After studying island restoration ecology, then working on other islands, and in the restoration ecology line, it was inevitable that Halema would end up here. With roots reaching back to New Plymouth, her work with the Department of Conservation first brought her over for assignments of 2 or 3 months. But when a permanent position was offered to her in 2003 she moved over without hesitation.

“This is a place where new things can still be discovered. We are finding new species of frogs, discovering new insights about certain birds and then there is the rare chevron skink which I have been studying since 1999.”

But Halema also discovered the people of Great Barrier Island. “People come here for a reason. Everybody that lives here deliberately decided to come to this island … because it is so beautiful, or maybe because here one can just be one self.”

When Jenny and her partner bought a bach on Great Barrier Island, they explained to friends and family that it would make a nice holiday escape. But after a few time-limited visits, it was not hard to take up an opportunity to get work and move here permanently. Since then Jenny has joined Joss to help with the Outpost, the post shop cum gift shop cum video store cum book store cum pet supply shop at the Stonewall centre in Tryphena.

The island community proved welcoming to Jenny and Bob “One does not feel as isolated as one would imagine to be on an island. Even winter turned out to be a lovely time. And with the influx of visitors there is plenty of change and not a sense of stagnation.”

Karrin followed her parents Max and Linda Jamieson in 1994 to find out what had made them move over here. It turned out to be more than just the need for qualified plumbing services that Max provides to island residents, and so she has kept coming back. Since then, Karrin has spent as much time as she can on the island.

 “You very quickly learn that to get by in a place like this, you have to be self sufficient and you should not sweat the small stuff. It has helped me to maintain a more down to earth attitude about my life in Auckland with Greg and Jamieson.  But we are ready to leave the city behind and bring up my boy in a less busy setting, somewhere north of Auckland.”

Beekeeping and honey making is tied to the island’s European history since the early days. When Dave Watson started noticing the old honey sheds that remained in obscure locations, he embarked on a journey that soon widened and ended up tracing the stories of people that have been living here since well before the arrival of Pakeha. Along the way the ex-teacher spent time with many of the old-timers to record their stories and preserve the remnants of those times and make both available for others in the heritage museum he opened in Claris, as well as the little history pamphlets available everywhere.

 Dave left behind a job as teacher when he came here first in the late 1980s. The years saw him among other keeping bees, and later teaching part-time. But his history interest saw him move to a central location where he could build and open the history museum which has 4 rooms crammed with informative and well-presented displays. It is located on the main road near the city council and the airport in Claris. The history of the items displayed and how they got there is probably worth telling separately another time.

Next month: Up-scaling living by down-scaling lifestyles.