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If you are looking into buying or building a Tiny House, what better way to find out if you like the lifestyle than testing it out for a couple nights! It's a great way to find out if the space is going to be an issue for you, what features you like, what you would change, and to collate ideas for your own build. Or you could just be looking for some unique accommodation ideas in NZ! 1. kati kati Image Source from Build Tiny Located in KatiKati, this amazingly designed Tiny House called 'The Millennial' is built by Build Tiny who is a Tiny House Builder.  Image source from Build Tiny You may recognise this home from when they were featured on TV news and through several media outlets.  Image Source Build Tiny You can stay in this Tiny Home from $97NZD per night. You can book on the Tauranga Tiny House Accommodation on AirBnB here. 2. Auckland - Piha Image source from www.diyhousebuilding.com Based in Piha with beautiful views of the beach this Tiny House was designed by Shaye from diyhousebuilding.com and is called 'Doris Jean'.  Image Source www.diyhousebuilding.com This accommodation is perfect for a family wanting a beach getaway. The 'Doris Jean' Tiny House Plans are also available for purchase. So if you like it, you can build your own!  Image Source diyhousebuilding.com Prices start from $96NZD per night. Click here to visit the Piha Tiny House Accommodation on Air BnB. 3. Marton Photo supplied by owner Located in Marton this Tiny House is known as 'Colonial Tiny House' and is set on farmland surrounded by native bush.  Photo supplied by owner Many of the materials used in creating this Tiny House were upcycled or reclaimed!  Photo supplied by owner The Colonial Tiny House can sleep up to 4 adults cosily with one double bed in the loft and one pull out couch bed downstairs. Prices start from $119 NZD per night. Click here to visit the Marton Tiny House Accommodation on Air BnB. 4. TaUPO Image Supplied on 'Tiny House Buy/Sell NZ' group on FB You will find this gorgeous green Tiny House aptly named 'The Greenhouse' located close to Lake Taupo, botanical gardens, and a 5 minutes drive from the highly popular 'Debretts' hot pools.  Image Supplied on 'Tiny House Buy/Sell NZ' group on FB The layout of this home is so clever, that it makes the 7.6mx2.4m floor area feel super spacious.  Image Supplied on 'Tiny House Buy/Sell NZ' group on FB 'The GreenHouse' comfortably sleeps 2 adults and prices start from $106NZD per night. Click here to view the Taupo Tiny House Accommodation on Air BnB. 5. New Plymouth Image Supplied from owner Located in New Plymouth this Tiny House named 'The Matchbox' is situated near a second Tiny House which is home to the owners of this airbnb accommodation.  Image Supplied from owner A cool feature about 'The Matchbox' is that it runs on solar power. Also, if you aren't into lofts, this could be the Tiny House for you, the bed is ground level and it slides away 2/3rds which means it nicely doubles as a couch to save space.  Image Supplied from owner The hammock in the porch area makes for a perfect spot to lay back and relax, especially with the tilt windows wide open! Prices start from $95NZD per night. Click here to see the New Plymouth Tiny House AirBnB. Which one's your fave?Sound off in the comments below! This post is in no way sponsored. Just some cool houses I spotted on AirBnB. I haven't stayed at any...YET, except I have walked through the Kati Kati, and Taupo homes which are both beautiful. Check out the reviews on AirBnB for accurate feedback on these places. From what I could see at the time of posting this blog, every single one of these places have had great feedback!
