Mrs Tewake, a smoker for more than 30 years, who smokes an average of 15 cigarettes a day, said she and her husband, Nick, decided to grow their own tobacco after seeing a friend do it.
"So many people are turning that way, tobacco has got too dear."
They have around 16 full-grown plants in their garden, and for the past two-and-half years Mrs Tewake has sold hundreds of bags of seeds online, to customers as far away as Christchurch.
"Northland is an ideal place to pop your plants down, even on a rainy day in summer it's warm," Ms Tewake said.
The plants, which she believes are of the "Virginia" strain, do best in warm climates, particularly during the summer.
Once dried, the tobacco leaves are shredded in a blender.
"There is a difference and I think it's the aftertaste in the mouth. It's just the leaf, there's nothing added to it. It makes you feel a bit better, like you're not killing yourself as quickly."
But killing yourself nonetheless, according to Northland District Health Board's smoke-free hospital facilitator Jan Marshall. "Smoking is still the largest cause of preventable death and disease in New Zealand and people particularly in Northland should be encouraged to stop smoking not move to home grown."
According to the 2013 census, 19.1 per cent of Northlanders smoke, and 33.9 per cent of Northland Maori smoke.
"The smoke delivers the nicotine that the smoker craves but it is a dirty delivery system," Ms Marshall said.
"So whether it is home-grown or commercially-grown, people inhaling smoke are exposing themselves to cancer-causing substances, greatly increasing their chances of lung cancer, other cancers, heart disease, strokes and COPD [commonly known as emphysema], just to name a few.
"We strongly discourage people to grow and smoke tobacco ... the bottom line is that it is the inhalation of the smoke that causes the damage - home-grown or commercially made."
