Strong wind predictions cause more fire concerns for Los Angeles and firefighters are expected to be battling Coromandel vegetation fire for several days. Video / NZ Herald, AFP
Simon Burt decided it was time to take the road less travelled.
On the road, he found the book he thought he’d never write.
With his caravan in tow, and fox terrier Meg as company, Burt set out on Route 52, the back road through Central Hawke’s Bay, Tararuaand Wairarapa, wanting to capture the lives and stories of those living on it.
Burt, who has past experience in film, advertising, publishing, and writing, gravitated towards Route 52 - its charms and its ruts - as a geographical boundary for his storytelling.
“I met some really interesting and really nice people, and a couple of ratbags, and just wrote about them.”
Author of 'Route 52 a big lump of country unknown' Simon Burt with his dog Meg visited rural Hawke's Bay, Tararua, and Wairarapa villages some including baches in Herbertville.
With more than 300 pages his now-published book ‘Route 52 - A Big Lump Of Country Unknown’ weaves together the stories of “people of the earth”, places, music, and architecture of the rural route.
“It’s (about) the wonderful old shepherd at Ākitio who has hardly worked anywhere apart from around there... and an old guy in Herbertville who is 90-something and still fit as a fiddle with his dogs on the back of the quad, and people running pubs and campgrounds.”
Burt wrote about what he found and didn’t “sugar-coat” any of his interactions over the fours years it took to write.
He initially set his sights on Ākitio and Pongaroa, towing a 1978 caravan, which was later upgraded to an older model, from 1975, with more space to spend time and write in the evenings.
Simon Burt visited the Tararua District village of Herbertville during the research for the book. Photo / Simon Burt
He visited a range of small rural and coastal communities including Porangahau which he wrote in his book as being “about as Kiwi as it gets”.
“If you’re not in a hurry and just want to take your time it’s a nice quiet road, apart from logging trucks.”
Drone footage in 2018 shows a message reflecting local frustration concerning the state of the Weber to Wimbledon section of Route 52. Photo / File
Burt said the worst part of the road was between Weber and Wimbledon, although the route was very “twisty and windy”.
“It’s a painful drive, at times I’m slowing to a crawl to navigate potholes and subsidence caused by both logging trucks and biblical quantities of rain during 2022,” Burt said in his book.
Simon Burt visited Wanstead in Central Hawke's Bay to watch the polo as part of his research for his book. Photo / Simon Burt
Burt said there is “a lot of dark green hills with pine trees” growing next to the roadside.
“They call it a scenic route, but I never found it particularly scenic, to be honest.”
His travels were loosely planned and the weather threw in a few unexpected challenges.
It took him three attempts to get to Cape Turnagain and the rough road meant he had to park up his caravan rather than tow it along with him.
Simon Burt travelled with Meg to several places along Route 52 to interview people for his book staying in his caravan. Photo / Simon Burt
Burt said he had always wanted to do something creative for himself but had doubts he would finish the project, saying “I couldn’t possibly write a book”.
“I didn’t know if I had it in me to complete this, my life has been full of starting things and not finishing them.”
He said through his former work he had spent his life “pretty much producing other people’s creative ideas”.
Burt said it felt good to have his book published with Deborah Coddington, owner of Ugly Hill Press.
The book will launch on January 22 in Waipukurau at the Library and on January 24 in Masterton at Hedley’s Books.
Michaela Gower joined Hawke’s Bay Today in 2023 and is based out of the Hastings newsroom. She covers Dannevirke and Hawke’s Bay news and loves sharing stories about farming and rural communities.
