Sometimes the bravest thing you can do is begin.
In 1989, my wife Judy and I stood at a crossroads. Behind us was the comfortable predictability of our lives and careers; ahead lay 9.2 hectares of neglected hillside in New Zealand’s Waimata Valley, and a dream we could barely imagine.
We weren’t pioneers or risk-takers. We were simply two ordinary people who decided that life was meant to be lived with muddy hands and open hearts. What began as a plan for self-sufficiency soon grew into something far greater: a decades-long journey of courage, change, and discovery.
Stepping Beyond Comfort
I was an English plant pathologist weary of meetings about meetings. Judy, a Kiwi horticulturist with a determined streak and an infectious laugh, met me by chance in the Scottish Highlands, a place where romance must compete with midges and rain. That serendipitous meeting set everything in motion.
When we bought our little farm near Gisborne, there were no manuals, no promises, and certainly no Plan B. The land was demanding, but there was beauty in its challenge. Slowly, under our care, the place began to heal, and, in turn, so did we.
When Life Gets Messy (and Muddy)
The reality of living our dream often arrived wearing gumboots. There were early mornings when the frost glittered like crushed glass, and evenings when the rain refused to stop. Some crops never cooperated, neighbours livestock treated our fences as optional, and our ambitions occasionally exceeded our experience.
But woven through the blunders were small miracles: the first grape harvest, our children chasing each other through the vines, the quiet satisfaction of holding a bottle of wine that existed because we refused to give up.
Courage, we learned, isn’t about fearlessness. It’s about persistence and about showing up even when the dream feels absurd.
Growth beyond the Vineyard
Tiritiri Estate became more than a livelihood. It became our teacher. Every vine we planted taught patience; every setback, humility. Through weather tantrums, pests, and the labyrinth of organic certification, we discovered that fulfilment doesn’t come from ease, but from endurance.
The land shaped us as much as we shaped it.
The Legacy of a Leap of Faith
When we sold the property in 2014, it had grown into a small but respected vineyard, earning recognition from critics, locals, and even Royalty. Yet the real achievement wasn’t the medals, it was the laughter, the friendships, and the deep sense of purpose that took root along the way.
Takeaway
If you’ve tucked away your own dream, waiting for the right time, perhaps that time is now. Courage won’t spare you the hard days, but it will fill your life with meaning. Sometimes, the smallest patch of earth, and the willingness to begin, can often redefine everything.
Discover our full story in The Tiny Vineyard That Defied the Odds — a memoir of humour, heart, and resilience.
Available now in paperback, eBook, and hardcover.