The former Bay of Island residents arrived in Haast for the whitebaiting about six years ago and loved it so much they found jobs and stayed.
Long winter nights have been spent in front of the fire creating greenstone (pounamu) jewellery and sculptures.
By last December, they had made enough to set up the Jade and Art Gallery in a large shed next to the Haast River and begin selling directly to the public.
The shed was formerly used by Debbie Saxton.
Some of her mosaics are featured in the fishing net, seashell and driftwood backdrop to the greenstone display.
"We tried to live in Wanaka and it was too hot and too cold for us. We wanted to be by the ocean, where it is more temperate. And we love the sense of community here. When we first arrived here people said, 'What are you guys running away from?' But it was nothing like that," Mr de Ridder said in an interview with the Otago Daily Times.
Ms Maxwell designs and creates jewellery from small stones and enjoys incorporating macrame and flax designs into her work.
Mr de Ridder, a stonemason, concentrates on larger stone sculptures and works as a tiler.
They mainly sell to tourists and their reputation has steadily grown to the point they are receiving commissions.
The couple are used to hearing jokes about "stolen stone" after the convictions and imprisonment of Haast helicopter pilots Dave and Morgan Saxton for the theft of greenstone from the South Westland mountains.
Their shed predecessor, Debbie Saxton, is the former partner of Dave Saxton and left the district several years ago. She was not included in the prosecutions.
"Every day we get questions about it, especially being in Haast," Ms Maxwell said.
The couple used stone they had bought or collected from beaches.
They also had been lucky to have been given stone by older carvers willing to share their knowledge, they said.
They have a passion for greenstone in all its various grades and sometimes find it hard to part with.
"They are kind of like your children. You get attached to certain stones. Logan was making a bowl today that I loved, but a friend came in and wanted it for an engagement present," Ms Maxwell said.
Public interest in greenstone has increased since the Saxton case hit the headlines and the couple are frequently asked to identify rocks.
There was a common but false perception there were "heaps of greenstone" to be found on Westland beaches.
The artists hope the greenstone furore dies down and Ngai Tahu, the Maori iwi which owns the resource, will be able to start releasing rock on to the market.
Mr de Ridder said carver friends in the North Island were reporting they could only get Chinese jade to work with.
- Commercial mining and extraction of greenstone in defined areas, including South Westland, is prohibited by the Ngai Tahu Pounamu Vesting Act 1997. People can legally fossick for carriable pieces of greenstone in certain areas.
