Captions by Faith Hamblyn. www.able.co.nz Captions were made with the support of NZ On Air. Copyright Able 2017. (VIBRANT MUSIC) (RELAXED MUSIC) Waimauku and our closest neighbour, the wild West Coast's Muriwai, lie about 30km north-west of Auckland City. Once a farming and fruit-growing area, it's now become home to an increasing number of former city dwellers drawn by the village vibe and the sheer beauty of the place. (RELAXED MUSIC CONTINUES) I was born in Canada, and I grew up on the roads of North America, touring with my family band, the Neilsons. (MUSIC CONTINUES) Now that I'm a mom myself, I can't decide whether my parents were brave or crazy, but I do know that over those years, I learned so much more about the world than I could have in a classroom. For my own kids, though, I wanted them to have a village to grow up in, so here we are in Waimauku. Just a couple of thousand people live here, but it's a colourful and accepting community that's made us feel very welcome. In this episode of Neighbourhood ` we'll meet a Dutch woman who celebrates the achievements of the community here. I think what adds to a community feel is bringing everybody as much as possible together. So, like, with a playground ` so, basically, everybody could come here, whether they've got kids or grandkids. A local jeweller draws inspiration from the beauty she sees around her. I think the longer I'm living at Muriwai, the more I get inspired by what I come across. Finding this piece just on the beach, I mean, it's just beautiful. Look at it. It's so fluid, the colours, the shapes. It's just beautiful. A woman with Hungarian heritage shares stories of her extraordinary aunt. As they were approaching Vienna, her very special horse, Igezo, dropped down to the ground, and, uh, so... she had to make that heartbreaking decision of actually letting her pass away there. But the slight delay actually resulted in them being able to avoid the Russian army. And a woman from Malaysia carries on the family tradition. My flax weaving starts in my early days, with my grandmother. I feel very much connected to her. Yeah. I'm very happy to be able to... learn what she's taught me. I'm Tami Neilson, and this is my neighbourhood. (TINKLY MUSIC) # Lonely... # is where I'll # remain. # My dad was my biggest inspiration. He passed away two years ago, and all the songs on my latest album are songs that either he wrote or that I wrote about him. He gave me this guitar for my 18th birthday, and, uh, this was his strap, embossed with The Neilsons. He had been in show business from a very young age as well. And his life mission was to leave a legacy. That got us through all those highs and lows and even when the odds were stacked against us. And there's no doubt that his legacy lives on through me today. In my family, horses play a very, very significant role. That probably arises from the Hungarian side, where the horses are a very important means of transport, but not just a means of transport ` they are your guardians. We've got the concept of kaitiaki here in New Zealand, and the horses in Hungary, you could compare that... to this concept. So, this is Shady. And, uh, yeah, Shady's our whanau horse, pretty much. I mainly ride him. And he came off a dairy farm up north. And Shady's an old pig hunter, aren't you, boy? Shady reminds me of the first Hungarian mare I used to ride, Dorcas. And Dorcas was a flea-bitten grey, which is his colour as well. And she had a very similar character. Shady can be really cheeky when you're actually riding him, but then at the same time, he is so looking after you, which is really nice. My name is Tatiana, and I was born in Germany. I do have very strong... connections to my Hungarian side, because I'm quite frequently in touch with my Hungarian cousins, and I spent a lot of time with my, um, Hungarian auntie as well in my childhood. (GENTLE MUSIC) My aunt's name was Countess Judith Gyurky,... and she... had a bit of a rough time during the war, as everyone else would have had as well, so a lot of her horses were taken away for the military. But she did manage to keep about,... I think, about 70 of the horses during the war. This photo of her in the stables so reminds me of what she was like ` always surrounded by plenty of animals, and... I just so enjoyed this... atmosphere that she had in the converted horse stables. And you would never see her far away from the animals. (TINKLY PIANO MUSIC) My auntie, she wrote a book in the... back in the 1950s called Mark Of Clover. And it tells the legends of Hungary and the legends of pretty much our family history, but through the perspective of horses. I have spent many nights reading stories from Mark Of Clover to my children, because it is something that... connects us. READS: In 1945 I was forced to flee from the Russians. The day we left, Igezo was taken desperately ill with colic. I could not stop my caravan of 64 horses and 27 servants, for the Russians were only 3.5 miles behind us. I couldn't bear seeing my mare suffer so. (GENTLE PIANO MUSIC) She had to