Courtney Petley is a woodworker based in Westmoreland Street, near Farro in Grey Lynn, She hand carves utensils and objects from reclaimed native timbers, and she also teaches small-group workshops. She has just released a new round of Spoon Making Classes running through April, May, and June.
The workshops run on a Sundays for small groups of six. As she explains, "Over six hours, I teach participants how to carve a spoon from a pre-cut blank using traditional hand tools. Along the way, we cover carving techniques and the properties of wood, before sanding and finishing each spoon with a New Zealand-made beeswax - ready to take home and use.
"One of the May workshops falls on Mother's Day, offering a hands-on alternative to traditional gifts.
"There’s a growing appetite for tactile, offline activities - experiences that slow people down and reconnect people to material and process. These classes sit firmly in that space: intimate, physical, and grounded in traditional making.
"I also offer private workshops for groups of 4-10 people, suitable for team days or special occasions."
