Living in a tent in the Coromandel bush while we build our off-grid cabin provides us with lessons in patience, resilience and humility.

Life here is immersive: you wake with the forest, sleep with the forest, and learn to navigate a world where humans are guests rather than masters.

In this post, I reflect on the experience of becoming one with Shambhala, a place of vast contradictions. Embracing those contradictions requires respect, attention and more than a little courage.

Building an off-grid cabin in the Coromandel bush is teaching us far more than construction skills. Surrounded by native forest, wildlife, and the daily realities of tent living, every stage of the build requires patience, adaptability, and respect for the environment.

From muddy tracks and changing weather to the sounds of ruru at night and kākā overhead at dawn, the bush shapes every part of the process.

In this post, I share the experience of slowly building our cabin at Shambhala while living closely with nature. It is a story of simplicity, resilience, and learning to work with the rhythms of the bush rather than against them, all while surrounded by the untamed beauty of the Coromandel ranges.

Living in a tent at Shambhala brings an intimate connection with the Coromandel bush. Every day is shaped by the rhythms of the forest, from the dawn calls of kākā to the night-time rustle of possums or pigs nearby. Tent life teaches patience, observation, and a quiet awareness that comes only from being fully immersed in nature.

In this post, I share the realities of off-grid tent living, from simple daily routines to the joys and challenges of being so close to wildlife. It is a story of adaptation, reflection, and the small but profound lessons learned when life is stripped back to essentials in the heart of New Zealand’s native bush.

Living at Shambhala brings daily encounters with New Zealand’s remarkable native wildlife. From the calls of ruru at dusk to the kākā heard at dawn, the bush is alive with movement and sound. Even kiwi make their presence known here, reminding me that life in this forested paradise runs to its own rhythms and requires a quiet, respectful presence to fully appreciate it.

In this post, I share some of the most memorable wildlife moments at Shambhala. You will find stories about the ruru and kākā, glimpses of kiwi in their natural habitat, and observations of other native birds. It is a mix of practical advice for noticing wildlife and reflections on the extraordinary connection that comes from living so closely with the untamed bush.

Living off-grid in the New Zealand bush is both beautiful and slightly unnerving. At Shambhala, the forest hums with life, from the soft calls of ruru at dusk to the sudden rustle of pigs moving through the undergrowth. Each day brings a deeper awareness of the land and its rhythms, where moments of serenity are balanced by reminders that the bush is wild, unpredictable, and very much alive.

In this article, I share the reality of life off-grid in the Coromandel bush including the wildlife encounters, the challenges of tent living while building a cabin, and the lessons learned from living so closely with nature. It’s a story of connection, resilience, and the quiet beauty found in the untamed corners of New Zealand.

Shambhala, my off-grid Coromandel property, is a place of learning, growth, and connection to the natural world.

From clearing tracks to starting the cabin build, this journey is about embracing challenges, celebrating victories, and living a sustainable, intentional life.

Explore what it takes to create a home in tune with the bush.

The possum trap had been sprung again. I knew before I even reached it. The pigs had already been, leaving only a smear of fur and disturbed leaf litter as evidence.

Fifteen possums in the first month. This is what conservation actually looks like at Shambhala, our off-grid property deep in the Coromandel bush: unglamorous, methodical, and quietly extraordinary.

For our tiny, off-grid cabin in New Zealand, finding the right location to start building was paramount and as someone who feels the cold, maximising sunlight was a top priority.

Over the past year while camped out in our tent, we’ve carefully observed how the sun moves across our property "Shambhala" throughout the seasons and in that time, we’ve learnt a great deal.

For many in the developed world, striving for material wealth, status and possessions is given precedence above all else. What if instead, we recognised the importance of relationships, community contribution and service, self development, and physical and mental health? Purposely living a simple life asks that we reconsider our priorities. 

From a whisper to a howl, pine trees have their own mesmerising song though many times it’s all bluff and bluster with, despite the drama above, hardly a leaf stirring amongst the canopy below. 

But not always I mused as I listened to the rhythmic thud of pine cones hitting the ground nearby and the unnerving rattle, creak and clank as branches and trunks bullied each other for space like so many boys queuing outside the tuck shop. 

I knew once I’d spent a little more time on the land, sleeping under canvas, observing the twinkle of the Milky Way, listening to the wind whistle in the trees, the morepork and kiwi calling, even the possums squabbling, the name would present itself.

In Tibetan Buddhist traditions Shambhala is a spiritual kingdom that is believed to exist somewhere between the Himalayan Mountains and the Gobi Desert. 

Hidden deep in a valley, the land is inhabited by a mystical brotherhood whose members labour for the good of humanity. 

We tore down to the beach, our new inflatable flutter boards bouncing cheerfully behind us. We had enough experience not to swim in the first part as the sand was mixed with small rocks and if you were rolled by the huge waves, you’d end up with gravel rash.

Onwards a little further and the sand was pristine with the waves rolling in predictable sets of seven. We ditched our towels above the tideline and raced each other into the surf, excited to be trying out our new boards.