Life off the grid cross between haven and hill
For Steffi life on the hill offers tranquillity and solitude. Nelson College for Girls filmmaker Saskia Jamieson talks to one of the real ‘‘wilderpeople’’ Steffi.
It’s one of those summer days where the sun is so high in the sky you have to crouch down really low, and mash your face against the glass, craning your neck to see it out the car windows.
The heat, the hill, the innumerable bends, your stomach rolls with every jolt.
The perilous journey over the Takaka Hill range separating Golden Bay from Nelson is a trip Nelsonians often take over the summer months.
And although long and tedious, the Takaka Hill road and area can be dangerous and unpredictable due to the weather and terrain.
Every year drivers face risky driving conditions as the hill is made up of many twists and turns with some corners being almost 320-degree hairpins.
During winter this can be a serious hazard for drivers as black ice or snow is everywhere.
In 2000 hundreds of people had to be rescued off the mountain, suffering from hypothermia at The Gathering dance festival, as they were not prepared for the mountain’s harsh weather conditions.
And there are numerous reports of cavers and climbers alike becoming trapped and having to be rescued as a result of the mountain’s unforgiving marble terrain.
Many people would consider living on top of Takaka Hill like being sent to the ends of the Earth.
It’s isolated. It’s rugged. And it could be lonely.
However, this is not the case for Steffi who is part of the community of roughly 39 families currently residing on the hill.
Steffi moved from Alexandra two years ago.
She now lives down Canaan Road on Takaka Hill with her youngest daughter and her many animals.
Sitting with a small black dog curled in her arms her flushed face breaks into a smile as she bottle feeds her one-year old lama, Faun.
‘‘I’ve always, since coming to New Zealand, dreamt of a bush block. So I think you know, this is probably as bush as it gets.’’
The 48-year-old and her daughter live in a house truck and in a small 6 by 4m hut, which the animals sometimes share with them.
The hut spreads out under an overhang which serves as a kitchen and is open to the elements on two sides.
Steffi plans on living on the hill long term and has started plans for a house which will incorporate many aspects of the hill into the build, including some of the hill’s commonly found fluted marble, which will be used as the bath.
She says that at first she found it very challenging as she came here with no infrastructure and the Takaka Hill’s many sink holes and rough terrain, were a constant source of worry.
‘‘It’s taken me about a year to come up the driveway and not hold my breath until I’ve done a head count!’’ she laughs as she recalls her arrival here.
The sun glints through the clouds catching rain drops caught in the wind, landing at Steffi’s feet.
Undeterred she leads her horses through the mud, grasping at her once black gumboots.
Describing her routines of the day to me, she plays with her dogs as the sky grows dark again.
Steffi really likes the idea of getting away from modern society and its hectic clamour.
She relishes the sense of tranquility and solitude the hill provides.
‘‘At some stage it was like every day was different, which is part of the appeal obviously but also part of the challenge,’’ she explains.
‘‘You get to see a lot of things people don’t necessarily see or know… you actually end up, I think, learning a lot about the things going on around you.’’
Leaving Steffi’s place and driving back into Nelson I start to understand what she means.
But, driving down Takaka Hill, eyes heavy, stomach rolling, I’m ashamed to notice a thrill of excitement that I’m going home to Wi-Fi.