIC) My dad was one of nine kids. So it's quite a big family on that side, and with all the cousins in the house, it made for a massive occasion. Kawau doesn't have many permanent residents, but it does have a family whose roots here go back three generations. (GENTLE GUITAR MUSIC) (MUSIC CONTINUES) The first time I came here, we landed at Schoolhouse Bay, and we walked down the old Coach Road. And it was just an amazing feeling, actually, to walk down there and to think that my great-grandmother and Sir George Grey and my grandfather and all` all his siblings were probably up and down that old Coach Road all the time. (GENTLE GUITAR MUSIC CONTINUES) That's the Thorne George wing up there, Sally, where your great-grandmother lived. And, um, it is amazing, thinking... that it was our family home. I know! (LAUGHS) It's strange coming here with it as a public building, knowing that's where the grandmothers and grandparents grew up, you know? We're descendants of Annie Matthews. And Annie Matthews was Sir George Grey's niece. Sir George Grey was a young man sent out by the English colonial government. First of all, he was the Governor of South Australia, before being sent here in 1845 to be the third Governor of New Zealand. For Europeans and for the early settlers, he was seen as a governor put in place to manage the attainment of land for those settlers to live on. For Maori, he's seen as a figure that came in and forcefully confiscated land, and that had an impact for future generations as well. So he's very much a polarising figure. Sir George Grey found himself in New Zealand. His wife was in England, and his only son, or child, born from that marriage had passed away in Australia. So he found himself in New Zealand with no wife and no children. Sir George Grey adopted Annie Matthews and brought her here to live with him on Kawau Island on the death of both of her parents, who were unmarried at the time that they had her. I love this portrait. It's the only colour portrait that we've got of Annie. Yeah, it's beautiful, isn't it? It is. So, was that painted in England? Yeah. Yeah. The actual portrait of Annie was done in England when she was 16, when she was presented at court. But the background was put in. That's the, uh` the Juliet stairs. Yeah, out the back. Yeah. That was put in when they came back to Kawau. (RELAXED MUSIC) I think she would've had a great time growing up here. She had a well-educated upbringing. She had a vast library, you know, at her fingertips from Sir George Grey's private collection and the artworks as well. So she was` had a quite a well-rounded upbringing. Yeah. Definitely wasn't isolated over here. Absolutely not. It would've been fantastic living here, and by all accounts, Sir George Grey absolutely doted on her. Yeah, treated her like his daughter. Absolutely. Right, here's the bedroom. And I just imagine Annie sitting there. She was a loving niece to Sir George Grey, because she wrote a lot of letters to him, particularly once he had gone back to London. And she'd always addressed him as, you know, 'My dear uncle, your loving niece.' So that was their relationship. It's just an amazing thing, that he took her under his wing when she was only 10, or 10 or 12, because, you know, she was an illegitimate child to his half-brother, and in those days, most illegitimate children would've been kicked to the kerbstone, whereas he just embraced her as family. I've got stories from my grandmother. She remembers sitting at the knee of, um, Annie. Oh, does she? Yeah. Wow. And she remembers her as a very stern woman. Um, but as my grandmother said, she'd had nine children, so what do you expect? Ah, so this is the bedroom of the old man. Yeah, this is Sir George Grey's room. This is actually Sir George Grey's bed. Oh wow. The original bed? Yes, it's the original bed. Wow. Which was lost for some years, and they, um... Someone found it again in his shed or something like that. So it was really great to have it back. I've just spotted these brushes, which are Sir George Grey's personal clothes brushes that my grandmother had and she gifted back to the house a few years ago. I think they are pigs' bristle. And that's what used to have brushed down his coat. Wow. It's lovely to have them back in the house. It is. This is the withdrawing room. That is the correct term that they used back in the 1800s, because you actually withdrew in here after dinner. Sir George Grey's niece, Annie Matthews, who married Seymour Thorne George, who was the estate manager here on the island ` it was in this room here that Grey married Annie and Seymour, with everyone present on the island coming to celebrate, and it was quite a big event. (SOLEMN PIANO MUSIC) Well, I find it amazing visiting the house, actually, just because it's got so much of my family history in it. I mean, I sort of see it as a personal thing, thinking of my grandfather and great-grandmother and great-grandfather living here, yeah, apart from it being the home of the governor of New Zealand. Mm. Sir George Grey would appreciate the fact that the house itself had been maintained and returned to its original form. And the fact that we're sitting here today, being about to talk about it, I think he'd be quietly chuffed about that, yeah. Yeah, his descendants. Yeah. (LAUGHS) (RELAXED MUSIC) When I arrived in New Zealand, it wasn't so foreign to me, although I had to get used to a few things, like the Kiwi sense of humour ` it is different. And so's the life-to-work balance ` in a good way. Here I take off my shoes, turn off my phone, and nothing goes back on until I have to leave. Captions by Jean Teng. Edited by Faith Hamblyn. www.able.co.nz Captions were made with the support of NZ On Air. Copyright Able 2017.