Still in the city

Hi Lifestylers, I have lived in Grey Lynn for nearly 30 years, and also have 770acres of hill country 2mins from Port Waikato beach, which I lease to a farmer.. Looking to exit the big smoke when I can as I have had some concussion and complex PTSD and city noise and stress is becoming a real problem for my brain. Love to forage and all things gardening. Used to religiously watch Country Calendar and still enjoy farm, permaculture and alternative energy related stuff. Interested in legislation to initiate mass decentralisation of cities to meet climate change goals, avid cyclist and interest in herbalism. More of a thinker than a doer but used to be a super type A doer before the head knock. Pleased to meet all you folks.

Welcome to the LSB. There's a good mixture of growers and raisers here, so I'm sure you will get a good variety of ideas and opinion from supporters. Are you planning on building on your block? We have a cousin who lies at Port Waikato and she loves the area. I wouldn't like the summer crowds, but then I'm more of a bush person than I would be a beach person

Yea I'm not too sure if I will build at The Port. Security is a real issue around there and I love sailing too so after all is said and done I could end up around Tairua or Gt Barrier. I grew up around the west coasts but I'm nearly 60..
Whatever happens I just want to have less traffic sounds and smells due to my sensory sensitivities..

Where abouts are you located Stikkibeek?

Just over "that hill" being Bombay.

FrankCollette wrote: Yea I'm not too sure if I will build at The Port. Security is a real issue around there and I love sailing too so after all is said and done I could end up around Tairua or Gt Barrier. I grew up around the west coasts but as I'm nearly 60 now.
Whatever happens I just want to have less traffic sounds and smells due to my sensory sensitivities..

Where abouts are you located Stikkibeek?

Security can be an issue there and one of my rural friends who farms out the back of us (we are not far away) found intruders in their Bach a couple of years ago.

Having said that the Port is a really tight knit community too and there are a couple of aunties down there quick to pull the younger ones back into line.

Do you border sunset station? Perhaps go and have a chat to the farm staff. They have a pretty good idea of who is going through there and turn away trespassers.

Thanks Max.

Its kind of all through there though, Kawhia had people shooting at surfers and classic car enthusiasts stopping for a hot cuppa were shot at too, about a year ago. Just before I settled on the purchase the woolshed was burnt down and at the time a neighbour was a Rasta from Ruatoria. We settled for less due to the loss of the building. Lots of cannabis growers all through that area, and probably a lot grown right near my farm no doubt.

Its a bit like Northern Queensland where backpackers go missing, but not quite as isolated or as bad.
It takes a certain breed, and I am not of that breed. And now with the head knock, I am less able to deal with stressor's like this. Even animal husbandry beyond a cat may prove too taxing, and maybe I should stick with plants. I'm afraid that after 30 years in Grey Lynn and Piha I am now a bit of a tenderfoot.

Just found out I have recently developed mouse arm from computers. I did a bit of scrub cutting for a couple of weeks and I think that set it off. Last night I was at the Grey Lynn Community Centre for a pot luck dinner and the fluorescent lights and noise from all the talking drove me nuts. And today I rode my pushy in the rain out to New Lynn but the building had fan noise from the A/C and I had to leave after only 5min. Need to get out of Auckland for my brain, the sooner the better.

When we grew up surfing at The Port I used to be friends with Wayne Black who managed a big farm out Waikaretu. My block has 7km of road frontage, many creeks, and is 2min to the beach so it will probably become lifestyle blocks. Half the area there has been pine for the last 25-30 years. Would be good to have families move in there and revitalise the area.

My block was part of Sunset Farms when it was cut up in the 90's. I bought the woolshed block which was the largest out of the 6 blocks.

I'm not quite sure which one is yours, Hubby would know. But are you likely to have poachers coming and going esp. if you have wild goats which I'm thinking you might?

I'm hearing you about how the area has changed, the Port was where the '' those out the back'' (ie sheep farmers) had their baches and the local dairy farmers would bring their families for part of the day before afternoon milking.

Then the cheap rents became noticeable and a different crowd moved in. For a while there, the banks (or at least ours) stopped lending on the property there. Not sure if they have changed that position or not. if you feel like taking that track that puts you up on the high side overlooking the area, the coastal erosion creep is worrying!

There are lovely people there and they stick together to try and get the morons moved on. Just a pity that we come under Counties Manukau policing and its blinking hard to get them to do anything out this way apart from the odd speed camera. We have been broken into/stolen from more than any other area where I have lived.


I think the greater area is changing now too. We are seeing the substance takers/users moving south now, prices are great and there is a different type moving in. Whether that benefits the rural food growing aspect of the general area or not, remains to be seen, but it has to be better than seeing property neglected. It goes without saying I'm mentioning this with specifics in mind... :whistle:

But at the end of the day, if its not a comfortable spot for you to rest, its not the right place for you. Good luck in your search.

I still love the drive from the Tuakau bridge to the wharf, seeing all the islands in the delta, the trees growing in water, and looking out for the wild goats.
Its something special.
But going south from the river boundary with the land so steep and hard, the narrow dirt roads and isolation and the politics, its hard to see things changing.
There are plenty of nice quiet beaches and reefs all the way to Raglan too, few people have seen them.
Its an unknown frontier right on Aucklands doorstep.
When I was 17 me and a mate bought a bach at the port for 20k. It was really nice in winter against the north facing hill out of the wind, really good micro climate.

