Brrrr… it was the coldest morning I’d woken up to this season and, as I dug out my gloves from the bottom of the drawer, I wondered what my second Toru trail experience would bring.
Of course that coldness brought a clear and lovely day, and as we meandered up the Trinity Farm driveway I could see that this would be a fascinating space to spend a few hours. Once we’d all settled in with our drinks and lovely snacks, Peter spoke of the journey he and Jenny have been on for the last six years, and of the history of this property. While they’ve maintained the original heritage rose gardens and nursery, they’ve made changes to other parts of the property and in doing so have found, amongst other things, many old bricks from when this property had a brick kiln. Jonathan, who has established a charitable market garden on part of the property, also spoke about his efforts of traveling around New Zealand to find the right piece of land and then meeting Peter and Jenny and their journey together.
And then we went for a wander, meeting the ducks as we went. As already mentioned, this was only my second Toru trail event, and I was struck by some similarities - not just that we were on the east side of Otaki again, but that both hosts balanced their talks with the successes and the challenges they faced, not glossing over the difficulties. It certainly helped me realise that what I’ve been experiencing and observing in my own little yard isn't unusual. Things like managing what has been done by previous owners, dealing with impacts from neighbours’ choices, adapting to unexpected personal and environmental issues, and, in doing so, slowing down and accepting, striving for balance at all times.
The importance of family, relationships, and opportunities to collaborate was a strong theme of the day. We spent time in the Crooked Vege market garden where Jonathan spoke more fully about how that came about - the initial casual conversations, the hard work, intensive planning, crowdfunding, input from friends and family, and the ethical ethos of the payment model. I was left with the feeling that everyone involved feels privileged to be there and, surrounded by delicious looking veges with the sun warming my back, I could see why. Being open to opportunities has meant that Peter, Jenny and Jonathan’s team have been able to do things together that they couldn't have done alone.
We progressed towards the orchards and Peter pointed out changes they’d made, including using Yakisugi (or shou sugi ban), charring macrocarpa, on an experimental building he and his daughter are working on. There were new plantings and guilds, and Peter spoke of other things they plan to do in the future.
As we came back to the house, which is surrounded by a plethora of aromatic, exotic and native plants, we were invited to a delicious meal which everyone had contributed to, including freshly picked salad greens from Crooked Vege. We sat outside in the sun and chatted about what we’d seen and heard, and took the opportunity to ask more questions and to reflect on what we’d experienced before we dispersed.
I was inspired - there were so many fun projects involving different members of this little community, utilising and growing the skills that they each have, and building a permaculture vision of caring for the land, sharing resources and caring for people.
Wendy Neale
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