Forest Gardening meets Deep and Personal Ecology

We are looking for someone to be our next-door neighbour living in the most beautiful native forest close to a major city in New Zealand (just 13km for Dunedin). If you are that person Harmony would like you to help look after her, to build a dwelling for your family, and to be a part of building a clinic and meeting space.

When we discovered Harmony Farm in 2001 it had already had a high energy level, which has continually increased! It appears the 15ha of land (being subdivided by the neighbour on our south side) has this same harmonic energy signature. In fact it feels so much like Harmony I believe it already considers itself part of the family.

Its availability is a indication that Harmony forest, as it has said for several years, wants to grow as entity, and is finding its own way across and around Waitati Valley, re-connecting from Woodhaugh Gardens to Swampy Ridge to Mt Cargill Ridge, Volco Forest, and the Eco-Sanctuary at Orokonui.

It appears this new 15ha will have a North-South dimension 205-235m with its north boundary being about 640m long to Waitati Valley Rd, or 730m long if it includes a small parcel on the other side of the road.
The south fence of the paddock at present is approx. 262m from N boundary with Harmony Farm.

The new 15ha would bring a more sustainable unit of forest under single management, in the following ways:

1. Including forest that is often indistinguishable from Harmony Farm forest. It has many steep slopes and it appears there are no human tracks in this forest. It, and connected parts of existing Harmony, would easily remain a bio-diverse wild-zone just for plants and animals.
2. The above combined wild-zone, could be covenanted to reduce rate payments, so that rates payments are small.
3. The fencing between the two titles is already down in places and could be reduced or, as has been done for all Harmony's internal fences, removed.
4. The only practical track would appear to be from the grassed area alongside Waitati Valley Road through to Arrival" – alongside Gateway Creek and just inside Harmony's front entrance.
5. Including much of Gateway Creek's catchment Harmony hydroelectricity generation would become possible close to Connection Clearing without a feedpipe being visible right at the entrance to Harmony. Of Harmony's three permanent creeks Gateway Creek provides the most reliable safe, clean water source in drought conditions.
6. The above catchment includes a swamp marsh and Harmony at present only has very small such areas. Frogs were heard in the swamp one year, and we want them back!
7. Bringing in the rest of the north-east facing slope that feeds Wisdom Creek would help maintain its quality, and bring the whole Wisdom Creek Valley into the Forest as far (west) as the DCC Water Catchment Reserve and Department of Conservation land.
8. It would boundary the Pipeline track as far south as about Rustler's Ridge Trail (part of the Burns-Rustler's circuit), providing further eco-tourist opportunities.
9. Easy access to Waitati Valley Road and a larger cleared area provide a site, with views of BlueSkin Bay, and Mt Cargill, on separate title on which a large, permitted meeting room and visitor space could be built. Lorraine sees these still being relatively small buildings on tops of the many hillocks, interconnected by the orchard trees lacing through the swales and hollows.
10. If a pre-sale geo-physiology report determines it is a safe building site, title exists for someone to build himself or herself a home on a prime site. This person(s) may then have considerable interest in making a substantial financial contribution to the forest.
11. Harmony with its very small cabins and service buildings will remain a forest gardening and eco-building volunteer training centre.
12. The orchard mentioned in 9. above would be of a more sustainable size, and in close proximity to feed the team (all human and animal volunteers). Lorraine and I believe this is why Harmony's top paddock has had its early fruit trees eaten by animals, despite our repeated negotiations. It appears they have been teaching us to be open to the above possibility!
13. About 90% forested land, which is not suitable for conversion to grass, as it is steep with wet gullies, and mostly south facing. This reduces its purchase value.
14. The grassed area has a profusion of much loved lichen covered rocks. Some of these have important roles right were they are. Others are keen to waltz (roll) into new positions further enhancing the visual appeal and energy of Harmony.
15. Near its western edge aerial photographs indicate that the new 15ha includes more remnant podocarps in addition to the existing 15 or so, at Harmony.

I have an option on purchase of the property, and expect it to sell for between $160 and $220,000 depending on the final nature of the subdivision, whether building is permitted on site, and market price at the time.

Contact me for more information, and help Harmony Forest become an asset to future generations! Or click here for the opportunity to visit, volunteer and study forest gardening, earth building, and peramculture at Harmony.

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Love,

David

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