Making the old new comes naturally to a young Marlborough couple transforming aged wine barrels into beautiful longboards.

Indigo Greenlaw and Wills Rowe craft these long-decked cruising skateboards from recycled French oak, using crushed glass for grip on a rough-hewn top and elegant designs on a silky smooth base.

The one I see also wears the mark of its past life: “That’s pinot noir,” said Greenlaw happily. “Probably my favourite thing about the boards is the depth of story and the breadth of it.

“If we take the Seresin (Estate) barrel, for example – it’s been grown for a certain number of years on a certain lot in France. Then it’s been milled and aged for a certain amount of time.

“Then there is the wine making process – how many vintages it’s been through and what type of wine. Before we even get it, it has this amazing story. Then Wills takes it and makes a brand-new sellable product.”

When its life as a board is past, the wood can be reused or left to naturally break down. “It’s a recycled product but it’s also recyclable.”

Rowe and Greenlaw’s business The Paper Rain Project marries a passion for art and design with an ingrained ethos of sustainability.