Driftwood and Sand – Jan 2012

A lack of driftwood was an issue again this year and a group of volunteers gathered on the Sunday before the event opened to transport several trailer and truck loads of driftwood from down near Sunset Point where it was plentiful.

I have always like patterns in design – maybe linked to my previous life as a maths teacher. This year I decided to try and execute a spiral created out of ever decreasing squares made out of driftwood bound at the corners by strips of harakeke (NZ flax). I began with a large square with the uprights firmly dug into the sand. The next square was made inside it but off set. The biggest challenges were finding the right sizes of driftwood in groups of four and then tying them into position – this did become easier as the squares got smaller.

Catch and ReleaseThe reaction from visitors to the beach as I was working was encouraging, especially one from a sculptor teacher from Australia. I was really pleased with the finished piece, Catch and Release, in particular the way it could be photographed in various lights including at night. I did position it with the setting sun in mind.

At the prize-giving I won the Department of Conservation “One Ocean” award which included a lovely nature book and a flight for two from Hokitika with Wilderness Wings. On a sunny afternoon a few weeks later, I took my husband, Rob, and we had a wonderful view over the town, Hokitika Gorge, Ross and back over our own property.

Posts on Driftwood and Sand 2010 and Driftwood and Sand 2011