When I visit Geoff Spear-point at his Birdlings Flat home, a southerly storm is in full swing and the clock on the wall shakes whenever a colossal wave hits the beach.
It might seem strange that Spearpoint, so well-known for his connection with the hills, would choose to live a stone’s throw from the ocean. Yet to him, the appeal is simple. “It’s actually a wonderful counterpoint to the mountains,” he says. “Being based on the coast for a life in the hills is a wonderful balance.”
Spearpoint’s love affair with the mountains started nearly 50 years ago in the Hutt Valley. As part of a youth group he ascended Climie, an 862m hill in the Rimutaka Range.
“Getting up Climie was a revelation to me,” he says. “From there…
