Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Earthwise Valley Hot Tub


The Earthwise Valley hot tub ... by Jenn

After a day on the sea, we of course needed to unwind. what better way to relax than a soak in a fire fueled hot tub??? Jon and bexie built this firepit-water tank-hot tub combo at their house and it works beautifully!!! just build yourself a good roaring fire, fill the tank with water and an hour later release the hot water into the tub! viola! it was the perfect night for a soak; not too cold air with a bright moon and complete silence in the world.
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Saturday, July 31, 2010

Winter in Tuateawa

Winter in Tuateawa ... by Bexie


This winter has been a mix of wind and rain, lovely sunny days and cold, clear nights. While we tuck in early to warm up by the fireplace (it's dark by 6pm), we still have accomplished quite a bit with the help of some awesome volunteers: Cat, Mel, Dave, Nico and Jenn... Right now, as the rain pours down outside, I'd love to recap just some of the activities that have been keeping us busy... READ MORE

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Seaweed!

Seaweed Story by Bexie


We're harvesting weed up here in the Coromandel. Seaweed, that is.. The oncoming winter weather has brought us storms.. specifically, Easterlies, which are delivering all kinds of nutritious seaweed to our beach. Trailer loads, in fact. We've spent many hours collecting the stuff in various conditions. Some mornings we drive to a nearby sandy beach, and then we cruise down the beach... READ MORE

Monday, May 3, 2010

Pigs do Fly!

a story about NZ kereru by Nico at the Earthwise Valley house.

a story about NZ kereru at the Earthwise Valley house

It's a wood pigeon. He was hanging out in a cabbage tree in our front yard. I walked within 8 meters/ 25 feet of him and took a picture of him; he looked at me. I walked within 5 meters/ 15 feet of him; he ate a few more berries. I walked right up under the cabbage tree; he turned his rear end toward me. I extended my hand and ... READ MORE

Friday, April 30, 2010

Let's talk about flax

Nico tells us about planting flax in Earthwise Valley.


Let's talk about flax. This summer, we harvested and transplanted approximately 600 flax plants into earthwise valley where we work. What is flax, and why do we spend so much time working with it? ... READ MORE

Sunday, April 11, 2010

Building an Earth Oven at earthwise Valley

Building an Earth Oven at earthwise Valley ... by Bexie

I'm comfortable tackling a new project in the kitchen, or throwing chemicals at some paper in the darkroom, or deciphering a new knitting pattern.. but building is not my strong suit, if only for lack of experience. Building with anything... wood, bricks, metal.. I haven't been there and don't often go there. But, as I'm most comfortable in the kitchen, I was put in charge of building our earth oven.... READ MORE