Goodbye #TentLife, hello what you normal people don't call 'Building Life'...
I wanna live like common people, I wanna live wherever common people do.
Hi, I’m Dunc and I used to live in a tent. Before you go “awww”, please know it was out of choice. From an epic packraft adventure across New Zealand to seasonal work accommodation and budget-conscious travel, life under canvas made the most sense. Also, I love camping. Tent time is rough, it’s real, it’s primitive, it’s pure.
If I time travel through my memories, I can trace some #tentlife inspiration to two women I once met dwelling with their kids in Northland’s Puketi Forest. It was January 2014 and I had a stable job. A year later, I “went feral”, AKA resigned and pedalled off to cycle the NZ coastline. Their rejection of rent and open-air living had laid a lone larva in my mind. The camping-craving nest that it spawned rules it today.
Since the end of February 2022, I’ve had no fixed abode. Adventuring down the North Island, I slept in my tent by the river or lake I was traversing. In Pukenui for winter, I remained in canvas while working on the avocado orchard. Then, on the first day of this year, I travelled to the South Island to see Zoe and have been sleeping ever since. On occasion, I have stayed with family or friends, but have been without four solid walls and a roof for well over a year. Until now…
As of last Saturday, my #tentlife officially collapsed in on itself like a finely aged star (space or celeb analogy, you choose). Zoe and I moved into a building. It’s not a DOC hut, neither is it a plastic playhouse in somebody’s garden, it’s an actual flat. It was time for some time out of the tent, AKA some “time in”, and a suitable opportunity for us to work and live in a hostel came up.
My jump from leaky, Frankenstein tent to non-leaky solid dwelling could not have been timed better. Those resident in Aotearoa this past week will know we’ve had some big rain! My long-suffering Kathmandu Boreas, with its multiple replacement parts and questionably-stitched patches, remains liveable only in fine weather and light showers. The judges score this leap a 10.
Here, indoors, we are. Living in a building is nice. I can see why you people do it.
Suddenly sleeping in a large room with curtains has forced me into both a deep sleep and a reflective state. Dragging my bare heels about on carpet has also made me think. I have noticed the banal, everyday things I was missing out on, not doing or avoiding.
One of the first laws of camping is “everything takes longer”. It doesn’t matter what it is, the process time increases: taking your gear to the shower, washing up and 2am wees are all much quicker in the confines of a house. This, I now see, was prompting a series of, erm, lifestyle shortcuts. Talking of the bathroom, you’ll be pleased to know I am now back… flossing my teeth. Dental health: a huge issue in NZ right now.
Whether cold and just wanting to bag up and go to bed, or staying at a camp with unsavoury or mirrorless bathrooms, the desire to stand there for an extra three minutes and cheese-wire my gums evaporated during the #tentlife era. In the quiet, uninterrupted warmth of our new bathroom, I floss until my fingers have those funny marks.
Talking of warmth, the 2am wees are gone now, too.
Away from the bathroom and into the kitchen, a large pantry and secure refrigeration mean the desire to devise and create my own wonderful culinary items is back. Homemade hummus and apple crumble are back on the menu, while Zoe has been seriously experimenting with baking. Feijoa muffins, anyone?
Our new hostel apartment also comes with a large lounge and big TV. This is luxury on a level I haven’t experienced since my days flatting in Auckland; the binge-watch is back. Evenings spent slumped into my festival chair, laptop perched on the chilly bin, tethering Skinny “unlimited” through throttled 4G, to watch Storror in 720p seem a lifetime ago. TV on the couch is super-relaxing, I can see why you people do it.
Storage is ample, so the contents of my 2012 Toyota Aqua have migrated indoors. No longer do I have to contort my spine into an impossible angle to rummage through boxes in the boot, because my Spork slipped under the giant bag of oats last night. I’m tall, my back was suffering. On that note, exercise is slowly creeping back onto the agenda. Having a covered location to do resistance training and yoga, rain or shine, is an undervalued feature of building life. Rental ads should mention it more. Plus, being indoors a lot amplifies the desire to go outdoors. Running or going for a walk is starting to feel like a treat again. Returning to a warm, dry building after a dash in the rain, gives that sense of positive change. I am “feeling the benefit”.
I’m pumped to be living in a building for winter. The contrast to tenting is vivid. I’m grateful for the experiences I’ve had running up to this, they have gifted me a heightened gratitude for this new roof over my head.
The adventures will continue throughout the colder months. I have some big stuff planned. It’s all happening, I tell ya. I’m sailing to Fiji next month. Also, how long until ironing makes a comeback? Stay tuned…