Tribute to an ingenious creator and tourism entrepreneur Tonnie Spijkerbosch
In a day long before it was fashionable Tonnie Spijkerbosch led the charge on repurposing, renowned locally as a creative entrepreneurial visionary, plumbing genius and King of DIY.
Almost 300 people turned out to farewell this much-loved, long-time local on Saturday, April 29, with many tributes, funny stories and anecdotes shared, all in honour of Tonnie’s humorous style. He died on March 23 after a short illness, aged 79. There was a common thread – Tonnie was such a kind, genuine man, full of quirky humour, spirit and creativity with a strong work ethic.
A Dutch immigrant, Tonnie arrived in NZ, speaking minimal English, with younger brother Jos on the adventure of his life in 1967. A plumber in Holland, his technical know-how and skill was in demand here. He worked in sheet metal in the North Island before arriving in Dunedin where he scored a plumbing job and met wife of 52 years, Erna, at a Town Hall dance. He was working at West Arm Manapouri Hydro Dam for a time.
They married in 1970 and moved to Queenstown. Tonnie worked for Hec Boyd plumbing for just over a year.
Tonnie and Erna then launched Spÿkes Plumbing, eventually employing 15 people and, as Erna says, “saving the day one pipe at a time”.
Anja, Michael and Uan were born in the 1970s then Tonnie had one of his ‘ah-ha’ moments, while working at the Queenstown Camping Ground. He had a keen entrepreneurial eye and decided they should build NZ’s first dedicated campervan park, Queenstown Holiday Park Creeksyde, which opened in 1988. It was such a hit they sold Spÿkes Plumbing in 1989.
The couple worked hard to transform the old plant nursery in Robins Road, preserving it as a green oasis for central Queenstown. The park bears many of Tonnie’s ‘plumbing art’ creations and is testament to his incredible do-it-yourself talents, repurposing discarded items into working features at the park.
Creeksyde soon gained fame for its eco-friendliness and this creative plumbing art, inspired by Austrian artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser.
Dubbed by his family as a “quirky artist and junk-collector extraordinaire”, they say Tonnie found joy in repurposing seemingly useless items into unique art pieces. He was often spotted attending farm-clearance sales with Erna, hunting for new treasures and potential masterpieces. “You can’t make something if you don’t have bits to build with,” he’d say.
Tonnie was always first to offer a hand up, creating DIY solutions for the community whenever required. His humour and generosity were contagious and he was known for encouraging his staff and apprentices to also create art from his treasure trove of collected items.
The ingenious thermette water heater system and the 44 gallon drum, fire in a grid cooking systems he designed and created for the Wakatipu High School Branches Camps in 1986 are still used and greatly appreciated today.
Another of his most notable accomplishments includes locating and donating the long-lost Coronet Peak Cresta Run remains to the Naseby community, now installed alongside the Ice Luge.
While Erna turned to local politics and became vice and national president of the Holiday Accommodation Parks of NZ Board, she says it was Tonnie - masterminding behind the scenes that made the park such a success.
Behind the scenes was just how he liked it, according to son Uan. Also an active member of Queenstown Lions, Tonnie’s skills were so often integral in making things work.
A dedicated ‘family man’ he loved his children and grandkids to bits.
