Pakiri local Rachel Waterhouse created Pakiri Clay at the end of 2019, a small business born from her passion for pottery. Rachel’s unique and stunning designs are a perfect combination of function and form, lovingly created at her home studio overlooking the rolling hills behind Pakiri Beach. Rachel draws inspiration from the natural beauty surrounding her home, and is constantly looking for design ideas while exploring local beaches and forests. She particularly enjoys incorporating shapes into her pieces from leaves, flowers, birds and insects. She enjoys experimenting with her glazes, but often likes to leave parts of her work unglazed to let the naturally rustic texture of the clay shine through.

Rachel has a design degree and has spent her life designing and creating clothing, jewellery, photography and printmaking. Creating pottery is a natural progression. Her mother was a potter and has been Rachel’s inspiration as a creative maker.