Resurgence Era

January 2003-March 2021

2003

January - Flew London back to NZ
January - Forest 1
January - Tongariro with Kim & Mark
January - Sale of Pukawa - furniture truck
January - Move to Nelson and search for properties
February - Offer on Resurgence
March - Queen Charlotte with John & Brigid and Kim & Mark
April - Completed purchase of The Resurgence
April - Heaphy Track
May - Phase 1 - Main lodge and studio
July - Sydney - John & Bridge
September - Leslie Karamea Track (Peter)
November - First Guests

  • Narrowed our search and looked at properties

  • Living surrounded by all our possessions!

  • A bit of R&R on the Leslie-Karamea Track

  • Phase I - Demolition

  • Building

  • And lots of tradie bills!

2004

January - Rob & donna visit lodge with kids
July - Fly to LHR, directly to Richmond then Mill Hill and took Dorothy to see Enid. Visited Tony & Kelley on way back.
July - Fly to Pau and walking in Pyrenees – Lourdes – Wallon – Lyon d'Or Toulouse (hot) - CMAX – Rodez/Lacaune/Spain? (J&B) /Auragne. Broke tyre.
July - BBQ in Birmingham
August - Mum and Dad's 50th wedding anniversary at Evenlode then via Stanstead to pick up big John.
August - Dinner with Chris & Ann with Big John, Katrina and friend. King George Square do-up with Big John.

September - Phase 2- Kiwi Saddle & Lonely Lake
September - Kayaking at Rabbit Island with Cliff & Brenda
December - Chloe & J-Baptiste at lodge for Christmas and New Year

  • Sherwood Forest

  • Pyrenees

  • Rodez with Chloe & Jean-Baptiste

  • Evenlode 50th Wedding Anniversary

  • Work on King George Square with Big John

  • Phase 2 - Grant & his team, Lonely Lake & Kiwi Saddle

2005

January - Des & Marilyn visit lodge
May - Mike & Shelagh
May - Open Poly - Peter (Mangarakau Swamp)
June - Hong Kong - Ocean Terminal - rain
June - Phase 3 - Laundry
June - EcoFest - Punakaiki - Karamea
September - Mountaineering course - Edmund Hillary Center with John
September - Mt Arthur in the snow with John & Bridge
October - Chris & Ann - Wilsons Abel Tasman & Kahurangi with Bush & Beyond

  • Lunch with Des & Marilyn

  • Visit from Mike & Shelagh

  • A wet week in Hong Kong

  • Alpine skills course

  • Practising skills on Mt Arthur

  • Phase 3 - Ross & Greg Building the Laundry

  • Friends of Flora meeting at the Lodge

  • Wilsons Abel Tasman with Chris & Ann

  • Kea - Mt Arthur

2006

June - Phase 4- Bush Chalets
August - Flew to Paris 15th Aug (All Saints - 1€), Train → Cahors
August - M Pince – Soulemes/Bastade Blue/Vercours/Grenoble
August - Smelly cheese on plane → Evenlode
August - Gite Brittany with Mum ex Luton, Carrie & Gerry, J & Nick
September - Peak district with Roy & Jean

  • Phase 4 - Bush Chalets

  • Holiday in France

  • M Pince, a car with puissance

  • House in Brittany

  • Grant leaves for Oz and Dean takes over

  • Friars meeting at the Lodge

2007

June - Phase 5 - Kahurangi Point
July - Alain Ducasse stage and Twizel (hoar frost), Otago, Taieri railway, Queenstown (Copthorne)

  • Perfect parking place!

  • Alain Ducasse Cooking Course

  • Snow-shoeing & hoarfrosts

  • Moeraki Boulders

  • Phase 5 - Kahurangi Point

  • Keruru

2008

January - Global Financial Crisis

April - Pool and Landscaping
June - Des and Marilyn in Kahurangi Point

June - Singore to Vietnam. Hanoi - Hoi An – HCM - Mekong -Singapore → UK. Liverpool, Orange Tree, Birmingham
July - Fly Luton-Cagliari – delayed Federer-Nadal final, Alghero – farm
July - Corsica on 14th July, Ferry to Marseilles, Train to TLS, Gite in Couserans with Chris & Ann and donkey - 2x207
August - Pigonier Quercy Blanc- Yaris (5 days), Soulemes with J & Nick doing garden (2 nights), Drop car at Cahors station 4 August (just)
August - Train to Paris (delayed & Paris train held), Flew Paris-NZ

Septmeber - Des starts working on Grounds

  • Brigid & Kate at Marahau

  • Vietnam

  • Hoian Cooking Class

  • Liverpool - the men

  • Catching up with family

  • Sardinia & Corsica

  • The olive tree is thriving!