make that heartbreaking decision of actually letting her pass away there. But the slight delay actually resulted in them being able to avoid the Russian army. There was a young farmer's boy who was there when the mare died, and he came to her, and he said, 'I actually know a secret way. I can take you away from all that army and get you into safety.' So he led her and the horses and her entourage away from danger... and, uh, into a hiding place. (GENTLE PIANO MUSIC) There are only 2000 copies of Mark Of Clover, and it was never republished, the book. And each of these 2000 copies is numbered... and is signed by my auntie as well. (GENTLE PIANO MUSIC) Animals are very important to me and in general in our family. If you care for them, they care for you. So you need to look after them well. And when we have an animal, we have the animal for life. And at my auntie's,... the most significant horses were... actually even buried in the same cemetery as... she was. (GENTLE PIANO MUSIC) I think my aunt would really appreciate the way we're living our life. She would certainly really enjoy to see the animals,... and I think if she was still alive,... she would certainly go for a ride at Muriwai Beach with me. (TINKLY MUSIC) These photos are of my family band, The Neilsons. We had a TV show and two top 40 singles in Canada and got to open for the likes of Johnny Cash. And then I met a New Zealander and fell in love and moved across the world, which was pretty daunting. (TINKLY MUSIC) When I first arrived, I didn't know a soul except for my husband. So, when I would get homesick, I craved a French Canadian dish called poutine. And it's basically a heart attack on a plate. It's French fries and cheese curds smothered in gravy so it all melts together. And so I used to go to the fish and chip shop and get some fish and chips, and then I'd grate cheese on it, and then I'd drive through KFC and order just a tub of gravy. And they'd say, 'Just gravy?' And I'd say, 'Yes, just gravy. Give it to me now.' So not exactly, you know, the pride of my nation, but it got me through when I needed it the most. (CONTEMPLATIVE MUSIC) I was born in the Netherlands. My best childhood memories were things like walking the dog. Heide has a really nice natural area, like a reserve on its borders, and it's called Strabrechtse Heide. There's me on my bike. I must have been ready to start primary school, I think, so typical Dutch, of course, you've gotta bike to school. So that would have been my bike for primary school. (CONTEMPLATIVE MUSIC) Tradition in New Zealand is very different. Yeah, I've heard that so many times, that if you tell a Dutch person, 'Bring a plate,' you know, they bring a plate, but it's got no food on it because, well, 'Bring a plate' doesn't actually say literally, does it, it's got some food on it? And the whole BYO, the concept is ` yeah, I do believe it is a very New Zealand thing. (GENTLE MUSIC) I'm making a Dutch apple cake today. So, I've made that a few times before, and it's quite a favourite, usually, with people. My brother and I used to do competitions on who can make the longest, you know, when you try and peel the apple in one go. (GENTLE MUSIC CONTINUES) Most cafes in the Netherlands would have an apple cake on offer, so, yeah, in that way, it is definitely traditional. Also the area where I'm from in the south is very well known for its cakes and things like that, especially the province where my mum is from. This little book, it is definitely very awesome. I can't remember exactly how long ago I got it, but it's quite a while ago. Yes, it's really lovely. It has some really, really authentic Dutch recipes in it. And all the measurements have been, kind of, recalculated. So if you were to take a normal Dutch recipe and just use these measurements, it won't necessarily work, because it'll be slightly different. And they've all been recalculated for this book, so it's actually really nice. My mother taught me to bake and cooking a little bit as well, but baking more than cooking, actually, yeah. So, yeah, yeah, we would have baked this together. (GENTLE MUSIC CONTINUES) The key to a good apple cake... is probably the rum. Uh,... I don't... I usually use, kind of, sweet apples. I do think that if you use, sort of, more tangy apples that that does change the flavour of that quite a lot. Waimauku is a lovely community, so really value that. We've been in this area for about 15 years now. Being part of the Waimauku Lions Club has helped as well, so we've got to know a lot of people through that, some fantastic people, and so that's... yeah, I guess that's maybe added to our feeling of being part of a community as well, I think. Well, I'm hoping to share it with some of our Lions. It's a really nice, lovely, active group of people. And so, we've recently put up a playground. Yeah, which I would like to show you that as well. It's really nice. (TINKLY MUSIC) Waimauku never really had a playground. Funnily enough, we found a piece of land which we thought would be ideal for that, and once we started looking