A lot of people ask me what we do for internet, and today is the day I answer that question. We are off-grid so we can't connect to fibre, or VDSL. We could rack up our phone data, however that would cost a small fortune with how much data we use. Use internet toggles which again equates to a small fortune plus limited data. The final option, and what seemed to me like the best option is 3G/4G RBI Wireless. That's where Wireless Nation comes in. They provide a "plug and play" option, where they send you a configured modem usually within 2 working days, and all you have to do is plug it in and connect to it! If you're in 'Plug and Play' coverage you don't have to wait for installers to come around or wait ages for the connection to go through which is a happy bonus. (I have had many an experience with waiting months for a simple connection). There are a few service providers which can provide 4G Broadband, however many are geo locked which means you where you've listed your address, is where the internet can operate from. Whereas with Wireless Nation is they allow you to travel with your modem, so if you were to decide to move your Tiny House to the next location after a few months or years, you can just bring your modem with you! We switched providers as the prior ISP were not good at answering calls. Wireless Nation are not as huge as some of the other providers therefore they can offer a better more personalised service. I found them very easy to talk to and down to earth in comparison when ordering our connection. Last but not least, you have the option to have an open term contract (you'll need to purchase modem), so you aren't locked in to 12 or 24 month contracts. Click here to find out their latest offer.  Forget plastic free July, you don't need a specific month, day, or time to start making change. You can simply decide in one moment and action change in the next! Any change is positive too, whether you want to make a small but conscious effort to bring reusable bags to the supermarket or to the extreme of not touching a piece of plastic. Let's just start off by saying we aren't perfect zero waste people, but we are on a journey to making positive changes! Before living in a Tiny House Jake and I had a certain level of eco-consciousness, since he works for an organic mattress and furniture, and I run an eco-friendly craft small business on the side. However, since living in a Tiny House, it has made us much more environmentally aware, and by default we are leaving a smaller environmental footprint. We create our own power using Solar Panels, and a small wind turbine (see Tiny House Solar Packages for more details), collect some of our own water (we aren't fully self sufficient here yet), we compost food scraps, take recycling to Jakes work or the recycling centre, and we have a composting toilet. Instantly by being off-grid we were much friendlier, the resources used to create our home was much less than a standard home as well, and also less waste. We are still not the perfect eco pair, but we are making choices into creating less waste. These are some recent products we have chosen and received to help us along on our journey to less waste: Reuseable Grocery bags - Plastic bag replacers Tote & Produce Bags from ReUsed. This beautiful Tote and produce bags above are from a small NZ Business called ReUsed. Handmade from recycled/reused materials by the clever Courtenay Feck. They are beautiful and strong, and the produce bags can be used for fruit, veggies, nuts and grains. Click here to see here to see her full range of reusable products. She even sent it packaged in 100% zero waste packaging! You could also DIY your own Tote bags out of old T-Shirts. I made one without the need for any sewing, and it's a great small "keep in handbag" type tote. To see how I made it click here to go through to my the video on my insta page.  Bread Bags from BagItUpBags These handmade bags are made by a lady named Ella, from her small business called BagItUpBags. These bags in particular are "Large Bread Bags" which she sells on etsy. They are perfect to keep bread fresh for longer. A tip I received from someone in a zerowaste facebook group, was to ask if the supermarket could put one of their freshly baked loaves into your own bag, or you could go to your local bakery and use this bag. I haven't done this yet, but it is on the to do list. Up until now I have just been collecting the plastic bread bags for drop off in the soft plastic recycling bins at the local Pak-n-Sav. These bread bags are also multipurpose and can also be used for flour, chia seeds or other bulk bin selection options. You can replace those snaplock plastic bags for these instead, and then transfer into containers when you get home to reuse or simple store the food in the bag until it's been eaten. Ella also packaged these in a brown paper envelope with a handwritten address to also be 100% zero waste packaged. To see her full range of eco products click here! Reuseable food wraps - Glad wrap alternative Small Reusable Food Wrap from Honeywrap These reusable food wraps are made from beeswax covered fabric, and can be used to replace what you would usually use glad wrap for such as wrapping sandwiches, covering bowls in the fridge, or even wrapping up some snacks! Honeywrap was the brain child of three friends and eco conscious Mums named Tara, Jo and Amy. They handmake each of the products themselves, and their latest range includes custom designed fabric! See full range here! Just like the last two small business, these honeywraps arrived in ecofriendly packaging that I just popped into the compost bin. Bamboo Toothbrushes - Plastic tooth brush replacement Bamboo Toothbrushes from Mama Bear Instead of those plastic toothbrushes from the supermarket, how about trying a bamboo tooth brush. These are from a small business Mum who sells a range of eco and organic products called Mama Bear. It's not a surprise she has these in her range as her husband is a dental hygienist. These tooth brushes are biodegradable and all the packaging is also compostable. Unlike some other bamboo toothbrushes on the market these have a range of colours at the bottom so you can tell who's brush is whose. These may take a bit of getting used to for some as they are extra soft. She says that her husband wouldn't let her sell anything harder, as he recommends these to be the best firmness for healthy teeth and gums. Check out her full range here! what are your faves?Leave in the comments below other zero waste alternatives you love to use.
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