Dutch brothers take on flax thatch challenge

Two Dutch brothers are showing New Zealand there is a sustainable use for flax by thatching the roof of a building at Queenstown Top 10 Holiday Park Creeksyde this week.

Professional roof thatcher Leo van Midden, of Utrecht, and his brother Jan van Midden, came to know Creeksyde owners Erna and Tonnie Spijkerbosch through Leo's daughter, who worked at the holiday park about five years ago.

The brothers took on the challenge of thatching using flax for the first time, while visiting relatives in Queenstown.

The brothers brought with them their groote-needle, kanegt, klopper and other tools of the trade, which dates back more than 1000 years.

About 30cu m, or five large trailer-loads, of flax was harvested in the past year by farm lad Benn Neumann (14), of Mossburn, and transported to the Robins Rd holiday park.

"We've been drying, bundling and cutting it ready, but because of the shape [of the roof] we need another trailer-load," Mrs Spijkerbosch said.

Mrs Spijkerbosch said the project was "demonstrating the old ways still work and what's generally known as a waste product can be used.

"We used to have 10 to 15 flax mills in Southland, but now we don't have any.

"Flax is still a renewable resource that can be used in many ways, instead of petrol-based products.

"This will last 50-odd years."

Leo van Midden worked as a thatcher for 40 years and said the 300 self-employed thatchers in the Netherlands were always in demand.

"It's something like driving a Rolls Royce, to have a thatched roof . . . It's a status symbol and traditional to retain the old look."

Reeds were traditionally thatched in the Netherlands, but the method was the same, he said.

Trimmed or untrimmed bundles are woven, tacked and packed into place using steel wire and handheld tools, including a large sewing-type needle.

"This was the first time using flax. It's so hard to work with. It's stiff and heavy and real tough," he said.

The flax thatched roof crowned the guest barbecue kitchen, which was built with Creeksyde's Green Globe Gold-certified recycling ethos.

The open-air kitchen was made reusing an 1880 coal range, pipes from a landfill, old bricks, radiators from a hotel and surplus marble from a restaurant.

The finishing touch will be sealing a time capsule in one of the valves above the dining table.