27 / 56
relocating. We asked why the couple chose to
put those roots down in Tairua.
“Tairua simply has it all,” Riley says. “There’s
a friendly community, a terrific surf beach, a
harbour and river. It’s great for stand-up paddle
boarding, diving, fishing and surfing. Then
there’s magical Paku Mountain.
“It really is perfect – centrally located with
easy access to other Coromandel towns, and
still under two hours to the airport. A better
question is: Why wouldn’t we choose Tairua?”
While Riley has spent a lot of time in the waters
around the Coromandel, it’s all new to Amber
as she hails from Hawkes Bay. However, Riley
had no trouble persuading her to move.
“My first visit to Tairua felt like home
immediately,” Amber says. “Riley brought me
here when we were looking at properties, and
I had this instant, inexplicable connection.
Perhaps it was the salty air, perhaps the
familiarity of a small coastal town, like my
home town, but from day one, I have felt
absolutely settled.”
What has surprised Amber about Tairua,
along with the excellent coffee available, is
the warmth of the tight-knit beach community.
“We feel like we’ve won the neighbourhood
lottery with the people in our street,” Amber
says. “They made us feel at home straight
away.” (Note: Coincidentally, those neighbours
include two of our favourite people as well
– CL designer Matt Hishon and Rowena
Brown – who have both helped heaps with the
magazine over the years.)
New Zealand’s own ‘shark man’, Riley Elliott,
and photographer Amber Jones can’t get
enough of their new home in Tairua. While
juggling their busy careers since arriving in
January, they have also found time to quench
their lust for the Coromandel.
Dissatisfied with the lifestyle and costs of city
life in Auckland, they had already decided it
was the ocean that was most important in
their lives, and this led them to think about
Words: Georgina Bond
Photos: Amber Jones & Riley Elliott
‘Shark Man’ Riley Elliott works deep in the ocean at exotic locations across the world, but he’s
chosen to make his home here on top of Paku Mountain with partner Amber Jones and their
beloved pup, Kona. They plan to build on this unique section that enjoys spectacular views of
Tairua Beach to the north (behind them) as well as Pauanui and the Harbour to the south.
We were thrilled that this dynamic duo had chosen Tairua as their new home and can see why
they feel they’ve really found their slice of heaven here ...on both land and sea.
Although we featured Riley in the 2014 Summer issue of CL, we had not yet met in person
so it was a treat to catch up with them over a glass of wine recently. Their enthusiasm for the
Coromandel and passion for their intertwined career paths is positively infectious – although
I’m not sure I’ll be going nose-to-nose with a shark any time soon, Riley and Amber make
me want to!
These new arrivals have already been ambitiously exploring the natural beauty of their new
surroundings, and have agreed to share a glimpse of those Coromandel adventures with us in
this and upcoming issues.
Welcome to Tairua Amber, Riley and Kona! – Tovi Daly
WWW.COROMANDELLIFE.CO.NZ27