into it, it turned out that the council had actually set that aside for a playground, but they'd forgotten. And so when we were saying, 'Hey, this is good,' they're going, 'Oh, yeah, that's actually meant to be a playground there.' So, yeah, the original plan was much smaller, but because the community got right behind us, we were able to put a much bigger playground up, which caters for... I think it's for kids up to 13 years old. So there's, yeah, lots of things to do for them. Oh, that looks marvellous. What's that? Apple cake. Apple cake. Oh, great. Everybody'll love that. They'll never turn that down. I think what adds to a community feel is bringing everybody as much as possible together. So, like, with a playground ` so, basically, everybody could come here, whether they've got kids or grandkids. Waimauku Lions do other things as well. Like, we do a village gala. We actually had a gala with the opening of the playground. You know, we do lots of other things too to make sure that the community is really together as one. (TINKLY MUSIC) My grandmother was born to a First Nations mother and a white father. She grew up on the Ojibwe Reservation with her parents and her sisters until her mother died in childbirth. (GENTLE MUSIC) The details of what happened after they left the reservation are pretty sketchy, and I don't know that much about that part of my heritage, but being in New Zealand has really inspired me to explore that part of my heritage, because New Zealand Maori culture is such a part of everyday life here. And, of course, as a songwriter, I'm always intrigued by the stories that have yet to be told. (GENTLE MUSIC) Every morning, I will usually go biking or walking with my dog, Coco,... and I see a new world every day. I'll come across shapes, images,... leaves, twigs, kelp,... and they all inspire me... for my designs. The other aspect is my cultural background. That's my blend of being Chinese, but also living in New Zealand. I like to bring those connections together to create pieces... to celebrate who I am. I think the longer I'm living at Muriwai, the more I get inspired by what I come across. Finding this piece just on the beach, I mean, it's just beautiful. Look at it. It's so fluid, the colours, the shapes. It's just beautiful. Honestly. I have this mantra in life ` argue your limitations, and they're yours. So, what that means for me is if you say you can't do something, of course you're not gonna be able to. So I always try and remember that just give things a go. And that's the same as what I feel about creativity. Let yourself play. Let yourself make mistakes, because no one starts off as being the best creative artist at the beginning. (ELECTRONIC MUSIC) Jewellery is a really special form of art, because it creates a connection with people. And for me, with my Chinese background, jewellery is about a celebration of life. So when I gift a piece of jewellery or others buy a piece of Joss to gift, it's saying, 'I acknowledge that your life is going really well, and I wanna celebrate that with you.' So for me, it's more than a piece of adornment; there's another element of saying it's really special and important to take a moment in your life to say, 'You know, life is good. Let's celebrate that. And I wanna share that with you.' I've inspected my leaves and found one that's clean and I really like the look of. And we just need to cut it to shape. Let's just see if it fits nicely into our mould. So that will go in there, and that's quite beautiful. I think my... my upbringing... and my heritage has inspired me... to explore... work particularly in the creative field. I think what it's done is it's given me an eye... for particular shapes or characters or patterns that I want to instil as part of my work. (ELECTRONIC MUSIC CONTINUES) I like to use resin, and I like to combine that with natural materials, such as the skeleton leaves, which I found on the forest floor. So, for my nature-inspired designs,... I collect my pieces from wherever I am. And when I'm at Muriwai, if I'm walking on the beach, if I'm in the forest, I'm always looking around. I'm foraging to find interesting inspiration for my designs, be it from a look and feel or from actually gathering the pieces. So, this one, the resin has set. And... this skeleton-leaf pendant, I've actually put the solid sterling silver twig in place. So that's it completed. (CONTEMPLATIVE MUSIC) So, I'm exhibited as part of the Muriwai Arts show, and the theme this year is 'Off The Grid.' And I kind of think that Muriwai's off the grid anyway, so one of my new collections is 'Kelp Me,' and it's inspired by the kelp that I find on the beach. I just love all the organic shapes. And I always really wanted to work with leather, so what I've done is I've made these leather neck pieces and the handmade catches here and,... um, gorgeous organic piece of kelp there. There is an amazing community of artists at Muriwai. When the first Muriwai Arts Trail launched,... I was absolutely amazed at the variety and the range of work. And I hadn't