Remember the cheapest family in the nation? Well this family has got them BEAT!
Can you live a totally “FREE” life? Apparently you can. And this story can attest to that. This is cheap living at its finest. Let me introduce to you one of the cheapest families in the world (they’re the cheapest, by choice). I’d like to tell you the story of a special family who lives in the Pacific who decided to throw away all the trappings of modern civilization in order to isolate themselves in the remote boondocks of New Zealand.
Homesteading In The Wilderness
I guess you can call them true “back to nature” frugalists. In fact, they’re a step beyond that — they are homesteaders (survivalists?) and hermits who live in one of the most beautiful and natural settings we have on this earth. This Kiwi family is comprised of a father (from New Zealand) named Robert Long, and a mother, originally from Australia, named Catherine. Their kids are Christian (age 16) and Robin (age 13).
Here’s their story: Robert Long at the age of 24 was an aspiring doctor, 3 years into medical school and right at the cusp of becoming the doctor his father had always wanted him to be. Aside from being highly educated, he was also a champion athlete. His wife, Catherine, is a former microbiologist. In their 20’s, they suddenly made the decision to eschew civilization and move into an isolated part of their country, surrounded by wilderness. On one side of their home is the sea, on the other, mountains. They live with the bare minimum there is to live, grow their food, have no electricity (well, maybe they do now), and live a completely rustic life catching possums, washing their clothes in the river and swatting away sand flies.
Imagine yourself 2 days walk away from the nearest town without any form of transportation except your legs to take you anywhere (what if you get sick?). Imagine seeing nobody else over a span of months. Groceries come from a supply plane that only visits once a month, and your emergency radio is broken. Guess what. They are living it! Kids are homeschooled, parents don’t need any jobs and they are a completely self-sustaining entity in the middle of nowhere. This is the genuinely rustic life of homesteaders handed down from one gutsy generation to the next.
They live on public land “lent” to them by the government, which agreed to keep Robert on as a “caretaker”. They have no mortgage or rent to ever worry about. A bottle of milk is a luxury, but man, the catch of the day (fresh lobster!) must be typical food fare. Take a look at where they live — 50 km from Haast, the nearest town (yay for Google maps! Click image to enlarge.):
And following is a fascinating video documentary about them — hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
Click this link or the image below to watch the video.
This Is True Frugal Living
I think there are some solid takeaways from this family’s story. It tells us that if we want to live with less, we can. There are people who live in small houses and love it. There are people who sleep on cardboard furniture and don’t mind. There are people who borrow, barter and buy used, and live very simply as a way of life. These are all true lifestyle choices that don’t require much money or any money (in the Longs’ case). Though the story of the Long family is extreme, I find them incredibly inspiring, for these are the people whom you’ll find standing and surviving even if the world ever wipes itself out.
But I do wonder about one thing. I wonder about the kids who’ve been raised to know only this kind of life. I’m curious about how they’re experiencing life as growing adolescents in such a peculiar, unique and incredible environment. I’m not so sure how kids can take to this kind of isolation for so long. Just how healthy can this be? The children want lives that require them to mix with society: they’ve clearly expressed their ambitions and aspirations. I hope they’ll find ways to adjust. Still, from what you can see in the video, those kids seem pretty well-adjusted.
Oh and one more thing. These people are actually part of my extended family. They are far flung relatives of mine through affinity — my spouse is the second cousin of Catherine. Just last month, Catherine’s mother visited us here and we shared nifty stories about sand flies and vegetable gardens and the rest of the family in Australia and New Zealand. Maybe one day, I’ll get to visit the Longs…. or maybe not. I’d rather they come and visit me instead!
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{ 17 comments… read them below or add one }
Thank you for sharing this very humbling story of people who really live their convictions. What an amazing story! The video left me with a few thoughts about Catherine’s 13 year old daughter. Firstly, I was impressed with her poise in front of the camera. Second, I thought she was quite comfortable speaking with the interviewer, a complete stranger, if my assumptions are right. And third, I marvelled at the amazing headstart this 13 year old has in the career field she is interested in. These are attributes I would not have necessarily correlated with being raised in social isolation.
Yet these are attributes this young girl has despite her experiences. Despite the lack of social experiences other than through her parents, brother, and pet, she seemed, as you put it, well-adjusted ! The human spirit is inspiring. As an aside, where did they get the seeds to plant their sustainable garden? And who pays for the monthly supplies that get flown in?
Thank you for sharing this story.
Hi Diane!
Thank you for weighing in on this story. I thought it so cool to finally see who my family kept talking about at the dinner table! I mean — we’ve always wondered how this family could survive out there, but on several occasions, I’ve met Catherine’s mom, a lovely lady who assures us that “this place in the middle of nowhere” is a wonderful place to be. I couldn’t believe that she’d stay with them for long periods of time for visits. Where do the guests stay?
Glad to have your comment!