The whole of the Waikato is sinking including Hamilton and the Hauraki Plains, things could be dire for the beach community, and the river could once again exit to the sea against the hill county to the south. My farm will end up with estuary inlets.
Tairua lost a lot of dune in that recent storm 2 weeks back.

I think from a feng shui perspective being on the river with water flow east to west, land facing north with hill to the south is prime real estate. Especially that area with volcanic boulders near that super good soil at Te Kohanga. Must have been like a city around there a couple of hundred years ago.

oops, the secret is out!

Head injuries are really hard work. Family members have had them, and what you mention regarding not being able to tolerate certain things and stresses is very familiar. You do need to give yourself the rest your injury tells you you need. It takes time to learn your new limits, but things may well improve even if it takes a decade or so.

FrankCollette wrote: I still love the drive from the Tuakau bridge to the wharf, seeing all the islands in the delta, the trees growing in water, and looking out for the wild goats.


oops, the secret is out!

Um, not quite...

In recent times/year, you would have also seen the mess on those sections of roads leftover from the ''boy racer/tosser'' brigade. They come from all areas of Nth Waikato/Auckland to meet up at those points, apparently, it's arranged via FB pages.

The police rarely turn up, if they do they might get one or two. And as you know there are not many routes in and out of those areas, to begin with.

Sadly, the house most affected by their activities, homes a terminally ill Gent who just wants to be left in the peace and quiet he is entitled to, for the remainder of his days.

thanks everyone, I'll chime in again soon just sick with a bad flu from riding bikes in the rain, and fixing my mouse arm by stretching, computer avoidance, no typing and left handed mouse use only
will reply soon

Thanks Hawkspur

Yeah its been a journey thats for sure!
Still plumbing the depths of the rabbit hole, as so many more warrens run off my own.
The weaknesses can become strengths, if you dont fight reality, but learn to surf the personal apocalypse and ride out the wave without falling.
I just read a bit about Dabroski's theory of positive disintegration en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Positive_disintegration at times I have used the bad situations to my ultimate advantage. Just like the good luck bad luck story or not counting your chickens before they hatch to say in lifestyle parlance!

I also had multiple chemical sensitivity MCS and then chronic fatigue syndrome CFS in my 20's which often precedes electro hypersensitivity EHS in later life, and along with undiagnosed till recently and possible root causative to everything else, the elephant in the room, gluten and dairy sensitivity.
My wonderful doctor is wonderful.


But as I look around at my 50-60 yr old peers, I feel I am in the upper percentiles for overall health so am fairly upbeat, and realise I am the biggest nut that needs adjusting, esp. around incompatible foods and unhealthy habits. If that girls surfboard had never hit me in the head I may have been worse off now as I was eating and drinking my way through many pub dinners a week....

So basically getting a concussion may have saved my life and opened me up to a whole new way of looking at the world, or I could have become depressed and suicidal.

Thanks MAX2 for the heads up, last thing I need is noisy boy racers.
Around here a few weeks back were gangs of unregistered motocross bikers playing chase me with the police.

They cut thru parks, up curbs, go wherever they want, while cop cars are unable to follow.
They remove the baffles in the exhaust or have racing products fitted so you can hear them and the sirens moving about the city all around you. They seem to do it all at the same time and probably all get together for a beer after.
I dont understand how they get away clean, with choppers and drones and satellite's

In the 80's my friends bach at the port was robbed of even the light switches, old taps and old unmatched crockery and cutlery and even ancient wire wove single beds with kapok mattresses.

For all its faults, The Wart [girlfriends nickname] has got a certain charm and underdog mentality. When my surfing buddies started to get married, often the wives weren't too keen to holiday there. As they all moved from South Auckland to Central Auckland, the Piha drive is half the distance. I ended up buying a bach at Piha too, it was really nice with a stony bottom stream with a swimming hole, and just bush upstream. The waves are better overall at Piha than any other Auckland west coast beach, and you can walk to Whites Beach or Anawhata Beach with Karekare Beach 7min away. Many National Surfing Champions have come out of Piha.

But I'm partially photosensitive now so no days at the beach, and a bad wipeout will definitely worsen concussion.
Even the radiation from wifi can be a problem.

Actually as my farm on Klondyke Rd has no cell coverage, no street lighting, no neighbours for miles, it could be an ultimate retreat from electro magnetic radiation, exhaust gases and artificial lighting.

One huge problem with Piha is that you have to drive past the Waiatarua transmission tower. Its a massive wattage tower the does all the digital television, radio and much more. When I used to drive past it daily my back teeth with amalgum fillings used to ache when I was close and in line of sight....

Klondyke Rd might be my best bet, brain health wise and maybe if I drop out proper, mouse arm wise too... [getting better with rest and left arm use]

My connection with 'reality' could be friends over for wild goat dinners at Franks hill station retreat!
BYO candle and woolies as the barn 'house' is cold.

I hope the people up Klondyke Rd who have the pigeons dont make to much wing noise for you.

Haha the pigeons are safe