Max Cody, proud father of two children, Lucy and Dan, is a bit of a legend in these parts. Aptly known as 'Max the Machine' in his younger days (nowadays known as 'The Stone Guy'), due to his hunting prowess and the stories that came with those adventures. A 'good mate' to many, a genuine bloke, who is centered, level headed with the calming presence of a Zen guru - not to be mistaken for a pushover. In fact, 'true individualistic kiwi' is also an accurate description.
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| Max Cody - Stone Mountain NZ |
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| Lucy, Dan and Mischief (Misty) |
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| Like Father, like son |
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| The lovely Lucy |
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| The eldest child who recently went flatting |
Max had an affiliation for rural living, from a young age. Growing up, partly in the back blocks of Raetihi,in an era where it was perfectly acceptable for a lad to hunt and provide food for the family, instead of attending 'normal' school. Being home-schooled was a way of life for a few years.
Although living in a few cities, as a young adult, he returned to his roots in Raetihi in 1993, then later purchased a 6 1/2 acre lifestyle block, as a base for his timber business.
His love for the outdoors, working with his hands, and being able to see what he had created at the end of a hard days work. Although he has always loved working with exotic timber, Max realised it was a finite resource. Hence, one day early in 2008, he asked the question "Can we cut the local stone?" (Andesite - volcanic rock)
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No one seemed to know the answer. Therefore, Max the 'can do' man, set out further abroad for some answers.
His saw mill, which had served him well (and still does), was converted into a dual purpose machine.
With some tinkering, trial and errors, and successes, Max decided to get serious about his new stone craft. It was proving to be a unique, sought after product.
In 2009, Max spent 4 days in China to observe some stone cutting machinery, with a company he had been building a relationship with over the previous year. He invested in one machine, which he later converted into the current diamond-wire saw. With kiwi-nous, and the help from his engineering friend, (and carver - Ted) it was redesigned and purpose built. Kiwi ingenuity at its finest!
Fast forward nine years - Memorial Stones
- Natural Edge Pavers (Stacked on pallets for shipping)
- Stone Furniture
- Sculpture
- Stone Signage
- Graphic design and sandblasting (text and images)
All of the stone used, is volcanic andesite (central plateau). The majority of headstones sold, elsewhere in NZ are imported. These are usually priced anywhere from $2,000.00+, Many kiwis and especially maori families, seek the spiritual connection that comes with natural NZ stone, to memorialize their loved ones. This is one of Stone Mountain NZs unique differences, not to mention collaborating directly with families, to ensure their memorial stone has their own personal touches added.
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| Natural edged andesite volcanic rock |
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| Each paver uniquely different |
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| Any guesses what this is? |
The heaviest rock handled by Max, was 14 tonne. This will be hollowed out, and formed into a solid stone hot tub. Watch this space!
In 2010, Whanganui District Council held a sculpture competition, to beautify parts of the new walk way on the river front.
Max, and his mates Kerry MacDonnell and Mikel Brown collaborated on this piece. It remains there today.
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| Sculpture - 3 man effort |
In addition to the above, Stone Mountain NZ now offer the service of text and images being etched (sand blasted) into stone, which was once a service, outsourced.
This is the 1943 Willys Jeep, that Max, Lucy and Danny use to find stones, for their customers. It was lovingly restored, by Max and the kids, over a 13yr period.
Word of mouth, is usually the way people have found Stone Mountain NZ. This has always been a solid way to increase business, especially when locals know and like each other. Social media has not been used for Stone Mountain NZ until now.
Please share our story.
Regards
The Stone Mountain Crew
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