Our Place: Aaron Saxon and Caterina Laschke

Musician Aaron Saxon and dance tutor Caterina Laschke are the couple behind Mauao Performing Arts Centre. They live in a three-storey apartment in Mt Maunganui. Aaron shows us around.

Our apartment is one of seven. Our neighbours all know what I do. They're all pretty cool and supportive.

We've had some pretty good jam sessions in this place. My studio used to be on the bottom level. During New Zealand music month last year we brought a small truckload of gear in and spent three days recording an album down there. It was great fun.

There's usually a few musicians or other transients drifting in and out. Since we've had the performing arts centre we don't spend as much time here as we used to, but it's a nice little sanctuary.

Upstairs is the living area. It's great up there on sunny afternoons and at night time to just look at the view and let the day go. We like to have space around us, and we like earthy, grounding colours. I've done a bit of shopping at Trade Aid - I've got a Tibetan singing bowl, some Indian tablas and some little buddhas; it's those Eastern things we gravitate to.

The painting? That's my masterpiece. It was my very first painting. It symbolises that thing where when things get tough you have to decide whether to take a leap of faith or run away. Caterina's good at painting, there's some of her work around the house.

The guitar is my beach guitar. It looks kind of flash but it's actually cheap and nasty. I have a few favourites. One is my a Guild X170. That cost about $5500, and the other is a Fender Stratocaster. It was Vince Melouney's, from the Bee Gees. It wasn't a bargain, no. I've spent a bit of money on it.

There's no television ... I haven't watched TV for about 15 years. I'm not a fan of the media.

Caterina and I met at Kiwi 360 in Te Puke. She was doing a fire poi show and I was doing the music. It must have been the kerosene - the sparks flew.