Rita Paczian, director of Bach Musica Photo: Supplied
No sooner had Rita Paczian decided to retire than the heavens opened over Motueka.
The German-born, Motueka-based conductor's home was wrecked in the devastating floods that hit the region earlier this year.
It means she won't be short of things to do once she gives her final concert as director of the Auckland-based choir and orchestra, Bach Musica.
Paczian's been leading the ensemble since 1994, not long after she arrived in New Zealand from northern Germany (ironically because she liked the climate here - and the nature) armed with a CV and a video of her conducting Verdi's Requiem.
Maybe there were more opportunities here too, as well as more sunlight. Back in the early '90s, a female conductor was a relative rarity, and in Germany Paczian struggled to get work.
Not in New Zealand, where local ensembles snapped her up.
Paczian spoke with RNZ Concert host Bryan Crump, ahead of her final concert with Bach Musica in Auckland's Town Hall on 7 December performing music by Handel and, of course, J S Bach.
On the bill, two of Handel's Coronation Anthems (including Zadok the Priest), Bach's Orchestral Suite No 3 in D, and Bach's Christmas-themed Cantata Unser Mund ist voll Lachens, "May our Mouths be filled with Laughter".
Paczian has enjoyed the best of both worlds, finding opportunities to work around New Zealand and even further afield, while basing herself in the sunny Nelson region.
That was until the 2025 floods filled her home with silt.
However, Pazcian and her husband are determined to stay in or around Motueka while they continue to rebuild their lives after the deluge.
The impact of the flood was overwhelming, but so has the warmth and support of her local community.
