As the cost of living puts the squeeze on many families, the hunt to find alternative ways of living such as going off the grid is becoming more desirable, Sharnae Hope reports.
Dan Whittington and Merve Yesilkr’s expenses were less than $5000 in the last year.
Their frugal spending has been used to upgrade an old water pump system, buy a few recycled materials, gas and some watermelons to eat after surfing over summer.
The young couple had been living semi off-grid together for the last five years, but a combination of losing their jobs due to the vaccine mandates, the cost of living and a “what am I doing with my life” moment led them down the path of becoming completely self-sufficient.
Now “the only thing that connects us to the outside world is this driveway,” Whittington said.
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Merve Yesilkr, 29, used to be a lab technician in Hamilton and Dan Whittington, 30, was an electrician before they became self-sufficient.
Whittington, 30, and Yesilkr, 29, live in a small solar-powered cabin on the outskirts of Raglan surrounded by rolling hills and native bush.
His dad bought the 40-hectare section around 40 years ago, but has since gifted it to Whittington.
Named Hakea after an unusual pink tree discovered on the property, Yesilkr and five others have since joined the community as well as an assortment of chickens, goats, cows, worms and bees.
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Hakea is completely self-sufficient with several solar panels, extensive gardens, chooks and a self-driven ram pump that requires no power to operate.
After losing their jobs due to the vaccine mandate last year, they have begun investing a lot more time into the community, Yesilkr said.
Using their own savings from years of hard work – and not Government support – they have been able to reduce their outgoing costs in a bid to become completely self-sufficient.
“The cost of living is ridiculous these days, and it’s the reason we’ve opened up our community to more people,” Whittington said.
With an industrial background, Whittington has built the majority of the communal facilities from recycled materials.
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Dan Whittington said chickens are excellent at pest and weed control in the food forest.
His most recent project were two composting toilets which turn faeces and urine into resources for the garden.
The urine goes into an aerated tank that becomes diluted when people wash their hands. Packed with nutrients, the liquid is then poured into the garden.
Meanwhile, the number twos go into a chamber where they stay for a few months. Once it becomes more solid in consistency it is removed and shovelled into a worm farm made from an old bath.
“It’s all about closing the loop.”
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The couple describe themselves as flexitarians, which is vegetarian and the odd animal product.
Meanwhile, former scientist Yesilkr has a passion for permaculture – a sustainable method to gardening where nothing goes to waste – and has dinner covered.
Thanks to her mahi, they now have a fully established food forest and two gardens – with another one due to be developed.
“When I first moved to Hakea five years ago there was only one garden, but in the last year I have invested a lot of energy into establishing more.
“Last summer we only bought a couple of things like corn, because something ate our corn and watermelon, but everything else came from our gardens.”
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Merve Yesilkr gives everything a go when it comes to planting including a pineapple plant.
One of the plots, dubbed the “hot garden”, is on the sunniest side of the property and is full of plants that love the warmth such as taro, beans, zucchini, chillies, passion fruit – and even a pineapple plant.
While on the other side plants such as broccoli, cabbage, carrots, pear and apple trees thrive.
“It is all about understanding the ecosystem and working with it to benefit all.”
They also have a continuous supply of water.
A domeless water ram connected to a spring pushes about 1000 litres of water up their hill every day into a tank which gravity feeds the farm and the community.
Whittington said the pump is powered by the water. It costs around $700, but will last a lifetime.
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The composting toilet feeds all the gardens, “closing the loop” on waste.
Going off the grid doesn’t have to be hard
While the pair are now experts in off grid living, they say anyone can do what they do for an affordable price.
“I think there’s a really big movement in New Zealand to go off grid and move towards permaculture and sustainable living,” Yesilkr said.
“If you are choosing to live simple, I think it can be cheap.”
Whittington reckons a basic off the grid home could be done for as little as $7000, as long as “you’re willing to put in time and effort”.
He recommends beginners start out small with the bare basics of water, food and power then begin adding more elements over the years.
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Merve Yesilkr said in the last year they have been putting more energy into the place.
For inspiration go to Youtube, TradeMe and dump sites, he said.
Establishing a garden can also be done cheap.
“The biggest costs are often your accommodation and food, but if you invest time in the garden you are making that cycle smaller,” Yesilkr said.
Buying plants from stores can be expensive, but propagating, trading or buying plants that are out of season can save a lot of money, she said.
But remember, “if you want to eat from your garden you’ve got to put the work in”.
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The couple say it’s all about understanding the ecosystem and working with it.
Once your plants are chosen, think about where they would work best – is it dry, wet, or frosty in winter?
Don’t plant all the same things in a row and always have something new coming in.
If something does fail that is a must on the dinner table, it’s OK to go to a retailer, she said, but learn from the experience and use that knowledge for the next season.
“Last year we got so many beans and zucchini, but our corn died out.
“It doesn’t matter how hard you work there will always be something not working, and you won’t know why. That’s just part of nature.”
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Dan Whittington’s first attempt at carpentry was a bar at Hakea.
Tips for off the grid newbies
- Finding a water source is your number one priority – walk around your property during summer to locate possible bores or springs or collect water off your roof
- Solar is cheaper than wind – you can buy a solar panel for around $187 these days
- Turn on your washing machine or charge your batteries in full sun
- In the winter months, reduce your usage from eight hours to six
- Location – think about where you are planting your fruit trees or veggie plants – is it dry, wet, frosty in winter?
- Don’t plant the same things. Always have something new coming in.
- Don’t rely on just one element to source water, food and energy
