Hello from Matakohe

After eight years of coming to Matakohe from Auckland very second weekend, we finally sold up, left the corporate jobs and bought a house with 1.5 acres here. We've ramped up the vege growing, planted an orchard and are just enjoying knocking the place into shape. We've got two staffy girls just under ten months old, a geriatric foxy X, two cats, and three pekin ducks. We're all about recycling, upcycling, repurposing and living semi self sufficiently. It's a different pace that's for sure, and it's finallystarting to sink in that we're here permanently and we don't have to pack up and go back to Auckland on Sunday afternoon!

Welcome to the LSB. There are some nice bits of land around Matakohe. Our very first hereford bull came from there years ago. He was one of Gordon Coates' breed and was called Echo. Love the museum there and what our family always called the "roller coaster hills", that bit where you drop down onto the Ruawai flats. I think it's real name is Rogan's Hill.

It is beautiful Stikkibeek, if you turn left just before you hit the top of Rogans Hill and head inland about a km, we are tucked into a hillside that looks over towards the Pahi inlet and as the crow flies, towards the museum. We've nick named the southern end of our property "Wellington" because it cops a fair bit of wind when there's a westerly blowing, but the views out the to Kaipara, across to Tokatoka and Maungaraho make it one of the best spots on the place

Have you ever tried climbing either Tokatoka, or Maungaraho? I climbed Maungaraho as a kid and that was pretty scary. My mother also climbed it and she didn't have a head for heights, so that was pretty brave. I went up Tokatoka when in early 20's and got an altitude blood nose for my troubles. Didn't help that we ran most of the way up, except for the last little steep pinch. I wrote my initials in blood on the trig.!
Don't let the "manana" attitude of the north overtake you. The relaxation is great, but, when you want something done and need to call in a tradesman then, it's frustrating. You will certainly notice the change of speed after Auckland, but I believe the lifestyle is better for one's health long term..

I remember climbing tok as a kid, just got to the top when there was a massive thunder storm never run down hill so fast in my life! Love that view as you come over the last hill and see the ruawai plains, always ment not far to go to the freedom of grandmas farm...

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I'm terrified of heights, TERRIFIED!! so as a personal challenge I climbed Tokatoka. Did half of it with only one eye open and the last steep little bit on my hands and knees with the one eye half shut!! But I did get to the top eventually [^] My husband has climbed both Toke and Maungaraho and said I'd die of fright doing Maungaraho, so I've given it a miss. Much better idea to have a quiet drink at the Tokatoka pub while others climb it...

Hi Pixie, without prying too much, I'm very interested to hear about how you make the lifestyle work financially, do you guys work up there, or was it a matter of selling up in Akld and living off the invested gains ?

I've often wondered if we should have taken the profit we made on the north shore and bought freehold far away from Auckland, rather than buying closer and still working on the mortgage.

The Black Pixie;497098 wrote: I'm terrified of heights, TERRIFIED!! so as a personal challenge I climbed Tokatoka. Did half of it with only one eye open and the last steep little bit on my hands and knees with the one eye half shut!! But I did get to the top eventually [^] My husband has climbed both Toke and Maungaraho and said I'd die of fright doing Maungaraho, so I've given it a miss. Much better idea to have a quiet drink at the Tokatoka pub while others climb it...

Good on you for doing Tokatoka. The veiw up and down the river is well worth the effort...more so if you don't like heights.

Many happy hours I have spent in Tokatoka pub, Ruawai, Maungatoroto, and of course Paparoa after the show!

Hi Kernels, we were lucky enough to get out of Auckland with enough to freehold where we are. My husband's found a job locally. When we were in Auckland I was doing art and crafts as a hobby (The Black Pixie is my craft brand) and selling to a few shops but never had time to do anything more than that. I've ramped that up since coming north and have secured a few more outlets for my goodies. Between my husband's job, my crafty stuff and growing a lot of our own food etc, we can live comfortably if we are a bit careful. We won't be rolling in dough but we don't need to be. Getting out of Auckland without debt and having this lifestyle while we are still young enough to enjoy it, was always the aim and more than makes up for having pots of money in the bank