The Loop in Lone Kauri Road

Waitākere actor Mark Mitchinson performs this New Zealand classic by one of our greatest poets, Allen Curnow, who spent much time traversing “the road roping/ seaward in the rainforest”.

The signpost for Lone Kauri Road is a familiar sight for the locals, surfers, tourists and beachcombers that pass it on the way to Piha and Karekare on Auckland’s rugged west coast.

But this is no picture postcard. Against expectations, Curnow describes the richly scenic area in harsh or even ugly terms: “raw red cutting”, “a healthy turd”, “a hawk ... with an offal of silence”. The narrator’s mind is clearly elsewhere: “the same two minds”, “so hard to concentrate”, “scolded for inattention”.

Veteran screen actor Mark Mitchinson brings strength and gravitas to Curnow’s words, giving the intricate language the space it deserves to resonate by itself, while also finding the narrator’s inner tension. 

Director Adam Jones’s production balances the stunning environment of the Karekare valley with Curnow’s largely interior monologue, using flashback and editing techniques to further emphasise the quiet disorder at the heart of the poem.

Left to right: Adam Jones, Mark Mitchinson, Allen Curnow

Credits:
Performed by Mark Mitchinson
Director: Adam Jones
Animator: Hitesh Chheda

The Loop in Lone Kauri Road by Allen Curnow, used by permission of Tim Curnow, Sydney.

Commissioned by Going West Writers Festival with the support of Waitākere Ranges Local Board, Auckland Council and Creative New Zealand

Background plates courtesy archive.org