realised, because there were probably people like me in their workshops beavering away, dreaming about new designs, and then going into their workshops and creating pieces. (GENTLE MUSIC) Exhibiting with all the other Muriwai creatives and artists is so exciting. It's just a real demonstration of just the talent and just the breadth of creativity that we have in our community. And I've been involved for, I think... This might be my fourth Muriwai Arts Trail, I think, and every year, there's either new artists or the existing artists come up with something new and exciting. It really is very inspiring, it's fantastic, and I feel really privileged to be part of this community. (TINKLY MUSIC) When we decided to move, we wanted to find a place that had a real village feel for the boys, and we've only been part of the community for a very short time, but already feel so welcome. The boys go to a real country kindy. They have chickens and pigs. And they come home with, you know, filthy, black fingernails and rarely in the same clothes they went in because they're wet or muddy, which is just perfect. That's exactly what we want. So I'm really grateful that they're gonna grow up connected with nature and with the knowledge of what's worth protecting. (LAUGHS) (TINKLY MUSIC FADES) (DRAMATIC MUSIC) As a kid in Malaysia, we spent a lot of time with my grandma. We have played in the paddy fields and in her herb gardens,... which she's really into collecting lots of herbs and making... medicinal potions for the ladies there. And my grandmother is also a great weaver. My name is Aisha Hudson,... and I'm from Malaysia. I was born in Melaka,... which is the west coast of Malaysia. I'm cutting harakeke,... and this is just a common one that,... um, you can use for... making baskets and mats. Because I'm not a Maori,... I do my own little prayer,... and I just say, 'Bismillah, ir-Rahman ir-Rahim,' which is Arabic, and that means, you know, just bless the plants. I grow mostly natives, and because they are so easily accessible,... and they just love the condition here. We have got pukas; pseudopanax; cabbage trees; the karos; the copromas; of course, the harakekes and a ngaio over there in the background and, of course, the famous pohutukawas, which we have lots of. I have been in Muriwai for 34 years,... and I brought up my three children here. Muriwai has got an environmental group, which is organised by... a few locals,... and they work on planting all the natives around the places allocated for them. I do a lot of gardening work for them,... advising them about plants that shouldn't be there or should be cut back for future use. It's very important that we keep planting natives, because we never know. Something in future might happen, and the pests might take over the plants and kill them. So the more we plant, the more we're gonna have access to. And for the younger generation, it will benefit it. Yeah, we're just gonna clear the hole a bit. OK. OK. So that it's straight. Nice and firm, and we push all the dirt back in. Give it a good... Well, we live in such a beautiful community here. And everybody knows everyone. And I think when something like this happens, they all come up and, you know, join us. And sometimes we have a little barbecue at the end, you know, so it's a good excuse to get together. (TINKLY MUSIC) Today we're having a few local children to do some weaving with me. And they are going to make a little kete for their mother, to put a pot plant in it, so they can take it home. (TINKLY MUSIC CONTINUES) 'My flax weaving starts in my early days, with my grandmother. 'I feel very much connected to her.' I don't know if she knows that I'm doing weaving, but I'm sure she does, and, yeah, I'm very happy to be able to learn what she's taught me, somehow. Fold in half. This one, you probably could get four strips. The, uh, idea is for little children to know that this special plant... has got so much quality... and value for everyday using. You know, you can make all sorts of things ` baskets, mats and packs. And they will have a bit more respect for the plant and not try and crash into them or, you know, pull the leaves without having, you know, a lot of thought about why you should respect the plant. I'd love to see the environment, the beauty stays and love to see that it would just invite people and people will come here and feel that this is such a beautiful place. (GENTLE MUSIC) On a hot summer's day, Muriwai Beach is teeming with people ` surfers, locals, day-tripping families from Auckland and visitors from all over the world. Despite the wild surf and the rugged landscape, it's a place no matter who you are, you'll feel relaxed and rejuvenated and energised all at once. I grew up travelling for most of my life,... touring from the east coast to the west coast of North America more times than I can count, but it's really special to have finally settled into a place that I can call home. Captions by Faith Hamblyn. www.able.co.nz Captions were made with the support of NZ On Air. Copyright Able 2017.