At 100 years and two days old, Ola Reeve said she had “officially run out of wows” thanks to a helicopter ride over Wānaka. 

Two years ago, a family friend asked Ms Reeve if there was anything she wanted to do before she died and the answer was simple. 

“To ride in a helicopter,” she said.

With the help of local search and rescue worker Bill Day, Ms Reeve was able to tick the activity off her list by flying over her retirement home, Elmslie House, before a tour taking in Ruby Island, Lake Hāwea, and the Clutha River. 

Ms Reeve said she was delighted to have seen the town from a “whole new perspective”. 

“It will never be the same: I just couldn’t believe the scope and how large Wānaka has become,” she said.

Thousands of feet above the ground Ms Ola Reeves cannot believe her eyes as she is flown over the Upper Clutha. Photo: Evie Sinclair

Asked what the secret to her longevity was, Ms Reeve put it down to the supernatural. 

“When you’re born, the fairies give you two gifts … mine were curiosity and wonder.

“I look at the seed of an orchid, which is smaller than a grain of sand, but given the right circumstances it can produce that glorious blossom,” Ms Reeve said.

“It’s contained in that tiny thing, given the right circumstances,” Ms Reeve said.

But Ms Reeve was not born with what most people would consider “the right circumstances”, with a life of art and travel a testament to her spirit of positivity.

Born in Palmerston North on July 21, 1926, Ms Reeve faced parental abandonment, moving between relatives, orphanages and foster families.

In a biography written by her friend, Lindsey Schofield, Ms Reeve said at 13 she began to study art at Palmerston North technical college under the tutelage of Harry Linley Richardson, and that the practice had become her source of sanity over the years.

At 16, Ms Reeve moved to Fiji, where her mother was working as a nurse, and vowed never to return to New Zealand.

In the intervening years, she travelled to 31 countries, before ultimately settling in New Zealand in 1980.

Ola Reeves and search and rescue pilot Bill Day posing for a photo before taking off, Ms Reeves is officially the oldest person Mr Day has flown. Photo: Evie Sinclair

Ms Reeves has since visited 31 countries over her lifetime.

“World War 2 had just finished when I finished school and my generation was rebuilding the world. 

Art may have been Ms Reeve’s sanity, but for an income, she took  a secretarial course, which laid the foundation for a career working around the world as a secretary, a receptionist, and even as a costume designer’s assistant in the film industry. 

Later in life, and after settling in Wānaka, Ms Reeve returned to her art, which hangs all over the world and in a number of locations in Wānaka. 

“I have paintings hanging from the Falkland Islands to Hong Kong and from Scotland to South Africa.”

Artwork by Ms Reeve can be found locally in Elmslie House, Community Hub, St John and the Wānaka Library.

“Every now and then someone will arrive and say they have been looking at my paintings, and it gives me a great sense of belonging,” she said. 

Now residing in Wānaka’s Elmeslie House, Ms Reeve said she enjoys listening to audiobooks, going for walks and enjoying the views.

Ola Reeve, now 100 years old said the secret to longevity for her was to be born with curiosity and wonder Photo: Evie Sinclair

 

In Ms Schofield’s biography, Ms Reeve said that some people had  questioned whether the events of her life  were  true, but she could confirm that “yes, after a less than promising start, my life has been rather remarkable,” she said. 

Ms Reeve said her one piece of advice to others was  to be kind.

“I want to wish everybody good luck,” she said. 

evie.sinclair@alliedmedia.co.nz