Ready to go off-grid? Check out these expert tips (and some amazing properties)

Angus is quick to assure us that off-grid living can work for people of nearly all ages and stages of life. And that there are also a range of motivations for people who make the leap.

“Some just want to get out of town, and have a bush block where they can explore and relax”, Angus tells us, noting that this was particularly true in the aftermath of the COVID pandemic, where people had understandably started to feel claustrophobic in town. But another common incentive is a desire to live off the land – growing your own fruit and vegetables, and hunting. All of this would certainly be on the cards for anyone interested in the one of the Rameka lots, where local populations of goats, pigs and deer are in need of control.

For these blocks, Angus says that someone keen to act as a custodian for the land would be a perfect fit. With an amazing diversity of native flora and fauna, ranging from kea and ruru (morepork) to ancient rimu and totara, there’s the opportunity to contribute to protecting the region’s biodiversity through trapping and hunting. And who wouldn’t want to wake up and go to sleep to the sound of birdsong?

In a word, yes. Angus tells us that technological leaps forward, in particular with regards to solar arrays and battery improvements, means that it’s getting much easier to life-off grid in Aotearoa.

In addition, with increases in satellite coverage, staying in contact with the outside world (if you want to!) is also becoming less of a barrier. Although, Angus does note that, for professionals hoping to work remotely from their off-grid home, satellite connections aren’t always enough, depending on the work they do.

Angus says that the most common thing he hears from people who’ve decided to go off-grid is that they love the peace and quiet. Linked to this is living right amongst nature. Often, truly off-grid properties are in parts of the country where nature is making a comeback.

For example, Angus’ Rameka properties are right on the border of the East Tākaka Scenic Reserve, which will soon be rolled into the Abel Tasman National Park, so these homes will have a national park boundary in the near future. Ideally, this means that the amount of birdlife the future owners will enjoy is only going to increase, as species like kākā are hoped to make the journey over from the coastlines.

There’s also the opportunity for truly unique property features. Have you ever lived in a home with huge caves nearby, some of which go over 50 metres underground, and others containing moa skeletons? Unless you’ve lived off-grid before, we doubt it. What’s more, one of these lots has a cave so close to the house site that it could function as a wine cellar!

Finally, the large lots typically associated with off-grid properties means that “you can spend a lot of time on the property recreationally”, Angus tells us. Many off-grid homeowners can tramp, hunt or ride horses all within the boundaries of their own home.