Interview: Mari Hill Harpur talks about Fairlight: Captain John Howell
Mari Hill Harpur’s career has centred on farming and forestry, while photography and writing are her passions. She has held more than 40 international photography exhibitions and has published articles, poetry, and a non-fiction book, Sea Winter Salmon, about conserving the Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) and their habitat on one of the well-known North Shore tributaries of the Saint Lawrence River in Québec, Canada.
Tell us a little about your book about Captain John Howell of Southland fame.
Mari’s new book, Fairlight: Captain John Howell, describes another heritage home, this time on the Mataura River in Southland, New Zealand. Built and owned by Captain John Howell, a well-known South Pacific maritime captain, the book focuses on the captain, his family, his crew and employees, and local Māori, as well as his daredevil ways and political career. The book’s underlying theme is the near extinction of seal and whale populations in the late 1800s and their slow recovery today. Her book features over 100 illustrations and reads like a picture book grounded in historical data.
Why are you attached to New Zealand and Fairlight Station?
My husband, Doug, is a Kiwi, and he has a large family in New Zealand. As it turns out, we both have a deep affection for this country and are fortunate to spend a fair bit of time here.
I first visited in 1983 to attend two family weddings and to meet the rest of the family in Waikanae and Christchurch. Doug and I bought our first property in the early 90s to establish a Douglas Fir Forest. By the year 2000, we were well on our way to this goal. We later bought our second property, Fairlight Station in Southland, and purchased the Fairlight homestead, a New Zealand Historic Places Trust building over 150 years old. Because we own the property, I wanted to research its history and honour the place and the vision of the man who built it. I also wanted to share the passion all of us, the owners, have had for the place called Fairlight Station.
What inspired you to write about Fairlight and Captain Howell?
After purchasing the Fairlight Station property, I was encouraged to write the history of the Fairlight Station homestead and Heritage Building located in Murihiku/Southland. That is how the idea came about.
That same year, the COVID crisis came to the forefront of our lives. Doug and I chose to spend our 26-week confinement in New Zealand. During that enforced isolation, Simon said to Doug, “You know, I think the Fairlight homestead is 150 years old next year.” Simon soon followed up with, “Why don’t you write up a little history book to commemorate the event, Mari?” Well, I took the bait, as they say, and that started the process of documenting the history of Captain John Howell and the vision he brought to the Southland area. That was the early stage of my writing this book.
By the time I reached the final pages of my book, I had developed a second, broader theme honouring Captain Howell’s influence, namely the preservation of seal and whale species. Captain Howell, a whaler and merchant who made his first fortune from seals and whales, witnessed their near extinction. Before they vanished entirely, he stopped hunting them. Whether because European reliance on whale oil was declining or because of instinct, he turned his attention to establishing Southland agriculture as the land-based economy it is known for today. In his later years, his attention turned to other matters, especially in the political arena. Today we celebrate the return of the whale and seal populations to our shores. (Pages 204-213)
What research was involved?
Many individuals and institutions contributed to this book. My initial and most influential source of knowledge was the Te Hikoi Museum in Riverton. Under the direction of Catherine Hill, the archivist and editor of the local newspaper (The Western Star), my book was destined to be thoroughly researched. There was no going back-only forward. That little port town of Riverton took on a life of its own. This was Captain Howell’s initial home, and with the wild waters of the Foveaux Strait glistening in the background, Catherine introduced me to a book written by Captain Howell's great-great-granddaughter, Eva Wilson. That really started the ball rolling. At the Hocken Library, Anna Peterson introduced me to their collection, and my curiosity was truly engaged. My education about Southland became my passion. I wanted to know every story Harris Beattie, Robert McNab, C.R. Wilson, Mr. Jardine and many other authors had to share in their writings. At the end of the day, many narratives, rumours, and exposés had to be left on the cutting room floor. I was overwhelmed with knowledge. There was just too much to write about.
What was your routine or process when writing this book?
My routine was to write or work on this project for 4 to 5 hours a day. That routine kept me busy, too busy, in fact. After the first 18 months, I decided to finish my reading and research and reduce the book’s size. I took my book and cut my notes in half, removing 65,000 (sixty-five thousand) words from the beginning of the book. I began working week by week. I would spend one day on organization and three to four days writing or procuring images. In the second year, I hired an editor, Paula Wagemaker, a freelance editor and writer based in the Ida Valley, Otago. She introduced a stronger southern approach to my writing. She targeted conversations and interactions between men and women to “seem more southern”. She introduced realistic exchanges relevant to the period and to Māori traditions and way of life. Her sense of history helped to personalize and localize the storytelling. I worked with her for 2-plus years.
