What gives a place its identity?

A few years ago, while hosting a couple from the US for Aroha Luxury New Zealand Tours, I took them to see a glassblower in Whanganui; it wasn’t on their itinerary, but it happened to be on the main route we were following. I had a sense that they would appreciate something like it, given the conversations we’d had earlier about artists. So, we drove out to a studio after breakfast and arrived while the artist was still working.

His studio was exactly what you would hope for; it was authentic, though not especially arranged for visitors. All his shelves were lined with finished pieces, half-finished pieces, and a few experiments that had clearly gone wrong. I remember walking in and wondering if the couple would notice the dust in the corners. His tools were laid out the way people leave them when they are more interested in the work than in appearances. Yet, he welcomed us in and showed us a vessel he had been refining for months, holding it briefly to the light, saying a few words about the colour, then carrying on with what he was doing.

This experience was notable because there was no performance, sales pitch, or planned speech about his “process”. It was a spontaneous meeting between people from entirely different walks of life who found harmony in the beautiful expression of art. On the way back, I recall someone saying that it had been the best hour of their trip so far. Fortunately, we were only three days in!

Meeting the people behind the region

Over the past few years, I have noticed a change in the questions guests ask before…

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