My name is Rethenwyn and I grew up in the south of England—the beautiful New Forest will always have a feeling of home. I wear many hats—writer, designer, homeschooling mother—but my desire to explore and stand for who I am, in truth, has inevitably driven my life.
My husband, Danny, is a ‘Westie’ (West-Aucklander) by birth but he jumped ship at 15 and his roaming feet have kept him on the move ever since. I guess I must have the wondering gene too because when I arrived on the scene 16 years ago, fresh-faced and 21, his pace didn’t slow and I didn’t seem to mind.
We’ve lived as far apart as the Coromandel and the Canterbury Plains—even doing a brief stint back in the south of England—and accumulated three children along the way, beautiful homebirths each one (in different places of course). We’ve experienced so much of the beauty that New Zealand has to offer, and met so many wonderful friends and interesting characters, I wouldn’t change any of it. Though when I stop to reflect, I do wonder why we made it so hard on ourselves at times?!
Our children are Heron, 15 (a big sister that bears the burden of two younger brothers!) Sol 12, and Rowan 10. Apart from a brief stint at school for Heron when she was six, they have always been homeschooled. It’s always been their choice. We help them follow their interests and passions and mediate the disagreements.
I guess in many ways, we live an unconventional life with an unconventional outlook. But ultimately we trust that the right path is laid out before us, and all we need is the courage to live it. That’s what’s brought us to this point: experiencing D’Urville Island and the rich flavour of life it brings.
- Why the Mumma learned to motorbike
- From Private Bag to doorstep: the epic journey of our mail
- Sourcing our drinking water from the top of a waterfall—now that’s refreshing!
- How to hang out washing in 60 km/h winds
- We found the best use for a mussel buoy—ever!
- What we caught in the pig trap (hint: It wasn’t a pig!)
Hi, how lovely to see your beautiful family and what a wonderful way of life you have. It must be amazing living on such a fantastic island , with so many diverse things to do . So pleased you have settled and enjoying island life . Take care all of you xx
Lovely to hear from you Lesley! We’re so enjoying all the adventures the Island has to offer, it’s like being in a different world! An amazing experience. I’m glad to know that you are all surviving all the chaos, hope to catch up at some point soon(ish) xxx
Beautiful ……… amazing … really well written. Reading it and seeing the photo’s brought you all very close. Made me cry, I miss you all so much X