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The tropical rainforest in the higher reaches of Little Barrier Island contains a spectacular range of plant life. It was here that Ani Blanchard imagined fairies dancing in the mist. This is one of the many images which Blanchard took from the island when she and her husband left in 1968 after ten years as ranger-caretakers.
Ani and her husband, Roger first experienced living in isolation with their family as light house keepers of Stephens Island and Cape Campbell, so when they moved with their four children to Little Barrier in 1958, they saw no obstacle. However, on arrival their predecessors adamantly declared the couple had made a huge mistake bringing children into a place obviously wrought with danger.
Blanchard describes their role on the island was to essentially “… protect the birds and the bush and keep people off” though included managing the island, milking cows, sending weather reports, receiving a vast spectrum of visitors from all over the world, fishing and killing the feral cats.
Blanchard explains they were always the last to hear news about what was going on. For instance, following an earthquake (unbeknown to them) the tides changed dramatically, bewildering them completely, before realising it was due to the effects of a tsunami. Newspapers, she says were largely delivered out of order which could make it difficult to follow events.
Blanchard describes how the whole family became voracious readers which prompted a huge increase to their allocation of library book loans. She found the radio offered a wonderful companion to daily life and enabled her to keep informed. With things like the constantly changing sea and weather patterns and interesting table conversations with a wide variety of visitors there was never a dull moment.
Blanchard recalls one example of many quirky incidents that could happen on the island, an amusing story about how her husband shot a yard broom in the middle of the night - mistaking it for a feral cat. They encountered what Blanchard describes as “foolish boatie people” who would row close to shore in order to ask their way.
Blanchard describes their Christmas dinners were set on an emerald green lawn with blossoms from a large Jacaranda tree, a table laden with crayfish, gazpacho and homegrown salads, strawberries and cream, and accompanied by native bird song. A scene she believes to be far removed from the festive, community gatherings of the mainland.
As the island had no wharf unloading supplies from the dinghy was always haphazard. Nowadays she says there would be helicopters to drop building materials off and fuel pumps to fill the diesel tanks however, back then it was a really, tough ordeal for them to bring the supplies ashore.
Blanchard remembers the transmitter was only installed a week after their arrival on the isolated island and notes from the lighthouse diary entries it took ten days before their predecessors realised that war had broken out. They visited the mainland once every twelve to eighteen months for a holiday, albeit reluctant to leave their paradise.
Blanchard recalls the family’s friendship with aviator, Fred Ladd who started a flight service of airdrops and often accepted payment with crayfish.
The prompt to leave the island after ten years was down to her husband’s promotion to first Chief Ranger of the Hauraki Gulf Maritime Park however, she found it a terribly sad time and understood how their predecessors must have felt. Blanchard tells how when they assembled down at the shore to depart all their animals and the birds gathered round as if knowing they were leaving for good.