As a young child one of my favourite past times was building hutts. It was instinctual, this innate urge to define, to create space.

While the other girls my age played with Barbie, dreaming of marriage and a white wedding – I was busy building lego houses, concerned only with the will to self determine and to be my own person.

Growing up in Mangere, South Auckland, detached from my tribal identity, meant that the visits north to our papakainga at Pupuke, Whangaroa where very special. They stirred my soul, curiosity and imagination.

On Sundays Nana Liza, would round us up for church service at Waitaruke. I never enjoyed church, I found the whole experience traumatic. So I would hide in the bush scrub, listening to my dad calling out to me. He never liked church either. I would sit quietly amongst the scrub with all this activity around me, catching glimpses of the harbour sparkling through the manuka and say to myself, ‘oneday im going to live here and this will be my church’.

Today, that promise to my childhood self, is now the site of my ‘off the grid bush bach’.

The build and the occupation of tupuna whenua, not lived on for many many years, has been challenging but also incredibly rewarding. I am eternally grateful for Nana Liza and her kaitiakitanga to this whenua.

Our bush bach, still a work in progress but built specifically within my means and suited to our needs.

There are many to thank and acknowledge for helping to get this far.

Firstly our whanau trust who supported the felling of pine in 2010? to fund the excavation of 2 house sites and a access road.

The gifting of the throw away cabin in 2012 from cousin Toa Faneva, and permission from Te runanga o Whangaroa to recycle timber from the Old Mill at Totara North for framing.

As well as salvaging from Dads hoard of building supplies like windows, roofing iron, clear light and recycled fencing palings from 7 Harvard place in Mangere, for flooring.

Overall I would have contributed approximately 8 grand towards labour, other building materials and labour costs.

Also a big thankyou to my good friend, builder, sparkie, plumber, roofer and drain layer – Bevis Hatch, the chainsaw chippy!

So, welcome to my world of bush bach building. I hope you enjoy the experience shared through a series of pictures, that chronical the bush bach build over a 2 year period.

May you find inspiration here for your own off the grid build.

Nga mihi

Yazma