  • Pyrenees with Chris & Ann

  • Pigeonier

  • Pool surround & new photo shoot

  • Des starts work at the Lodge

  • Abel Tasman

2009

April - Abel Tasman with Sea Shuttle
April - Projects – Chalet Trees (with Des) – Kiwi Saddle Bathhouse, Lonely Lake Bath, Studio shutters & bath

June - Mill Hill do-up. Blyth and Sherwood Forest with Jean & Roy
June - Fly to Sweden, Sail to Norway with Chris & Ann on Swallow. Fly Sandefjord to Stanstead
July - Fly to Lyon and drive via Auvergne to Soulemes (meet Des & Marilyn).
July - Fly from Lyon to LGW and pick up Vauxhall → Mill Hill → Blyth (Enid & Mum), Drive to Aberdeen and ferry to Orkney.
August - Sail to Oban with Chris & Ann. Train to Glasgow-> Euston.
August - J & Nick at Mill Hill (meet Sam at dodgy service station to sign swap document)

August - North Island Trip - Pukawa
September - North Island Trip - Zeelandia

  • Making a private seating area for the Studio

  • Mill Hill - get house ready for sale

  • First trip on Swallow - Sweden to Norway

  • France - Lyon, Massif Central

  • Des & Marilyn at Soulomes

  • Blyth - Mum and Jean & Roy Sherwood

  • Back to Scotland - round Cape Wrath

  • The gates are still there at Nga Rau e Rima

  • Kiwi Saddle bathhouse

2010

January - Des starts his Walk4kiwis
April - Projects – Trees in front of Lodge(Simon & Carl), Gym & Garage
May - FOF - first Kiwi translocation

June - NW Fyffes banana trip. Start in Auckland with Brigid, John & Kate
June - Fly to ZRH and pick up Eurolease, drive via France, Austria, France, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium to UK (World Cup in AMS)
July - Evenlode fair – BBQ and cake cooking and judge (1st time). Mum's ashes & picnic in Mill Hill Village.
June - Bob and Fiona in Farnham, Ferry to Santander. Picos, Foggy in Pyrenees and tdf, Poor gite so drove to Soulemes and stayed in pub n broke vase.
August - Dukan diet. Gite in Haut Provence with lavende, Drive to Annecy on red Saturday, ZRH → home

September - Marketing trip to Australia with Nelson Tasman Tourism (Gisela, Mark and Bruce). Sydney (visited Andy and Chris), Melbourne, Brisbane and Gold Coast. Side trip to Byron Bay.
September - Carl Harrison starts
October - Bach in Milnthorpe, Golden Bay

  • Auckland

  • Banana car

  • World Cup matches in Amsterdam

  • Scattering of ashes for Dorothy

  • International cake judge for Evenlode Fair

  • Roy’s birthday at Evenlode

  • Picos d’Espagne

  • Provence

  • Milnethorpe bach

2011

February - Christchurch earthquake
April - 50th Birthday party - Ken & Sally, Peter & Kathy, Jim & Andrea, John & Brigid & Kate, Chris & Ann, Andy, Chris, Harry & Alex - Easter Fair at Mapua
May - Projects - Built bridge and otange track, Joinery (breakfast room, table), Simon big trees, painting (M Teakle & G Venis)
June - Tonga - Vavaú - Mounu Island Resort
July - Abel Tasman - Torrent Bay changes
July - South Isalnd trip - Methven balloon, Akaroa, Otago peninsula, Roxborough – art, Wanaka rental and met Meg
September - Kiwi monitoring in the snow
October - Murawai, Riverhead & Auckland
October - Keith - Masters games
October - All Blacks win Rugby World Cup
November - Mapua cycle
December - Green Gourmet founded

  • 50th birthday celebrations - Gourmet Sailing

  • Tonga - Vavaú

  • Tonga - Vavaú

  • Akaroa

  • Ballooning over Methven

  • Wanaka

  • Kiwi monitoring

  • Keith up for Masters Games

  • Kev & Trev are back

2012

February - Richard & Dianne visit at same time as Des & Marilyn
April - visists from Werner & Heidi and James & James
April - Projects - Studio Refub & Steps / Garden & Greenhouse / Lonely Lake deck extension - Concrete cutter thru power line
May - TRENZ - Queenstown, staying at Riverrun
June - RTW with Air NZ Holidays - HKG Causeway Bay Excelsior – wet, flew to London, flew to TLS and infamous Europcar, One night in Bram.
July - Gite in cute cottage on winery with cave and bikes. Cycled canal and caught train back. Castelnaudary post office – 500€
July - Drove thru Pyrenees / Arac gite / St Lary gite TT & tennis in bar , back via Auragne).
July - Paris – tiny room (huitres / cafe gourmet). Flew Paris to Bristol – floods.
July - Drove to Manchester walk on canal – drive to Scotland. Sailing in Scotland (round Jura & Corryveckan).
July - London Olympics
July - Drop car at Station (GPS overpass just made train), Blyth with cousins for memorial.
August - LAX/San Diego - built shed/Seattle/San Juans with Mike & Shelagh/Vancouver
December - Keas attack lodge

  • Richard & Di plus Des & Marilyn

  • Heidi & Werner

  • James & James

  • Crazy over-the-top afternoon tea at Pencarrow!

