Recently we had the pleasure of hosting a group of year 7 & 8 students from Waihi Colleges Maori unit. They had been working hard on a project to design whare iti for their kaumatua. Coming to visit us here in the workshop was a great next step for them. In two smaller groups they were shown around the workshop to see a range of builds at different stages of completion. The students have been doing their research and through out the visit were asking some great questions to further their knowledge. "Whats the most common water system?"
Walking through the workshop, building materials were talked about, sizes, layouts and design details. The highlight for many of the students would have likely been the tour of the completed Archer. They enthusiastically experienced every inch, some finding they could fit themselves in the pantry. For most this was their first time in a tiny house and they talked about wanting their own. The visit was a chance for them to get inspired and see solutions to help fine tune there previous designs.
Two of the students brought with them a tiny house model they had created. They bravely came to the front and explained it to us. Hours of work and thought had gone into their models which they very kindly gifted to us.
Prior to the visit the students were ask to think of questions they wanted to ask. Up in the staff room each tamariki took a turn asking Gina and Jason a question. All were great questions to help them understand more about whats involved when building tiny houses. A range of plans were pasted around and the group got to see an unreleased 3D plan Gina is working on.
Its was such a special visit, concluding with a beautifully sung waiata in thanks and a great group photo before the group head back to school.