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Pauline and Phil Evans, The Treehouse
Back in the eighties, a Sydney couple on a two-month backpacking holiday through New Zealand fell in love with a piece of land in Kohukohu, on the northern shores of the Hokianga.
Pauline and Phil consider themselves privileged to live and work in Kohukohu
“We decided it was what we wanted and something we had never come across in Australia, so we bought it,” recalls Pauline Evans. “For me, it was quite a rash decision to make.” Pauline and husband Phil, who had both been working in science-related jobs in Australia, moved permanently to New Zealand in 1980, at a time when many Kiwis were heading in the other direction.
“When we arrived in New Zealand, the guy at Customs commented: ‘You’re swimming against the tide’,” says Pauline.
After making a living from a range of jobs, the couple were re-considering their options, including a possible return to Australia. “That was when a backpacker arrived at the gate looking for somewhere to stay. He had missed the last ferry across the harbour, which in those days was 6pm. “Then more and more people came. Our advertising was a handwritten note with a map in the shed where people waited for the ferry.”
The Evans’ successfully applied for a grant to investigate the feasibility of an accommodation business in Kohukohu, and the Tree House opened its doors on New Year’s Eve 1989. “We had eight beds in a building on the back of our house, and the people who stayed the first night helped us unpack boxes and put down carpet,” says Pauline. “Backpackers have helped us all along and they still do. So have locals – our neighbours have come and helped us build and paint things. It’s one of the things that have kept us here, I think – that sense of community.”
The Tree House now offers a range of rooms, cabins, tent sites, a house bus and a holiday cottage, accommodating up to 25 guests a night and attracting several thousand visitors each year.
The Evans’ have raised their family in Kohukohu, have played their part in the growth of the Twin Coast Discovery Highway and the ferry service, and have witnessed the arrival of what Pauline describes as “the new alternative lifestylers – they are not interested in living in communes but are buying a piece of land and having kids.
“We consider ourselves privileged. Part of the reason why we are in New Zealand and this part of the world is that you can have quite a bit of space around you but life is still convenient. The school bus comes past the door and it’s not far to the shop – and you can get a park when you get there.
“People say we’re isolated but it’s nothing compared to living, say, in outback New South Wales.
“There’s a nice mixed community here which is very tolerant.
“The ferry going back and forth across the harbour gives a calmness to the area because you have to stop and wait for it, rather than just rushing off. You get to sit and talk with the locals and catch up on the news.”