A gift from the sea for an 'original hippie'

Peria craftsman Cam Wilson has been carving slabs of wood into beautiful pieces of furniture for years, and, at the age of 74, he has no plans to stop any time soon.

Born in South Auckland, and from a farming background, Cam once earned his living as a carpenter, but the stars aligned in a strange way to open a new door for him.

Not long after he was laid off, he found a substantial pohutukawa log washed up on St Heliers Beach. He cut some slabs from it and created his first dining table. He took it to a gallery in Auckland, which sold it almost immediately.

"A blind man bought it. He felt along the table and loved all the hollows and the feel of the wood. He had to have it," he said.

Since then he had created hundreds of pieces, too many to count, from dining tables to chairs and vanities, which have gone to all parts of New Zealand and around the world.

Cam moved north to Peria in 1984, and happily concedes he was one of the original hippies "here in the Valley."

"I love the Far North. It is loose around the edges. It's not so structured as many places," he said.

Cam built his fantastical home, complete with a circus tent-like ceiling. Rata and miro stumps taking pride of place within the home, a work of art in itself, filled with pieces of art and mementos from his travels around the world. His artwork has been strongly influenced by his travels too, some pieces following strong African and Middle Eastern styles.

For the past 12 years he has been spending six months in New Zealand the other six months in Santa Cruz, California, but that phase of his life is now over.

"It's become too much of an upheaval," he said, "and Peria is a great place to live. The beauty of the land and my friends here. The community here is very good, they are hugely supportive."

Meanwhile, Cam mainly uses native wood, which he gathers himself with his chainsaw, although he never cuts trees down. For 25 years he had a Landrover that he used to collect wood that his friends and neighbours told him about, and his barn is stacked full of enough milled timber and off-cuts to keep him busy for some time yet.

He turns out the odd "sculpture piece", but furniture is his bread and butter; he enjoys creating artwork that people can use, and people buy it. The process of matching furniture and purchaser often has a very Far North flavour to it too.

"People often eat around my table and then want to buy it. It's a great way to sell them," he said. His own dining table had been sold "numerous times" after guests have fallen in love with it over dinner.

His work, he added, was influenced by nature and the sea.

"I am totally entwined with nature. I am a greenie to my core," he said. He also adds resin inlays, adding colour and a point of difference.

The average table represents a couple of months' work, and sells for around $25,000.

"I love it," Cam said.

"I get such wonderful reactions to my furniture. It's a really good feeling having people like what you make."

At one point he worked out of a store on Mangonui's Waterfront Rd, but had to leave there as the foot traffic was interfering with his productivity. He welcomes visitors to his workshop at Peria though, but is grateful if they phone first (408-5509).