Waka ama take couple to island wedding

PATRICK HAMILTON/Nelson Mail

SOMETHING DIFFERENT: Bride Corina de Souza (second from left, foreground) and groom Bert Freestone (left, background) are paddled to Haulashore Island in waka ama for their wedding.

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With hundreds of homes overlooking the sea, it is often said the worst place in Nelson to do something that you don't want others to see is in the middle of the harbour.

It was a good thing then, that Tahunanui couple Bert and Corina Freestone were happy to share their special day with much of Nelson, even if those on shore could watch but not listen to what was going on.

The pair, who share a love of tango, travelled by waka ama to Haulashore Island for their wedding ceremony, exactly one year after they met at the Casita de San Telmo guest house in Buenos Aires. Mrs Freestone said she Googled Nelson after meeting her future husband, and the first image she saw was Haulashore Island.

They decided to travel by outrigger canoe to the island to get married, just to do something different. The bride's and groom's parties travelled to the island separately, joined by Archdeacon Andy Joseph and a conch blower, before the happy couple returned to the Boat House, where they drank champagne and shared a dance or two.

Mrs Freestone, who hails from Zurich in Switzerland, said she was told to leave the paddling to the others.

"The groom did, the best men and bridesmaids did, but I just enjoyed the trip," she laughed.

Mrs Freestone managed to keep largely dry, although she did have a spare dress that she changed into as the evening progressed."We danced a lot of tango during the night."

The couple are to spend a couple of days in the Marlborough Sounds.

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Corina Freestone   #1   09:57 pm Dec 09 2009

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