Leading from the front issuu

chapter six
Puketitiri
– THE BUSH, THE BACH, THE LEGACY
A
special place for the family is a precious stand of
bush and a charming, rumpty old bach at Puketitiri,
60kms north west of Napier, in the foothills
of the Kaweka Ranges and opposite Ball’s Clearing
Scenic Reserve. This was formerly 20 acres of a longforgotten
corner of farmland but thanks to Pat and Catherine’s
vision and hard mahi as well as that from many
others, especially Rob and Bernard Lloyd over the years,
the pasture was regenerated back into native bush and
is now protected from future development by a Department
of Conservation covenant.
The land was purchased in 1964, following a week’s
family holiday that Pat and Catherine had booked at
the old Puketitiri Hotel, an attraction within the Puketitiri
settlement, which at the time was a thriving service
town for the surrounding farming and timber milling
communities.
The couple had packed the boot and piled six squirming
kids into the Plymouth and travelled for nearly two
hours on dusty winding roads, which brought on the
inevitable car sickness and numerous stops. Finally
reaching their destination with a hot and cranky carload,
all were revived with hearty country pies, fizzy for
the kids, a shandy for Catherine and for the driver, a
cold beer.
It wasn’t long before Pat got talking to a farmer and a
regular character at the bar, Buster Wright, who’d fallen
on tough times and was selling off parcels of his land.
One of these was located 5kms north of the hotel, opposite
the stunning Ball’s Clearing which boasted one
of the few remaining stands of virgin podocarp forest
in the country, so the family piled into the car again to
check out the location.
Pat was hooked instantly on the challenge of regenerating
the bush and Catherine too shared in the
dream of a retreat in the hills not too far from town that
offered so much for everyone. They realised that bringing
people together in nature was a powerful and positive
thing that they could do not only themselves, but
others as well and the land changed hands for £250.
The next step was to find a dwelling for eight. Soon
after buying the property, the general store next door to
the pub with its corrugated iron exterior and rimu-lined
interior walls, went on the market for £5000. This store
did more than just sell groceries. A room at the back of
the shop was used as a ‘dry out’ space for pub patrons
who’d over indulged. When a customer was rendered
legless, a few of the more sober lads would haul the
offender next door, deposit them on the bed, and leave
them to “sleep it off”.
Despite its quirky back story the store was judged
ideal for a bach and was shifted up to its new location,
Puketitiri – the bush, the bach, the legacy 49