We have been busy making space at Awhi Farm for self contained Campervans and Caravans.

You can park here and make a donation to Awhi Turangi Trust. This is a registered charity, so you can claim your tax back on donations to us.

Then you can come and have a look at what we are up to.

We are now building a toilet and shower block, so soon we will soon be able to make these available for use.

The toilet and shower block is an earthbag construction and the showers will be heated by compost (biological energy).

In late 2009, Lisa Isherwood, Bryan Innes and Jo Pearsall were searching for a place in Turangi to establish a centre for sustainable practice, where people could come and learn the skills to live a self reliant and resilient life. A place to teach permaculture and to build up some examples of gardens and structures to inspire people.

They were directed to a 10 acre block next to the golf club on the edge of Turangi town. It had been fairly recently bought back from the government by a local trust.

It had been a ministry of works site, during the creation of the Tongariro power scheme in the '50s. It had been waiting for something to happen for many years and was, by the time Awhi Farm began, covered in blackberry, gorse, broom, cotoneaster and other "weeds". Those weeds had been busy creating soil and providing habitat for quails and frogs (mainly). It had also been used as a dumping ground for all kinds of household rubbish.

In February 2010 a workshop on cordwood building was held, wtih tutors Ron and Jaki Roy of Earthwood Building School, New York, USA.

In preparation for this Bryan, Bomun and a few others came and laid an earthbag foundation and Nelson Lebo came to help prepare the basic post and beam frame. Only the small area was cleared where the building was to be.

The cordwood workshop was a great success and the first shelter was on its way!

Then we managed to engage the help of 8 local young people, with the help of a governement youth employment scheme. The first of these ran for 6 months and we made great progress. We created outdoor rooms in the blackberry, to maintain the wind shelter provided by the bushes. Actually the first job was to build an earth oven, so we could cook lunch each day.  Then we began planting food. By August 2010 we were planting fruit trees. The community workers also planted an orchard on a local marae and a garden in a local school.

More to come....

Welcome to Awhi Farm

Awhi Turangi Charitable Trust has a lease on Kawakawa Trust land (next to Turangi Golf Course). We have been here since March 2010

The 10 acres is in the process of turning from a jungle of 3m high gorse, blackberry and other weed into a productive food jungle.

We also have several buildings emerging.

From the beginning we have used an earth oven and now we have a covered outdoor kitchen too.

Awhi means to embrace,to care for, to foster (te reo Maori)

Awhi Turangi Trust is a bi-cultural Trust set up to care for the people and land of Turangi. We are creating a sustainability centre for everyone interested to come and learn and share about permaculture, regeneration and living abundantly, without debt.

History of Awhi Farm