  • Our first TRENZ as Green Gourmet

  • The only way to make a vegge garden

  • Very wet Hong Kong stopover

  • Gites & cycling along the Canal du Midi

  • Sailing - Jura & Corryveckan

  • LAX - Marina del Re & Venice

  • San Diego - Stephen & Catherine’s shed

  • Seattle

  • San Juans with Mike & Shelagh

  • Vancouver

  • New entrance signage & studio refurb

2013

March - Forest 2
April - Met with Meg in Hokitika - Freelander broke down
April - TRENZ - Auckland (Clare & Meg)
April - Peter - Caving
April - Floods - damage to pink track
April - Peter to Auckland - Malaysian restaurant & zoo with Marilyn
April - New logo - Tomohawk
May - Friends of Flora - First Kiwi release
June - Projects - New sign & garden art
July - Bali (Ken & Sally) Lombok Komodo (dragons) Flores Ubud (cooking & Jack)
August - Green Journeys trip - Interislander – Taupo - Turangi – Rotorua - Coromandel – Gisborne – Hawkes Bay Toms Cottage - Summit Lodge
August - TEC Conference Masterton

  • More keas

  • New Forester

  • Kiwi translocation

  • Kimodo Dragon

  • Flores

  • Bali cooking class - met Jack and Ken & Sally

  • Auckland - Malaysian restaurant

  • Green Gourmet North Island famil trip

  • TEC Conference Masterton

2014

April - Rail Trail - cyclone / Easter in Queenstown with John and Bridge etc. / Hollyford with Meg / Green Journeys AGM Wanaka
May - TRENZ - Auckland (Clare, Peter & Meg)
May - Projects - Romantic Platform + Shade Sails / Kahurangi Point bath-house / Greenhouse #2, Responsive website
June - Flew to Manchester; bus to Hazel Grove
June - Drove to Scotland with Chris, met Ann at Oban sailing – rowboat on Coll, Tobermory.
July - Flew to Barcelona and Eurolease (boring white Peugeot). Drove via Perpignan.
July - Gite at Merveilla near Toulouse ; bought 2 bikes – J & Nick / Chris & Ann / Chloe & J-B – 4 weeks.
August - Left bikes at Soulemes. Drove to Avignon and TGV to Paris – Grand Dammes
August - TEC Conference Hamilton
September - John, Paul & Peter - Abel Tasman walk and canyoning
September - Green Journeys Blenheim trip plus Kaikoura

  • Sailing - & Oban, Tobermory, Coll

  • Merveilla Gite & 2 new bikes

  • New FoF gear

  • TEC party at Hobbiton

  • Boys trip - biking, Abel Tasman & Canyoning

  • Green Journeys South Island trip

  • New bath outside the Boatshed in Nelson

  • Shade sails

  • FoF get-together at Sandy & Robyns’

2015

February - Sam first season
April - Projects - Kiwi Saddle deck extension
May - NI trip - Taupo, Rotorua, Bach on Lake Rotoiti
May - TRENZ - Rotorua (Clare, Peter, Sam & Meg)

June - Flew to Rome and train to Amalfi coast - Puglia – Matera – Trulli. Bari to LGW.
July - J & Nick campervan in Clapham. Evenlode Fair (Sam & Joe), drove Jean & Roy from Manchester & back.
July - Manchester – helped Chris check builders at parents new flat.
July - Flew to TLS and train to Cahors – met J&L – drive to dinner. Cycling Dordgne (hot) and Canal du Midi.
July - Gite with TT and Marmande - Bordeaux meeting. Fell off bike (twice).
Auguist - Kayak at Sainte Antoin du Noble Vin (2nd time). Dropped bikes off and won quiz at Fresinet. Train to Paris – Grand Hommes.
August - SI trip (Stewart Island – chiropractors) – The George - Catlins - Invercargill - Wanaka
August - TEC Conference Dunedin
October - All Blacks win Rugby World Cup
November - Sam back for second season

