title Green Utopia publication Mindfood Magazine description Article by Nicola Harvey date 01:07:2009 ...a vibrant bohemian settlement that once sustained such grand talents as modernist landscape painters Toss Woollaston (1910-98) and Colin McCahon (1919-87) and acclaimed novelist Maurice Gee. The network of artists who live in the region today have continued the traditions and many relish the opportunity to show visitors their work. Artists Christine Boswijk and Anna Leary insist they wouldn't live elsewhere because the landscape nourishes their practice...Wine, art and food - considered by Leary to be the holy trinity of the region - is embraced by Philip Woollaston, a former New Zealand Minister of Conservation and the son of the renowned painter, at his architecturally designed sustainable winery, Woollaston Estates... New Zealand writer Katherine Mansfield (1888-1923) has long been revered for her ability to conjure, with a deft flick of the pen, the land of her birth in the simplest of statements. Leaving the finest details of the landscape hidden under a soft fog in her short story, At The Bay (1922), Mansfield captured what is best about this small country in the South Pacific, namely that so much of its charm and natural beauty remains hidden or, for many, is assumed to exist only in the national imagination. Far from the tour buses, garish high-rise hotels and extreme sports magnets, pockets of the country retain the old-fashioned charm that first put New Zealand on the map for international travellers as the "green utopia of the south". These areas have long been known to local holiday-makers but have yet to be inundated with hordes of demanding tourists. Nelson, in particular, is a region that is rich with life's simple pleasures: good wine, bountiful fresh produce from the land and sea, and eccentric local characters who are intent on sucking the marrow out of the good life. In the north of the South Island, Nelson city is nestled at the foothills of the Southern Alps on the sprawling coastline of Tasman Bay. Reputedly the sunniest place in the country, the area is a hothouse for fresh produce. In any season you can drive out of the city, along the coast and then inland to Aniseed Valley, Redwood Valley and Upper Moutere, to purchase a supply of vegetables and fruits by merely leaving a donation in the honesty boxes scattered along the side of the road. Such an approach to commerce gives an insight into the community at large, which has a long history as a vibrant bohemian settlement that once sustained such grand talents as modernist landscape painters Toss Woollaston (1910-98) and Colin McCahon (1919-87) and acclaimed novelist Maurice Gee. The network of artists who live in the region today have continued the traditions and many relish the opportunity to show visitors their work. Artists Christine Boswijk and Anna Leary insist they wouldn't live elsewhere because the landscape nourishes their practice. It is not difficult to see why. Outside Boswijk's studio window is the undulating rhythm of the inlet, the foothills around the city rising beyond. The view has been framed by a window for the simple reason that it's a more breathtaking picture than any artist could ever create. Similarly taking its cue from nature, the local wine industry (which is flourishing despite its close proximity to the well-known Marlborough region) has harnessed the peculiarities of the rich clay-bound gravel of the coast and the gravelly rubble of the inland valleys to produce, among others, pinot noir to rival the country's finest. Wine, art and food - considered by Leary to be the holy trinity of the region - is embraced by Philip Woollaston, a former New Zealand Minister of Conservation and the son of the renowned painter, at his architecturally designed sustainable winery, Woollaston Estates. Since establishing Woollaston Estates in 2000, Woollaston and his wife, Chan, along with their business partners Glenn and Renee Schaeffer, have commissioned some of New Zealand's leading contemporary artists, including Bill Culbert, Neil Dawson and Andrew Drummond, to produce the large-scale sculptures that dot the hillsides around the winery and illuminate the vast caverns of the cellars and production rooms. At Bouterey's Restaurant in Richmond, southwest of Nelson, the trinity is combined to memorable effect. Owner Matt Bouterey, a Michelin-trained chef who worked with the likes of English chef Marco Pierre White before relocating to Nelson, utilises the region's array of fresh produce, cleverly matching the fine menu with a selection of New Zealand wines. He brings to the area a European elegance cloaked in Kiwi patriotism and I'm reminded that certain English traditions, such as the duck-shooting season (which opens each year on the first weekend in May) are still cherished on the South Island, albeit without the antiquated class associations. Such commitment to tradition I further discover in Abel Tasman National Park, northwest of Nelson, on meeting Craig Wilson, who, together with his extended family, runs Wilsons. For eight generations the family has been based in the area, originally as landowners and now as tour guide operators. They have built a successful business introducing visitors to the vast tract of second-generation native bush and golden beaches in this national park established in 1942. At the height of summer the park attracts a vast number of walkers, but during the off-season and very early morning its beaches and sheltered bays take on a life of their own. As your bare feet start to lose feeling from the cool water, for a moment you become aware of how small an entity we humans are in the grand scheme of nature. It's a privilege to see the park in this light, particularly as a guest of the Wilsons at their converted bach at Torrent Bay. Throughout New Zealand awe-inspiring landscapes abound, but around the Nelson region the finest sights and experiences exist on a smaller scale. You quickly come to understand that the locals see the landscape as nourishment and as a part of themselves. The best of the region can be appreciated via the view from an artist's studio, a glass of local pinot noir or a meal of smoked white fish pate with fresh bread eaten on Mapua Wharf while Hamish, the resident rare kotuku (white heron), looks inquisitively at your food, hoping to share the feast.