Once the story was established, I turned my full attention to the illustrations, which posed another interesting challenge. I spent about 8-10 months researching the local archives for relevant images. I found a tremendous amount of material and used over 100 illustrations. During those years, I worked with Steve Louis of Studio Lizard in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, a layout expert and designer. As a photographer, I wanted real photographs to tell the story, and I wanted lots of them. They were my primary visual guide, supplemented by cartography, archival images, and etchings. Kim Pogue of First Edition Prints in Minneapolis, Minnesota, cleaned and finished most of the images for publication. Tetyana Dyachenko of Digitartgallery.com in Ukraine restored damaged archival images and corrected tonal quality for the final image’s presentation. The result of all this effort is that you do not need to read this book to enjoy it. The illustrations speak for themselves.
If a soundtrack were made to accompany this book, name a song or two you would include.
This is an interesting question. I would suggest two types of soundtracks. The primary one would be by Yo-Yo Ma, the renowned contemporary cellist, whose most recent work explores whales in their natural environment and their songs as a form of long-distance underwater communication. Yo-Yo Ma has wanted to use his cello to communicate with whales for half his life. In Hawai’i, he finally had the chance, with help from the Polynesian Voyaging Society and hula master Snowbird Bento. Yo-Yo learned about the ancient art of Hawaiian chant, which one local singer describes as their “contribution to the orchestra of the world.” Yo-Yo boarded a legendary canoe Hōkūleʻa with local fishermen, seafaring captains, and marine biologists and went to sea to explore. Listen to Our Common Nature: (https://yoyoma.lnk.to/ocn).
An additional soundtrack would use the traditional song genre called “Sea Shanty”, specifically the tune The Wellerman’s Song. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qP-7GNoDJ5c) Captain Howell played the violin all his life. He was an accomplished musician and loved Celtic and Sea Shanty songs. (Please see page 135 in the Fairlight book for the lyrics of The Wellerman’s Song.) Both soundtracks reveal the auditory sense of those times.
If your book were made into a movie, who would you like to see playing the lead characters?
I think Sam Neill would have made a perfect Captain Howell. Rest in peace, Sam. You will be missed in Otago.
Keisha Castle-Hughes would be an excellent choice for Kohi Kohi. She is the girl from the film “Whale Rider”. Beyond this, I have no further knowledge.
What did I enjoy most about writing Fairlight?
I enjoyed researching the history and reconstructing the storyline for the first 11 chapters. After that, I continued working with Charlie Brown at Rodes & Co in Christchurch to locate the legal documents. I was shocked when Charlie sent me Captain Howell’s will. It was an amazing feat that he found it. Then Charlie began tracing the 12 owners after Captain Howell. Charlie located most of the legal documents needed to trace the owners after Captain Howell’s death. That work is featured in the book (pages 155-164). I also enjoyed learning about the whaling industry and the early history of Murihiku/Southland. At one stage, we were inspired to take a trip to places further afield. We travelled toward Dunedin to see John Jones's farms (pages 222–224). I also contacted relatives and others who knew some of the subsequent owners (the Roger’s family, pages 171–178). I appreciated their contributions and thoroughly enjoyed piecing together the ownership puzzle. Some facts are still missing, and some will be incorrect. So be it. I am happy to leave those problems for others to solve.
What did you do to celebrate finishing this book?
The ‘soft launch” will take place on September 23, 2026. Later, I plan to host an event at a venue where I would personally attend. It would take place at Fairlight or in a gallery somewhere in the South Island near Fairlight. This would be the official launch, and I would like to schedule it for 2027.
What are you reading now?
Vindolanda by Adrian Goldsworthy is a three-book series. I finished the first one a few weeks ago and am working on the second. It is a work of creative nonfiction about the Roman occupation of northern Britain from AD 83 to 105. Mr. Goldsworthy is a British scholar who specializes in all things Roman. His book is in the same genre as mine. I particularly enjoyed his writing structure and the simple, effective techniques he used to develop characters and add dramatic tension to every chapter. His historical knowledge is accurate, up to date, and a pleasure to read.
Agenda for now?
Once the book is successfully launched, I would like Chapters 1-11 translated into Māori. In the Māori version, I would include the following pages (pages 226-229 in the Fairlight book) on Rangatira/Chief Hōne (John) Tūhawaiki as an appendix. I would also add Chapter 18, ‘Early Photography in Nineteenth-Century New Zealand’. My first book, published in Canada, was translated into French, Canada’s second language, and it was very successful. I believe a shortened Māori version of my book would be successful in New Zealand.
Beyond that, I intend to continue writing about my interest in agriculture. I know that most of the next book will feature my collection of red deer portraits.
North Oaks Publishing
