used to pump water every now and then. The homestead is surrounded by a garden of Eden which has been fed by compost and mulch. The garden gives life to capsicums, spinach, courgettes, belle, moringa, ginger, basil, tumeric, chilli and chives to make for tasty dishes.
Visiting June and Andrew Hosking’s self-sustaining homestead in Mauke really does get you thinking twice about off the grid possibilities of day-to-day living.
In September 2008, Andrew and June Hosking left their jobs in Rarotonga to return to family land on Mauke, an outer island in the Cook Islands archipelago. Mauke is a raised coral atoll, 18 kilometres in circumference, with a central volcanic plateau and a population of approximately 280.
Mauke Moments has its own charm. The locally produced jams, jellies, chutneys and sauces using home-made vinegars and sundried fruits are a hit among those who have tried them. But Andrew and June Hosking, the owners of the Mauke-based business, have long endeavoured to find ways to reach out to those who haven’t had the moments with their tantalising products.
A Maukean who lives in England bought a variety of Mauke Moments products last year and has been showing them online throughout her European travels. Savouring one jar at a time and seeing how far Mauke Moments can travel.
Early 2018, selling about 10 jars a week in Mauke, we found enough jars locally to continue operations. But in preparing product for trade days in Rarotonga, it became clear that the small Mauke population couldn’t provide enough reusable jars to meet needs. As Mauke Moments has expanded we have had to purchase jars from overseas from time to time. However, despite the extra work involved, we want to keep reusing jars because it just makes sense to reduce imports, reduce waste going to landfill and recycle for sustainability.
When weighing up moving to Mauke we were well aware that many have ‘given up’ on the outer islands; depopulation continues and challenges mount up. To have any chance of making a positive difference we knew we had to be there living and doing, not just talking. Although we live off the land there seems no way to live totally without money and so in 2018 we turned our thoughts to how we might help our tiny economy by bringing in money from outside of Mauke.
We left regular paid jobs on a mission to develop a sustainable lifestyle; introducing appropriate technology such as a Rotaloo composting toilet, rainwater harvesting, solar power, a house designed for passive cooling, wheel chair accessibility, and natural agriculture practise.