Afternoon, late summer, Punakaiki Estuary, West Coast, South Island

2009-2010

oil on canvas

1200 x 1200mm

$3,980

This is the last time Dad saw us kids swim. We spent the day in the river with him… Our last day at Punakaiki on a last pilgrimage to the wilds of the West Coast. A brilliant day… a clear pool at the end of the Punakaiki River. Dad’s connection with Punakaiki is especially deep. A  real force for conservation there, with many victories.

We rolled in and out of the water like eels. Roaming the beach for pounamu souvenirs, discovering topless tourists, and schools of young Patiki/Flounder. It was all magic, and glistening, at the edge of river and ocean.

“Still is still moving to me

And I swim like a fish in the sea all the time

But if that's what it takes to be free I don't mind

Still is still moving to me

Still is still moving to me

And it's hard to explain how I feel

It won't go in words but I know that it's real

I can be moving or I can be still but still is still moving me

Still is still moving to me.”

Still is Still Moving to Me/Willie Nelson. © Full Nelson, 1993