Rimu & Rain

“I think having land and not ruining it is the most beautiful art that anybody could ever want.” – Andy Warhol

When we started looking for a block of land we had a few requirements on our wish list. Firstly, the land needed to be predominantly native bush. Secondly, we wanted access from the land to a water source of some description. Finally, the block needed to be within a three hour drive of our current home in North Canterbury so we could commute for weekend stays.

After surveying a map and googling travel times we decided to focus our search on the West Coast of the South Island around the Hokitika area. The drive across the Southern Alps from the East coast of New Zealand to the West Coast through Arthurs Pass and across the Otira Gorge viaduct is one of the most scenic drives in New Zealand, if not the world.

This is the road we travel now to get from here to there and back again as we divide our time between home and this land. State Highway 7. I love the feeling of heading west as we drive across the Canterbury plains, along the long straight road at the foothills, the mountains beckoning us forward. At the moment, we are in the thick of winter when the mountains shimmer under the midday sun illuminating the surrounding hills and valleys. We often stop in Arthurs Pass, two hours into the drive for a coffee, mouth-wateringly good hot cheese roll and a side of banana cake. Simple pleasures, a treat for the taste buds, fuel for the journey. We are almost there.

In May 2023 we travelled this road to visit a block of land that was advertised for sale on Trademe. 6 hectares (15 acres) of regenerating native bush in the Arahura Valley around 2 hours and 50 minutes drive from North Canterbury across the Southern Alps to the West Coast of New Zealand. It was a private sale. The owners were asking for around $400,000 NZD ($240,000 USD). After owning the property for 22 years and with a relationship separation in the distant past they had decided to let go of past dreams and move on with their lives.

The land is separated by Fox Creek from government owned conservation land (Crown land) to the northwest, bordered on the south edge by farmland and a road to the east. The land which had belonged to the Crown prior to private ownership had been logged at some point in the past before logging native timber on the West Coast was banned in 2002. The podocarp native forest growing had now been regenerating for at least 50 years and was fast establishing itself on the land.

What we stumbled across that day was a little piece of paradise. The owner had recently cut a track along the edge of the creek through the King’s Chain. The ‘King’s Chain’ (or Queen’s Chain depending on who is sitting on the commonwealth throne) is a historic New Zealand promise: a public strip of land, at least 20 meters wide, reserved along rivers, lakes, and coasts. It means that while this beautiful regenerating bush is in private ownership, the strip beside our creek remains a public right of way – a pathway for anyone to walk, fish, or simply connect with the water’s edge, forever. While this is the intention in theory these strips of land are often inaccessible to the public.

When talking about land ownership and property rights in Aotearoa New Zealand I acknowledge the rights of Māori, the tangata whenua (indigenous people of the land) to this place, both the land and waterways. The local Iwi (tribe) Ngāti Waewae are the true kaitiaki (guardians) of this land.

On arrival to view the land for the first time we were ill-prepared to navigate the rain soaked, muddy track not thinking to bring gumboots so we missed seeing the full beauty of the land and its distinct West Coast character. The kahikatea, rimu, tōtora and punga trees cloaking a variety of ferns and mosses bordering the creek.

However, we saw enough. We were soothed by the rush of water cascading over rocks as it wound downstream, marveled at the feel of spongy damp moss springing back under our fingertips, watched the sunlight dance across the ground under the forest canopy, tasted the peat in the air, and smelt the musky, earthy scent of rainforest.

I recognized this land from my dreams. We knew this was our piece of paradise. Now, it was time to negotiate.