Jamie Macphail: Landscape Designer

Jamie Macphail was born and bred in rural Hawke’s Bay and has a passion for the landscape of the area. He spent twenty years away but in the 1990s, the appeal of a burgeoning Hawke’s Bay lifestyle drew him back to establish his business here.

ABOUT Jamie

“Jamie is an established New Zealand, Landscape Designer specialising in the design and development of innovative gardens and landscapes of an enduring nature.

He prefers to work with materials found close to the site so local timbers, rock and plants feature strongly in his designs, also New Zealand natives and plants with bold architectural form.

He considers • Simplicity • Unity • Functionality and Scale to be the key elements that are important to good landscape design. Jamie’s work has featured in national House and Garden magazines, and he’s a contributing writer to a highly regarded National Garden Magazine.

5 KURIOUS KIWI QUESTIONS

Do you have interesting friends? I do. I’m a Kurious Kiwi, so in this LifeStyle section I ask them 5 Questions. Their responses are sometimes startling yet always thought evoking. I ask each of them a common question relating to a Cause they believe in and why it matters to them. Read on to share in their take on what they think really does matter.

Hawke’s Bay Best Kept Secret?

There’s an ‘outer’ and ‘inner’ answer to this one for me. Very few people know about Mangakuri Beach. It’s a place where the scale, diversity and the unique features of the landscape never fail to penetrate the soul of even the most world weary visitor.

It’s a small beach, a couple of miles long, and defined by rocky outcrops at each end, a steep hill in behind and a reef of the most extraordinary rock formations.

When you are there, there are physical boundaries that perfectly define your world. This seems to heighten one’s sense of place, your world physically shrinks to fit within the geographic confines.

With limited contact to the outside world, there’s no cell phone coverage and only a few people have bothered with internet connections. Radio reception is marginal, no one delivers newspapers out there, and most cottages don’t have televisions, it’s a place where you have more time to be reflective and contemplative.

The geology has extraordinary rock formations that fire up the imagination, to find mythical creatures, fictional worlds and architectural monuments that make Gaudi seem dull. The rock pools at low tide, formed by these rocks bring out the child in all of us, filled with wonder at the colour of the anemones, the translucency of a shrimp and the hilarity of the seaweed festooned hermit crab. Without fail, I always leave Mangakuri feeling better than I did on arrival. I don’t think I can say that of any other place!

The Paper Mulberry Café

The ‘inner’ place is the community I grew up in, Pukehou. There’s no list of magical features, but it has a fundamental sense of community that for me still defines ‘home’ and is the manifestation of turangawaewae. Tūrangawaewae are places where we feel especially empowered and connected. They are our foundation, our place in the world, our home.

Having The Paper Mulberry Café has made it easier to stop and enjoy on a superficial level, it gives me a reason to be there, to breathe the air. It used to be the Church Hall and doubled as the School Hall when I was a child. Fancy Dress balls, farewell parties, plays put on by the Pukehou Players, Sunday School; it was a hub.

Christ’s Church

Then there’s Christ’s Church, what a profound name for the quintessential 19th century protestant church, sitting in paddocks, with ancient Oaks and mown grass.

It’s a building that resonates with family history, with the discovery of religion, with the spirit of a whole conflicted history of colonial New Zealand.

Perched in a paddock, set back off the road is the private cemetery where my parents, my sister and so many family friends lie. Both the cemetery and the church help me to understand the meaning of the word ‘sacred’ — these are my sacred places.

Then there are the folk. There’s whole raft of colourful, diverse characters, like Geoff and Jan, who run Millstream Gardens, two glowing souls. Adrian White, whose 80th birthday party was held at the Marae the other day, a pioneer of Organics, the GE Free Movement and a consummate raconteur. Pukehou is my own personal and hidden secret.

What’s Your Secret to being Happy?

Again, two answers! First and foremost, following the passion. I think if I am really honest, there are four things that I am passionate about. The first is family. Time spent with them always elevates my serotonin levels significantly. Mangakuri again, best family times are always there.

Another is music, particularly live music. I can totally lose myself listening to people making music, become totally absorbed in it. Everything evaporates except the sounds I’m hearing and my emotional responses to them.

Sitting Room Sessions

To be in the presence of a gifted musician is such a privilege, such a luxury. I’m working to become more involved with this and have recently started organising House Concerts. I call them ‘Sitting Room Sessions.’ Shortly, I’ll be hosting the ethereal and extraordinary Tiny Ruins for two ‘Sitting Room Sessions’ at my home in Napier.

The intimacy that these concerts offer enhances the experience of hearing music so much. No one speaks, the air is alive with the music, and, at this time of year, the crackling of a fire. The artist gives generously because of the intimacy, stories emerge, tales are told, and as an participant, you come away feeling very close to the artist. Music the way it was intended to be experienced, in my opinion! Organising these, bringing the artists and their audience together in a gracious environment fills me with joy.

Stone and Acting

My third passion is stone. I design gardens, and I think choosing this was really a way of legitimising my passion for rock & stone. Most of my designs incorporate stone, from a single ‘Standing Stone’ as a sentinel or grounding point, to massive walls of stone. To me this brings an ageless, ancient element into a garden.

Working with the stones, selecting them in a quarry, chipping away at them, placing them, I’m totally absorbed by these activities. I’ve been known to turn halogen lights on because there isn’t enough daylight in a day!

On an amateur basis, this is followed by acting. I love digging deep and finding a character within that I never knew was there! At my age I’m getting fabulous bit parts, “character roles” that really give me the chance to play.

Endless nights of rehearsing in sub zero halls pays off when you step on stage and live the play. It’s exhilarating!

My final secret to being happy is medication! Sad, but true, depression is such a bugger.

Tell us about a Cause you support. Explain why it matters to you.

I have tended to support two things financially when I’ve been able to: The Red Cross because they literally saved my father’s life in the Second World War and Cranford Hospice because they offered Dad dignity as he faded from us.

Lately, I have discovered ‘The Play It Strange Trust’ run by Mike Chunn, one time founder of Split Enz then Citizen Band. He went on to run APRA, striving to protect musicians rights as we transitioned into the digital age.

‘Play It Strange’ works in a very hands on way to develop the imagination and creativity of our youth. They work predominantly in High Schools in nurturing aspiring songwriters, singers and musicians. I think creativity liberates us, stimulates the imagination and helps steer us away from mediocrity. Anyone dedicating their time and energy to encouraging our youth to open their minds deserves our support, our Government don’t pay them much mind!

Two of the Most Important Lessons You’ve Learned in Your Life so far?

As a teenager, on a weekend at the beach (yes, Mangakuri is a recurring theme!) listening to Uriah Heap, Lou Reed, America & Leo Sayer (it’s true, my tastes have always strayed far and wide!) I read ‘The Little Prince’ by Antoine de Saint-Exupery and a quote leapt from the pages. I’ve held it close ever since — “All that is essential is invisible to the eye.”

The second is, “He aha te mea nui o te ao? He tangata! He tangata! He tangata!” What is the greatest thing on earth? The people! The people! The people!

What Do You Still Want to Accomplish?

I want to see my daughter prosper and discover her place in the world, and to be here to support her in that quest; to introduce as many people to as much wonderful music as I can; to see a little more of the world. I want to find a new place to live so anyone who knows of an interesting space looking for an enthusiastic occupant, I’m THAT person. Last but not least, to make another friend.