Going bush might be an easy thing to joke about when we want to escape the busy-ness of life, but it’s becoming a reality for would-be renters with no other choice.
One Arrowtown-based man, in New Zealand on an accredited employer work visa, is on the cusp of becoming one of them.
Roberto Mari Ramos moved from Ibiza, Spain to the Whakatipu in December for a change of lifestyle and to help out the struggling hospitality industry here.
But with his temporary accommodation coming to an end, and no other options presenting themselves, he decided his only choice was to pitch a tent beside the Arrow River.
He caused a stir on the local community Facebook page last week when he reached out to learn about the legality of his idea.
While many were concerned about him, given the strict freedom camping rules in the district, he also received kind offers of private ground on which to park up, if he needed to.
Mari Ramos and his workmates were, till yesterday, staying at a mutual friend’s home while they were on holiday, searching for a long-term
rental to move into when they returned.
He says he viewed around 16 houses and applied for even more.
Only last week, their employer managed to find another temporary spot for the next three weeks, but a long-term solution is still out of reach.
‘‘My life would be way easier in Ibiza … [but] I have what I need here — I don’t need big wages, a big house — just the quietness, the tranquillity, the landscape.
‘‘Every person I’ve met here has the same problem.’’
Mari Ramos is loyal to his restaurant employer for the effort it made to bring him here, and wants to remain in the area and the job for at least the next year or two.
He says he’s still prepared to sleep in his tent if nothing comes up after the next few weeks — because he doesn’t have a car, ‘‘I wouldn’t think twice at all [about it]’’.
‘‘Living in the woods is not the worst that can happen in my life … [but] I just need a bed and a roof over my head, that’s all, really.’’