  • John Deere shed

  • Sam clearing up after a storm

  • Melon & feta salad

  • Kiwi Saddle deck extension

  • Puponga with Sam

  • TRENZ Rotorua with Peter Sam & Meg

  • Italy - Degli Dei

  • Sam & Joe man the BBQ stand at Evenlode

  • Bikes from Soulomes to Marmande

  • With good food, of course

  • Winning the Freysinet Cup

  • TEC Dunedin, Stewart Islan & back problems

  • Foffing

  • Quail in the planter

  • Hmmmm

2016

January - visit by Chris & Ann
April - FOF - 3rd Kiwi Translocation
April - Projects - Painting & Lighting – lodge & chalets
May - TRENZ - Rotorua (Clare only)
May - Travers Sabine - Peter & John
June - Brexit vote

June - AirBnB Paris / AirBnB Agde. Canal du midi with J, Nick & Taz – Barbe Noire
July - 2 gites in France – Chris & Ann (Ariege) and Mile & Kat (Lagrasse) – picked up Bikes inbetween.
July - Gite in Provence → drove to Soulomes w bikes via Figeac to Bergerac → STN.
August - Evenlode (Jean & Roy, Mike & Kat to Oxford), Dad’s 90th.
August - GJ Brochures in London . Brighton, bus to Heathrow.
August - Canada – Jack & Beyhan, AirBnB apartment, Whistler, Sunshine Coast

November - Kaikōura earthquake
November - Sam & Beth- third season

  • 3rd kiwi translocation

  • Travers Sabine

  • TRENZ Rotorua

  • Barbe Noir & Brexit

  • Le Pichet - gite with Chris & Ann

  • Lagrasse gite

2017

April - Projects - New Spa & Sauna / back pavers & kitchen / 3 chalet decks / handrails
May - TRENZ - Auckland (Clare & Peter)
June - NZ wins America’s Cup
July - Hawaii - Kauii & Big Island
October - Wellington with Peter & Kathy
November - Ernie 1st season

  • A few personal touches at the apartment

  • Alliance Frencais Nelson

  • Hawaii

  • Spa, sauna, steps & outdoor kitchen projects

  • Nearly bought 5 Fyfeshire

  • Wellington to see Peter & Kathy

  • Foffing, Flora Hut

  • Abel Tasman Charters

  • Ernie’s first season

2018

February - Cyclone Gita
April - Projects - Re-staining of 6 suites, paint Lonely Lake & Kiwi Saddle, new spas for Chalets
May - SI trip - Kaikoura / Mt Cook / Dunedin / Wanaka / Hokitika May - TRENZ - Dunedin (Clare & Peter)
June - Flew to Paris – TGV – Lyon PriAriaL restaurant
June - Pick up bikes from Soulemes – gite Limousin (Carrie & Niamh, J & Nick & Tas, Chris & Ann)
July - Cycling Nantes – St Malo – UK. Left bikes in London.
July - To Manchester then fly to Orkneys for sailing with Chris & Ann. Stuck in Manchester airport…..drive overnight to Dover and ferry/train to Paris
September - Fiji - Volivoli

October - Bought Caravan - Nelson becomes main home

November - Ernie 2nd season
November - Olly & Kellie
December - Noel Edmonds, Chris & Ann and Andrew & Sheila for Christmas

  • Cyclone Gita - Riwaka Valley Road

  • TRENZ trip - Meg the farmer

  • France - Limousin gite

  • Cycling Nates to St Malo

  • Sailing in the Orkneys

  • Fiji

  • Living off-grid in a caravan

  • Team 18/19

  • Noel Edmonds’ 70th birthday

2019

March - Wai & Andre's wedding
April - Visit Bay of Many Coves - made booking for Ian & Pam.
May - Peter and John did Timber Trail and met Adrian and Kayla.
May - TRENZ - Rotorua (Clare)

August - Adrian & Kayla start
November - Ernie 3rd season
December - Visit Maruia River Lodge for Green Journeys

See the Nelson era for holidays and trips from this period

  • Wai & Andre’s wedding

  • Keruru taking a shower

  • Building the deck for Lonely Lake spa

  • Beach clean up with Adrian & Kayla

  • Moving the caravan - with a chainsaw in hand

  • Team of 19/20

2020

March 2020 - Lockdown in Nelson
July - Projects - Grounds & Joey's Beach Bar
December - Capstone - Marketing

See the Nelson era for holidays and trips from this period

  • Christmas dessert

  • More photos to try and sell!

  • Team 20/21 - only 12 allowed due to covid rules

2021

January 2021 - Squawma & Jaylene start
March - Farewell parties
March 30th - Sold Lodge to David

See the Nelson era for holidays and trips from this period

  • Jaylene & Squarma joined the team

  • Domestic guests loved the platters

  • One of our last Lodge dinners

House

Cars

Work

Previous
Previous

Auragne 2001-2002

Next
Next

Nelson Apartment 2016-2024