21 Home by the sea

Home by the sea

Words: Tracy Neal

TESS JAINE

A warm breeze ruffling Tasman Bay turns it from blue to green. Gulls rise from the warm stones and begin to soar above forming white caps, screeching at the intrusion on their sacred nesting ground.

Lizards dart beneath lichen-covered rocks, delicate flowers sway from salt-laden cracks among the stones, while black Oyster Catchers sound the alarm as we scrunch our way carefully towards the only signs of human occupation on Nelson’s Boulder Bank, Te Tāhuna o Tama-i-ea.

To hear the hush of waves breaking on its rocky shore, is to know and love Whakatū/Nelson, for without the Boulder Bank, we are nothing, says the ferryman returning us from the rocky stretch of heritage wilderness so close to our city, yet so far away.

The Inkster family's little blue bach has been in the family since 1967.

The baches

Huts made of flotsam and jetsam have survived storms and bureaucracy to become heritage treasures, although one recently succumbed to fire. The Boulder Bank baches have been the domain of seafaring families for decades, although it’s said some originated as rough shelters built by fishermen in the late 1800s. Heritage New Zealand/Pouhere Taonga accorded the baches heritage status several years ago, which protected them from a looming removal deadline. The baches sit on a portion of the Boulder Bank deemed recreation reserve, and which is managed by the Department of Conservation. They are officially recognised for their special character, said to be exemplary of the traditional and increasingly rare New Zealand seaside bach.

The loss of one to fire in October last year took the number of baches from six to five. It was felt keenly by the owner, and the wider community. By late November, the charred remains had been bundled up for removal, leaving a burnedout bathtub as the centrepiece of the once treasured retreat. Remnants of comics and books fluttered on the stones and a badly singed succulent, once a healthy plant, remained clinging to life. The Inkster family’s little blue bach, with its pathway to the sea and curios adorning the weather-beaten exterior, has been in the family since 1967. It was purchased from Phil McConchie, who built it a decade earlier.

It bears remnants of the Inkster family’s Shetland Island roots and is today shared by second and third-generation family members. It has become what Erik Inkster describes as the family’s spiritual home. His niece, Anne-Lise married her partner Lindsay at a Valentine’s Day ceremony in February 2015. The ashes of his and Helen Inkster’s father, long-time seafarer Gilbert Inkster, were scattered to the wind at a ceremony at the bach after he died in 2016.

Erik, also a long-time seafarer, often heads there when home from sea. It’s a time for fishing with his sons, Tom and Alex and eating fresh kahawai for dinner. “It is a kind of busman’s holiday, but I like that. It’s just the way it’s always been.” Erik says the heritage listing has given all owners a level of surety, and the impetus to keep safeguarding the baches for future generations. DOC Motueka Operations Manager Mark Townsend says the bach owners have 10-year renewable licences to occupy the reserve, with most set to expire in 2023. Decisions on whether to grant renewed licences will be based on the legislation and policy which apply at the time of application. Bach owners cannot sell a licence, but it can be transferred to a spouse or child. DOC says the future of the baches is to be considered in the next review of the Nelson Marlborough Conservation Management Strategy, for which there is currently no date. The Boulder Bank feels a world away from the busy Nelson Port.

Erik Inkster at the family bach. Photo supplied.

Time and Tide

The Boulder Bank Te Taero a Kereopa and Te Tāhuna a Tamai-ea extends a long, protective arm across Whakatu/Nelson. It is a tangible link to the legend that surrounds iwi arrival in Whakatū and further back to the beginning of time. Nelson geologist Mike Johnston, who has written extensively on the region’s ancient past, describes the 13.5 kilometre “spit”, most of which is now scenic reserve, as a unique geological feature, created by eons of seismicity, erosion and coastal currents. Six iwi hold mana whenua status in the Nelson area - Ngāti Koata, Ngāti Kuia, Ngāti Rārua, Ngāti Tama, Ngāti Toa Rangatira and Te Āti Awa, and all have an ongoing relationship with the Boulder Bank. It was also a key determiner the settlers’ decision on where to locate Nelson. If the New Zealand Company preliminary expedition had not discovered the natural harbour created by the Boulder Bank, the town might well have been built on the other side of Tasman Bay. Today, Bruce Robertson is happy that didn’t occur. The grandson of a lighthouse keeper has forged a small business out of ferrying people around the harbour, to the Boulder Bank and Haulashore Island in his sparkling clean, little red boat named Waka-to-n-Fro.

Bruce also spent time as a lighthouse keeper, drawn by the storms, the sea and the remoteness. He says the Boulder Bank is not only completely unique, but also a foundation of the city. “Nelson wouldn’t exist without it. It changes, every day is different, and I just love it. Every day I go out there is just a treat.

The world’s best bird nursery

Nelson is a gilded cage, a local musician once said when describing why so many of us return from places we once dreamed might be better. It turns out it’s also the view of the Variable Oyster Catcher, domiciled in Tasman Bay and the Boulder Bank.

