10 July 2022
By River and Road
Kei te Taiao. Back Roads.
WRITER: SIONAINN MENTOR-KING
PHOTOGRAPHER: MICHELLE HEPBURN
Louise Oskam
Louise, 59, has spent much of her adult life living on the Whanganui River, developing a 52 hectare property with her husband and three sons. Today, their mountain bike park attracts riders from far and wide, but it’s not all the hidden valley known as That Place has to offer.
Trail signs at That Place.
Have you always lived in the Whanganui region? I grew up in Wellington and moved here in 1983. We've owned this particular piece of this land, which was part of a much larger family farm belonging to my husband's family, for thirty-three years. Takahuri is the name of this particular piece of land - the river goes down a straight, turns and heads off down another straight. It's the piece of the Whanganui River nobody knows about. People go up the River Road, they go into town, but they don't know this place. It's very magical and very secret. It's not isolated, but very insular - a quiet valley.
How did the bike park come about? My oldest son, Tom, 32, a trail builder, came back from Canada and built his dad a trail for Christmas. He realised, "Well, actually, that was the most fun trail I've ever built. I'm in control of it, I'm working with the land to form something fabulous." He came up with the idea for the business two years ago and Pete - my husband, who's also a mountain biker - said, "Do it!" It's called That Place. That's my husband's sense of humour. We've got about twelve trails now. We've planted a redwood section, so there's a growing redwood forest and native bush. The trails move through and around the trees. I do the admin part - greeting the guests, finances and marketing - because Tom's off building trails.
Do you ride yourself? I came late to biking. I was about thirty-six when I rode my first bike, but I now have two e-bikes. We have simple rides for people like me, and then we've got the scary-as-hell rides for people like Tom. We also cater for new riders. We have a ride called the River Loop that gently follows the river - nice flat riding in through the trees.
What's next for That Place? We're growing the people, growing the land. Because we've lived here, we know it's a very special place. People can bring their dogs; we've renovated the woolshed and that's now a camping area; and we've had a few trail runners. Also, I do the odd glass class. I do warm glass as a hobby - so fusing, slumping, draping. And weaving. Because we grow lots of natives and particularly have an interest in harakeke, we've done a bit of raranga.
What's it like living on the Whanganui River? It ends up running through your veins. In a way, it controls your life. It tells you about the environment, about the seasons. It gives us a lot of fun, but it also gives us some pretty exciting moments when the river goes over the road. Living by the river is just beautiful. Our boys all grew up playing at the white-sand beach below the house. You can get to town in twenty-five minutes, so it's not that far, really. I drive into town most days. I donate my time at Whanganui Kai Hub, a group working to reduce food waste.
Glossary. Raranga, weaving.
EAT
Maria Lane Eatery & Bar tops the bill. It's a fairly new restaurant in town, and the food is quite special. A selection of the small plates gives lots of tastes, which means I get to try lots of great food. I particularly like the sliders. marialane.co.nz
If you're here for lunch, you must go to Honest Kitchen, that would be a non-negotiable. They do the most delicious food - beautiful salads and stuffed veggies. honestkitchen.co.nz
SEE
The Whanganui Walls is a fantastic selection of murals around the older part of Whanganui. It's lovely to just grab an ice cream or a coffee and go on a walk around town. whanganuiwalls.com
On a Saturday morning, go to the Whanganui River Markets. It's just glorious - artisan food as well as locally grown plants and produce. facebook.com/WhanganuiRiverMarkets
We've got the fantastic Whanganui Regional Museum. It tells the story of Whanganui and some of the beautiful people from both our European and Māori history. It's particularly good, and I know that they've recently invested quite a bit of time and energy into it. wrm.org.nz
DO
There's a bookshop called Paige's Book Gallery. It's the most amazing bookshop, as good as anything anywhere in New Zealand. It's very high-class, great reads. When you need a new book, you go and see Lesley and Roche, and they get you right every time. paigesbooks.com
There are two riverboats on the Whanganui River. The Waimarie offers regular sailings with informative commentary - a special experience. Then the Wairua is a smaller riverboat providing personalised trips up the river with plenty of stories. waimarie.co.nz and motorvesselwairua.co.nz
This story was produced with support from Whanganui & Partners. discoverwhanganui.nz
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This story appeared in the Takurua Winter 2022 Edition of Shepherdess.
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