Picking up pieces after blaze
A renowned Raglan artist and his wife are “stunned” after losing their livelihood while on a working holiday on the other side of the world.
Aaron and Jasmin Kereopa are in Tennessee promoting Aaron’s work.
The couple’s home and workshop in rural Te Mata were reduced to a pile of ashes after a devastating fire ripped through on Friday night.
But the wha¯ nau have been overwhelmed at the response from the Te Mata and Raglan communities, who have rounded up essential items such as clothes, whiteware and furniture for the family.
Daniel Kereopa, who owns DK Surf School in Raglan and Orewa, said they were unable to salvage anything from the blaze at his brother’s place.
A half-finished new art gallery, which the couple had just remortgaged their home to build, remains untouched. But everything else was gone, including their car parked in the driveway.
“It’s been a really hard one to get a grip on. It’s more than his home, it’s like everything is gone. So there’s not a piece of anything that’s been able to be salvaged.”
Aaron Kereopa posted a video on Facebook saying they were stunned but thankful their children and animals were safe. “Just so grateful that nobody was hurt. It’s quite a surreal space to be in right now. Here we are in Graceland’s, Memphis, Tennessee, America . . .
“We’re doing okay, we’re surrounded by great friends and with a solid crew, as you can tell we’re both quite stunned and shocked.”
Jasmin Kereopa, who also lost all of her massage therapy equipment, added “my stomach is in knots and I’m shaking” and urged anyone who saw her kids to give them a big hug.
“It’s breaking my heart that I can’t be with them right now, to comfort them. It will be pretty hard on them. It was our home. We’re not insured.”
Daniel Kereopa said his brother had poured his life into his art which stemmed from his passion of being on the water.
“They were moving into another part of his career, so they remortgaged . . . and were building [the new gallery] specifically for all his art work. But now their home is gone and they’ve got nowhere to live so if they move into the gallery they’ve got nowhere to show his stuff.”
Kereopa said his brother was “a genuine person” who was working through his goals and dreams and all of a sudden everything is taken away from him. “But we’re just grateful that no one was in the home.”
Kereopa said his older brother got him into surfing aged 8. Now, he hoped to repay his brother by helping set up and rebuild their new life.
Everything is gone. So there’s not a piece of anything that’s been able to be salvaged.
Daniel Kereopa artist Aaron Kereopa’s brother