Bay of Plenty Times
  • Bay of Plenty Times home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Sport

Locations

  • Coromandel & Hauraki
  • Katikati
  • Tauranga
  • Mount Maunganui
  • Pāpāmoa
  • Te Puke
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Thames
  • Tauranga
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Bay of Plenty Times

Family makes lifestyle dream reality

By Carmen Hall
Bay of Plenty Times·
1 May, 2014 07:30 AM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

THE GOOD LIFE: Tauranga couple Jamie Luman, his fiancee, Ricki Smith (who is pictured above with their two children, Kaleb and Hannah) are trading city life for a new start on a lifestyle block.

THE GOOD LIFE: Tauranga couple Jamie Luman, his fiancee, Ricki Smith (who is pictured above with their two children, Kaleb and Hannah) are trading city life for a new start on a lifestyle block.

Tomorrow Jamie Luman and his fiancee Ricki Smith will be living their dream with highlights streamed on to Facebook.

The couple have always envisioned buying a lifestyle block and are abandoning the bright city lights for a greener life in the country.

Years spent reading magazines and blogs dedicated to rural pursuits will come to fruition with footprints of their endeavours being shared online.

They are taking the plunge and swapping a quarter-acre section in Greerton, where there was room for a few chickens, for a property at Oropi.

Driven by the desire to grow their own fresh vegetables and meat, Mr Luman said they've become passionate about knowing more about their food.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"When you watch Country Calendar and all those kind of shows you find boutique manufacturers that are catering to Kiwis that want to get closer to their food and understand a bit more about it," he said.

"There is no better way of doing that than growing it yourself. Plus we wanted our two kids to grow up a bit more rounded and get some life skills."

However, the couple had stretched themselves to the limit and he said everything would be done on a shoestring budget.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"It was a big stretch for us probably and we've probably spent more money than we should on a property. But we decided bugger it, let's do this.

"It took a lot of haggling with the bank but we eventually got it over the line, it's a huge investment."

The land encompasses only 0.8ha but it will put them on the road to self-sufficiency, he said.

"It's not a lot of land but it's a beautiful home and a lovely place to raise our kids."

No stranger to the community of lifestylers, Mr Luman said the network was great because they would readily share information with a newbie.

"There is no competition, just a collective desire to supplement ordinary lives with quality food and a healthy environment. It's extremely refreshing to see so many people eager to see you succeed.

"It makes it difficult to argue that your lack of knowledge is the handbrake for a change in where and how you live."

However, the couple's trials and tribulations will soon be up for discussion as they juggle fulltime jobs with life on the land.

Their Facebook page www.facebook.com/goingrural has already received more than 200 likes.

It was the ideal way to give back, share knowledge and useful links, he said.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"Living the good life is a scrapbook diary about things we find out, what we are looking to do and how we are going to do it on this property."

The challenge would be doing it on next to nothing because they had no money left, he said.

Photos and videos of their efforts were also being posted.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

Bay of Plenty Times

'I hate him': Partner of slain Tribesman lays blame for death at president's feet

18 Jun 03:00 AM
Bay of Plenty Times

Police raid Greazy Dogs gang: Claim 'significant blow' with five arrests, $1.5m assets seized

17 Jun 11:57 PM
Bay of Plenty Times

'Just having a breather': Volcanic plume prompts social media buzz

17 Jun 11:45 PM

Jono and Ben brew up a tea-fuelled adventure in Sri Lanka

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

'I hate him': Partner of slain Tribesman lays blame for death at president's feet

'I hate him': Partner of slain Tribesman lays blame for death at president's feet

18 Jun 03:00 AM

Mark 'Shark' Hohua was allegedly killed in a 'hot-box' beating for spending gang funds.

Police raid Greazy Dogs gang: Claim 'significant blow' with five arrests, $1.5m assets seized

Police raid Greazy Dogs gang: Claim 'significant blow' with five arrests, $1.5m assets seized

17 Jun 11:57 PM
'Just having a breather': Volcanic plume prompts social media buzz

'Just having a breather': Volcanic plume prompts social media buzz

17 Jun 11:45 PM
Silence of the fans:  Chiefs supporters told to leave cowbells at home

Silence of the fans: Chiefs supporters told to leave cowbells at home

17 Jun 11:41 PM
Help for those helping hardest-hit
sponsored

Help for those helping hardest-hit

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Bay of Plenty Times e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Bay of Plenty Times
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP