Rimu & Rain

Simple living in the bush

Category: The Shut

  • Winter-proofing the Shut: How a Mini Meg changed everything

    When we started taking the idea of transforming the Shut into a comfortable sleeping and living space seriously, I begun to search the internet for off-grid heating options. We didn’t have solar power set up so the obvious solution was to install a wood burner. Afterall, we had plenty of fuel for a fire. There…

  • Catching the sky: Our water harvesting journey

    We pretty much take water for granted in our everyday life. It lives at the end of the tap and we turn it on and off at will. On the West Coast water is plentiful with an average rainfall of 3000mm to 6000mm each year. The bush block we bought is covered in rain forest…

  • How motel stays forced us to see the shut’s potential

    At around $250 per night a Beachfront Motel room in Hokitika was a luxury we couldn’t afford to repeat too often. On top of this was the added cost of petrol driving too and from the land and our hospitality expenses staying in Hokitika with its abundance of good restaurants, pubs and cafes. The realisation…

  • The $0 cabin: When free becomes priceless

    The metal prefab building stuck out like a sore thumb. It sat unloved in the little clearing sheltered by Rimu trees and laced with rain. Stepping inside it felt dank, cold and derelict. The harsh metal walls were scuffed and dirty, the drab stained plywood floor felt springy underfoot and I noticed dark organic patterns…