Space to play comes at a price

Waimauku couple Rhys and Jo Mellor said switching from the suburbs to a lifestyle block could be a challenge — but they haven’t looked back.

The pair had been living in suburban North Shore but decided to give daughters Holly and Hanalei a bit more room to move with the purchase of their 1.6 hectare lifestyle block six years ago.

The family have three chickens, two cats and a dog and will soon welcome two “just born” baby goats Steve and Terry.

They have space for the neighbour’s horses to graze and had two cows — which now fill the deep freeze.

The pair said the lifestyle property can be hard work — especially in the cold and muddy winter months — so understand why it might not work for some.

“If you are not a practical person it could get really expensive,” Rhys said.

“Fencing is expensive and so is building shelter for the animals so it would cost a lot if you are always paying someone to do it.”

They said a lot of people buy a lifestyle block but still work fulltime.

“It would be like having two fulltime jobs if you are not in the position where you work from home,” Rhys Mellor said.

Inoculations for animals, vet bills, tank water and good cheap hay in the summer were some of the hidden expenses.

Jo Mellor works as a practice nurse at the local medical centre but said the commute into the city in peak hours might also get too much for some.

“I work locally so can walk but then even if we did work in the city we get to come home and we are in our little Oasis,” Jo said.

Daughters Holly, 10, and Hanalei, 7, love making hideouts in the trees, have their own secret gardens and say there is plenty of space to play Spotlight when they have friends over. The Mellors’ move to greener pastures also grew their kitchen company

Love Indoor Kitchens to include a new outdoor venture.

The big deck provided by the lifestyle block was the perfect space for Rhys to build an outdoor kitchen and pizza oven.

From there the idea grew into a business — Love Outdoor Kitchens.

“Out here I have a big workshop with no rental costs and I can make noise whenever I want.”

“We wouldn’t have been able to do this anywhere else,” Rhys said.

The pair said if they did sell their property it would be for a larger one.