10
May
Old Mates and New Discoveries
We have spent the last few days in Christchurch. I don’t think we have been there for eight years and it was hard to recognise the place. A lot has been accomplished post-earthquake and Christchurch was looking very glamorous in its autumnal colours.
While we were there we caught up with Kurt and Missy, our old neighbours from Whanganui. Missy, Kurt’s rescue dog, and our dog Lily were best friends. Missy used to show up at our house before 7am, leaping the front gate and knocking on our bedroom window to let us know she was ready to go for a walk. We worked out that if we let her in and turned on the gas fire everyone was happy and we got an extra hour’s kip. Missy is also famous for raising the alarm when the premises next to their new home in Christchurch caught fire. Fortunately everyone escaped unscathed. We were alerted to Missy’s heroism by my sisters-in-law – Jeannette in Invercargill and Tracy in Matamata who had seen the article on line and thought it might be “our” Kurt and Missy. Indeed it was. Missy has however changed from the sleek running machine she was in Castlecliff to, as Kurt affectionately describes her, Miss Wobbly Bottom. It was great to see them both looking so happy in their new home.
After our Kurt and Missy rendezvous we carried on to catch up with Fiona and John in Halswell. They live on a few acres with splendid views across to the Main Divide. It was a while since we have seen Fi and John but like with most old friends you take up where you left off and the additional gray hair and wrinkles dissipate into insignificance as you yarn on into the night. The most obvious markers of the passing time are the changes in the kids. We were lucky to be joined for dinner by their two daughters. Gone were the wee girls to be replaced by gorgeous talented mature adults. So lovely to see them. Their son was away at university but looking at the photos we were shown he had stretched a foot or two and now sported a moustache. No longer the little guy we had watched 8 years ago running around the rugby field and then thanking the “people” in the kitchen (not just ladies Fi reminded him) in the captain’s after match speech. It was a lovely evening. I joked with Fi that we would be giving them an excellent review in the NZMCA app.
From Christchurch we headed for Hanmer Springs, virgin territory for both Derek and I. After less than an hour on SH1 we drove past a sign for a sculpture garden. Two three point turns in the moho later we are heading up Ram Paddock Road towards the Iron Ridge Sculpture Park (www.raymondherber.com).
“This rings a bell with me” Derek says flicking through the notes he occasionally makes on his phone. Sure enough. We had seen an article about the artist Raymond Herber and his gallery in an old limestone quarry in a Life and Leisure magazine back in 2017. Four years later we are driving up the stunning Waipara valley to meet the artist himself and view his work.
Raymond lives and works at Iron Ridge Quarry. The old Limeworks buildings nestled into the side of the hill have made an excellent workshop, gallery, and living space. Steel and stainless steel are Raymond’s medium of choice, and his work encompasses small scale sculptures, whimsical interactive and kinetic pieces as well as large scale private and public sculpture. Walking around the sculpture garden there is such a huge range and scale of sculptures – the “Gentle Giant” a large scale steel horse with very strong form next to a piece entitled “Two Worlds”, a large detailed kinetic piece with many intricate pieces and then there is the little fantail fashioned from recycled cutlery. One of my favourite pieces was “Trout” – two stainless steel trout swimming up a ribbon of corten steel. The top trout was reaching for a stainless steel dragonfly and the lower a beetle. Although this was not a kinetic sculpture, Raymond had captured so much movement in the forms, the trout looked ready to disappear back into the water with a flick of their tails.
What an amazing setting. Raymond bought the quarry twenty odd years ago and has spent the intervening years creating an impressive sculpture park. Swapping limestone for endless loads of topsoil and plants he has developed the perfect backdrop for his pieces. Raymond greets us warmly when we arrive and we start chatting about his work, his creative journey and the struggles that he has been through to get where he is today. It has not been easy. The global financial crisis brought a low point and just when Raymond had decided to give it just another two years before shutting the doors – lockdown arrived. Like many New Zealanders lockdown was a double edged sword. Although it was tight on the financial side it allowed time for creativity.
Post lockdown it was gratifying to hear that things have picked up. Now the worry is having enough pieces to exhibit. If anyone deserves success it is Raymond Herber. His creativity is endless and his skill in bringing his creations to life is magical.
At the moment the Iron Ridge Quarry Sculpture Garden is open 7 days a week 10am to 5pm. However as this does not leave much time for bringing his creative visions to life it may pay to check first.