The Ornithological Society of NZ (Birds NZ) has been running a marker programme of oyster catchers in Tasman Bay for about 15 years, mostly around Motueka and the Boulder Bank. Nelson ornithologist David Melville says Tasman Bay is the most important site in the world for them, and the Boulder Bank probably has the highest density of nesting birds anywhere on the planet.” “From that programme we’ve been able to get information that not only do we have resident birds here that stay their entire life but that Tasman Bay seems to act as a regional nursery for birds coming from elsewhere.” David says they’re still trying to pinpoint what makes the area so special, for as well as being a regional nursery there’s a substantial resident population here. “When the young fledge, the parents boot them out. One can envisage birds in Kaikoura getting thrown out of the parental territory and then moving along the coast trying to find somewhere to settle down.”

It sounds a bit like trying to find a space at Opera in the Park – you keep looking until you find a suitable square unoccupied, with enough room to roll out the rug and set up a picnic. “They end up in Tasman Bay where we’ve got a lot of breeding birds, but also some surplus space and clearly, very good feeding conditions for them, so they’re able to find a reasonably relaxed space in which to hang out for a few years.” He says it’s not uncommon for the fiercely territorial birds, and the gulls to warn approaching humans with their screeching low passes. “The oyster catchers are very territorial and they’ll hold their ground throughout the whole year, not just during the breeding season. David says humans on the Boulder Bank are not a problem, so long as they don’t take their dogs, and they absolutely don’t collect birds’ eggs.

Nelson ornithologist David Melville visits the Boulder Bank to mark oyster catchers.

A beacon of heritage

The remnant of a sentinel for early shipping is today a significant sculptural element in Nelson’s foreground. The Nelson Lighthouse stands tall and white on the Boulder Bank, and at night, it pays homage to its once important role by beaming a light back at Nelson, where once it beamed out to sea. The lighthouse was decommissioned in 1982, and in 2012 its light was switched back on as the decorative centrepiece of a four-year restoration project. It is also a vestige of Nelson’s place among the first areas to be settled by the colonists. It was the second permanent lighthouse installed in New Zealand, and because it preceded the technology available here to build it, it was shipped from England in sections before taking its place on the Boulder Bank in 1862. Records of its early years and photos of the houses and garden created by the keepers and their families remain as treasured artefacts inside the lighthouse. Lily Robertson was born in Nelson in 1878 and later lived with her family at the lighthouse until 1892. You can read her delightful story via this link: www. theprow.org.nz/yourstory/lily-robertson-and-the-lighthouse/#. YaVex7rRWiM

In 1915 the Nelson lighthouse was one of the first in New Zealand to become automated, which ended the generation of lighthouse keepers and their families on the Boulder Bank. During the early years of World War 2, its lamp was extinguished due to the threat of a Japanese invasion and was not re-lit until May 1943. In 1982 former Nelson harbourmaster captain John Westbrooke decommissioned it, but 30 years later and in front of a large crowd gathered at the Nelson Yacht Club, its light was switched on again, 150 years to the day from when it was first lit on the Boulder Bank.

To step inside today is the reward for the small effort to get there. The lighthouse is accessible to the public, but a key must be gained from the gatehouse at Port Nelson.

The lighthouse took its place on the Boulder Bank in 1862.

Yelsa Real Estate Comes To Market

If there’s one thing Kiwi’s are pretty good at, it’s doing it ourselves.

That’s why Yelsa is the quintessential home grown real estate company developed by Kiwi’s for Kiwi’s. Yelsa encourages you to be as involved as you want in the sale of your property. Want to manage it all yourself? With Yelsa DIY now you can literally ‘do it yourself’. Yelsa provides you with all the tools and marketing you need to get the job done yourself, saving you those big commissions, or for a small commission (by comparison) you can enjoy Yelsa’s full agent service. All you need do is give the instructions and Yelsa gets the job done for you. “When you’re selling your property, no one knows it better than you do, and it makes total sense that the custodians of that property, the owners, have the opportunity to be engaged and share their knowledge directly with the purchasers. That’s why we’ve created a system which gives property owners greater control of their property sale”. Mike Harvey, founder, Yelsa Real Estate. When you sign up with Yelsa DIY, you’ll get: • Access to motivated and active buyers. • This includes their contact details and finance status. • Important documents and tools included. Legal title (typically costs through a lawyer), expressions of interest forms, useful clauses for contracts, printing and scanning services. • A free online property listing @ yelsa. co.nz. When real estate company websites are obviously not an option and commercial real estate platforms like TradeMe and OneRoof charge for their services, Yelsa Real

Estate online represents the best free go-to site for DIY sellers and buyers of all types of properties. • A managed social media campaign.

We initiate and nurture the organic promotion of social media posts, creating threads that weave through large networks being shared with contacts looking for properties. • Personalized Interactive Street Sign.

Your Personalized QR Code on the sign connects buyers on the street instantly to your property’s selling profile, and you instantly receive that buyer’s profile, including their contact details. Yelsa owner Mike Harvey says the company’s goal is to make selling real estate easier, with more money staying in the pockets of the owners. “We are a collection of committed professionals who believe there is a better way to do real estate. It’s our view that the industry is overburdened with archaic processes that add cost to everyone, from property owners, buyers and even tenants right through to agents and salespeople”. “We know some property owners will sell privately. Yelsa DIY is proud to give private sellers access to powerful marketing tools and full control of the process. For those people that prefer an agent, we also offer the best value full real estate agent service available, hands down.”

Mike Harvey CEO, Yelsa Real Estate, Nelson Bays