Nude gardeners at one with nature
Gardeners have kicked off the long weekend by not only stripping away winter debris from their backyards, but also their clothes.
Saturday marked New Zealand’s first Nude Gardening Day and Mary Spackman and Terry Doe need no encouragement to tidy their grounds completely starkers, so they naturally got behind the movement.
‘‘It’s about being able to take your clothes off and enjoy freedom when you’re gardening,’’ said Spackman, who has lived a nude lifestyle for the past six years.
‘‘It feels totally relaxing. You can just get rid of everything in your head.’’
The New Zealand-specific Nude Gardening Day, which coincides with National Gardening Week, was recently established by the NZ Naturist Federation after it decided the international version in May was too nippy for Kiwi naturists.
Embracing the warmer weather, Spackman and Doe spent the day tree felling, planting watermelon and lettuce, and tending to their vege patch bursting with broad beans, onions and tomatoes – to name a few.
The nudists have permanent residency at the Taranaki Naturist Club, a site bordering the Waiongana River, on Brown Rd, Brixton. The club comprises 130 members, 12 of whom live on the premises.
Spackman said gardening – and living – without clothes was ‘‘totally therapeutic’’.
She recommended it to anybody with a hankering to peel away the cloth layers, but advised to first slather on the sunblock.
‘‘And if you’re working with sharp objects use protection,’’ she said.
Visiting Taranaki from Auckland for the long weekend, Murray and Pip Elwarth, who belong to both branches of the club, enjoyed a cool beer while helping their friends, Spackman and Doe, in the garden.
Murray Elwarth believed the national day would be marked by many across the country as it had been well publicised by naturist clubs.
He said home nudists would also back the event, pointing out there was no specific law prohibiting nakedness in public, only offensive behaviour.
‘‘It’s the only way you can get in that vitamin D,’’ he said. ‘‘And if the neighbours don’t like what they’re looking at – don’t look.’’