Flying High

"Away from it all" takes on new meaning for a couple whose organic orchard and self-sufficient accommodation business are hidden on the river-bank with their only access by flying fox.

Words: Polly Greeks  Photographs: Hamish Trounson

When people learnt that Annette Main had forked out $95,000 for a block of untamed land up the Whanganui River, they questioned her sanity. Not only was the GV for the property set at just $12,000 but with the river separating it from the road, access was something of an issue. Annette confesses she hadn’t even set foot on the section when she bought it.

"The first time I came across I thought, ‘oh my God!’ There was so much work to be done." By then though, the ink had dried on the deal and she had passed the point of no return. "I couldn’t go back to all those people who’d called me an idiot and say, ‘you were right’." Fast-forward 16 years to today, and with a unique accommodation business nestled amidst commercially viable organic orchards and a fledgling canoe venture on the go, it’s hard to believe anybody ever doubted the 55-year-old businesswoman’s vision.

The Flying Fox property is 45 minutes’ drive upstream from Wanganui city. At times the river is twice as wide as the road as they wind in tandem past tiny settlements and through crumbling gorges. Big weather has passed this way – biting chunks from the tarmac and gashing the steep, threadbare hills with erosion. A solitary letter-box announces the turn-off to The Flying Fox, while a note at the bottom of the drive informs visitors how to summon the cable-car from the far river-bank.

It takes just three minutes to be transported over the dimpled, swirling water, but disembarking at the other end is like arriving in a different world. "Eden", "Paradise", "the place that time forgot", read the descriptions in the visitors’ book. Lavender, borage and fennel perfume the air, native birds flit across herb and vegetable beds, citrus trees sag beneath a bounty of golden fruit while walnut, tamarillo and avocado orchards spread along the river terrace. Garden paths lead to other discoveries – two charming guest cottages overlooking the river, a couple of fire baths tucked away in ponga groves, a stack of hives surrounded by buttercups, a gypsy caravan and, down a track past the main house and studio, a camping ground where passing canoeists can prop up their paddles among the kanuka trees.

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