Gulf Adventures

Kevin Hester

I was born in Auckland /Tamaki Makaurau, so I have been playing in the adjacent Hauraki Gulf all my life.

I commenced my sailing career in the Gulf in the 1980’s before going on to compete in a few hundred yacht races, for a period on the coastal classic record holder Split Enz ( photo above) and I have completed 16 ocean passages, over half as skipper, on yachts between 37 ft and 70 ft.

I sailed around the island, played on the beaches and scuba dived the coast for 2 decades, waited until the prices took off, duh, then was roped into buying a share in a 10 acre block. That’s when the real Rakino Island experience for me commenced.
Simon Mark-Brown called me one day and said “We’ve just bought the most amazing 10 acres on Rakino Island”. I replied whose we? Simon replied “You and Ulli, me and Louise and Helen Taylor.” I replied with something like WTF and Simon said “Come around and we can discuss it, bring your cheque book!”  The adventure commenced!

In 2002 we built a house in Swanson and transported it complete, with beds made, pantry full and cold beers in the fridge. Rakino has never been the same since!
Henry Backhouse Smith and all my mates built the house for me and relocated it to Maori Garden Bay. Henry got the ‘Rakino bug’, relocated another home here and is now a respected member of the community providing building services between fishing and diving adventures.

In 2015, I moved permanently to Rakino where I now conduct research on the unfolding climate and extinction crisis.
I have a monthly radio show on the Progressive Radio Network which is broadcast out of New York. The show is called Nature Bats Last. The 130 + episodes can be found at the Nature Bats Last archive at PRN.FM

Early this year I was interviewed on Radio Waiheke about life on Rakino Island. https://waihekeradio.org.nz/podcast/rakino-island/?fbclid=IwAR1JqWz1G7FRON10MaLye1y8OBouFv9w4qQhjcj44KfWmZ8vtcrfpabghPg

I have visited 50 countries in my life and I have the incredible good fortune to be able to live wherever I want on the planet. I am living in exactly that place.
Rakino attracts a unique type of person. Irrespective of how much money anyone has the only people who last the course on our beloved rock are folks who are prepared to carry their food, alcohol and luggage and embrace the reality of limited resources. I believe no parent could do more for their children than give them the Rakino Island experience.
I’m currently volunteering at the Rakino Island Nursery on an island wide rewilding project; https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=688736654615318&ref=br_rs