Experience off-grid living at Tōtaravárre, where our journey began three years ago on this untouched piece of land.

When we first bought the land, it was a wild mix of bush and weeds. We needed basic facilities such as a toilet and a shower for when we were camping or working on the land. Our first project was building the composting toilet, humorously named Blåskåpet, inspired by the Swedish saying "Skitit i det Blåskåpet," meaning that you're in trouble or literally "you've had a crap in the blue cupboard." Next, we constructed an outdoor shower, beautifully nestled under the Pūriri and Tōtara tree canopies. This shower, fed by gravity and rainwater with a gas califont and a 12-volt pump, offers a serene view through the silver ferns to the harbour below.

The heart of Tōtaravárre is the cabin itself, composed of two fully renovated caravans. These caravans, transformed into cozy bedrooms with insulation and thoughtful design, served as our family’s home during the construction of our main house. The main living space, built with the help of friends, includes a kitchen corner, a dining area, a fireplace, and plenty of clever storage solutions. The covered deck provides a tranquil spot under the trees, overlooking the Whangarei Harbour but the main purpose was to provide shelter from the elements when doing dishes outside through the wet and windy seasons. We had over a metre of rain the first "summer" we stayed in the cabin!

In the main cabin area, you’ll find a clever fold-down dining table, which serves as multi-purpose storage and a table where our family of four could sit for dinners and even host guests. The homemade couch, equipped with wheels, can be repositioned to provide additional seating or turned around for movie nights, transforming the space into a cozy home cinema with a projector. The kitchen area features many multi-purpose solutions, essential for living in a tiny home. Additionally, retractable clotheslines can be used to dry clothes by the fire, creating an efficient drying room.

Staying at Tōtaravárre means immersing yourself in the off-grid, sustainable lifestyle that we cherish. Our cabin, built with love and lived in by our family, is a testament to starting from scratch and creating something beautiful. Whether you’re looking to learn about sustainable living or seeking inspiration for your own journey, we invite you to share in our story and enjoy the peace and beauty of Tōtaravárre.

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