We live near Kerikeri in the Bay of Islands, Northland, in the North Island of New Zealand. It is a popular area with both overseas and domestic tourists, attracted by the subtropical climate and lovely coastline. Avocados, oranges and kiwifruit now grow in the many orchards in the region, but before the arrival of horticulture and the Europeans, Northland was home to thousands of acres of kauri trees.
Extracting the kauri wood directly from farmland that was formerly low lying Kauri forest, or from piles of stumps already excavated by farmers, Neville turns out kauri bowls and kauri platters using his lathe, woodturning- and wood-forming tools, and sandpaper. To finish off these unique kauri gifts he uses quality oils and waxes.
Neville’s first experience of woodturning was in the mid 1970’s when, as a teenager, he bought his first lathe - his favourite tool at that time being the “60 grit gouge” (the good old sandpaper). Around 8 years ago Neville’s interest in woodturning grew when he became a member of the Northland Woodturning Club, and took private tuition from highly-regarded Whangarei woodturning tutor Shane Hewitt. A year later, with growing piles of swamp kauri in the back yard, Neville took up the woodturning full time. We sell through other outlets in New Zealand, including the fascinating Kauri museum at Matakohe, The Kauri Workshop in Kerikeri and the Kauri Shop in Whangarei. We also have items in The Elephant House in Parnell, Waitangi National Trust Shop in Waitangi, and The Cabbage Tree in Paihia. His swamp kauri root bowl won a highly commended award in the Matakohe museum’s Bowls to Boats competition in 2006.