Anyway, to answer your question, I believe they get supplies sent to them from the nearest town, and these supplies include seeds and plantings. However I’m not all too sure where they get the money for those supplies. I’ll have to ask my in-laws about that! I would guess they sell stuff like those possum skins. There’s probably some wildlife material they trade in for their basic necessities. I’ll find out and let you know!
As for the kids I’m not entirely sure that being sentenced to the institutional education system in the civilized world and only interacting with your parents for a couple of hours a day makes for well-adjusted children either. Teenage life is more like Lord of the Flies if you ask me. As for the seeds, ideally they come off of the plants.
Well, at least you have some really cool cousins, thats for sure. When people brag about their family and their success you can always just bring up these relatives and no one can top that.
While you may get a romanticized view of living this way, i think it’s rather selfish of the father to inflict this on his children. They never had a choice or say in the matter, so when they say they’re content, for now, they really don’t know any other life, so how could you expect them to say anything different?
I also wonder bout how they get their nutritional needs met, and what happens if someone gets sick? The father certainly looks like he could use some dental care. What do the mother and daughter do when they get their periods?
It’s all a little too extreme for me.
Interesting video and article. I think the key is that both dads did what they thought was best to create wealth in the lives of their family. Sr focused on financial wealth and the rewards that go with it. Jr focused on family and giving them opportunities to explore and understand nature and learn to be self sufficient.
Fern – nothing romantic about this type of lifestyle. It can be tough and rugged and dangerous. America was founded and grown by people willing to live this lifestyle. I think you will find both of those kids grow up. Learning to make things happen is the most important skill to have. The son wants to become a business owner and the daughter wants to go to college.
It is always interesting to see people who have taken a very different approach to life.
I will say that I hope Australian possums taste better than US ones do. Having eaten baked possum once I would never touch it again. Never make a promise to someone who works for you that you aren’t willing to go through with.
Are you getting the most out of life? How do you define that? Two generations who defined it very differently.
What an amazing story. Thank you so much for sharing it.
I noted the concern about the children, but I wouldn’t worry about them. They have a unique opportunity to interact with their parents and with one another in person, every day, rather than by email, texting, Facebook, etc. They are NOT constantly multi-tasking or being distracted by television, phones, and the Internet.
They are probably learning the fine art of giving their full attention to the task at hand, whatever it may be. And most importantly, they’re connecting with nature at a personal level and gaining an understanding of their dependence on the planet for survival. Now that’s something kids these days rarely experience.
I suspect they will grow up into amazing individuals with their own sense of who they are, rather than what TMZ or the media tells them they should be.
Additionally, they will be equipped with something that many young people … and older people lack … the ability to think for themselves, fully focus their attention, and analyze and solve difficult problems.
More power to them!
Martha
“I wonder about the kids who’ve been raised to know only this kind of life. I’m curious about how they’re experiencing life as growing adolescents in such a peculiar, unique and incredible environment. I’m not so sure how kids can take to this kind of isolation for so long.” I found this comment you made to be rather thought provoking. I think that more often than not if a child is raised in this type of lifestyle, he/she may not learn about how society works and functions, and he/she is likely going to continue this lifestyle not by choice but because he/she doesn’t know any different. In this case the child grows up wanting something more, but not knowing how to get it. Maybe I am just looking into it and thinking too much about it, but is this a healthy lifestyle? I mean, isn’t that the case for most 2nd and 3rd world countries?
Don’t parents everywhere “inflict” their lifestyle on their kids – whether it’s forcing them to live in the bush or forcing them to live in the city – kids live their parents’ lifestyle until they can make their own choices. I’m sure Robert’s father thought he was choosing the best lifestyle for Robert – yet Robert chose something very different. Hopefully, whatever Robert’s children choose, their parents will be supportive.
That is just the most incredible post I’ve seen for a while! To make a conscious lifestyle choice of this magnitude, and to then live it is just awesome! Truly paradise on earth. I really wouldn’t mind a similar lifestyle for myself!
I wouldn’t liken this lifestyle to the austerity of everyday 3rd world life elsewhere around the world. Man’s inborn attribute as a social creature draws him beyond immediate family. Most everywhere, people live in community among others of their, tribe, clan, religion, what-have-you. For young people, non-blood friendships, even platonic love interests are realized in such environments. Fortunately the father is not a tyrant. But this lifestyle is just not scalable.
All that said, these particular kids much better adapted for social/professional life than typical adolescents, and that says more about modern youth culture than it does about this family.
True words Ben, well spoken. Unfortunately our youth culture is rather…..uhm….scary….to say the least!
This is a great story however you state that “they are a completely self-sustaining entity” at one point and then at another you mention “Groceries come from a supply plane that only visits once a month”. These two things contradict each other, you can’t be completely self-sustained and then also get drops of groceries every month.
-Todd
Todd,
I think that’s just a technicality. In my mind they’re pretty self-sustaining for having been raised in modern, civilized society. For the authentic experience in self-sufficiency, I suppose you’d have to look at how tribal communities live — which is a whole different situation.
What I find most amazing is how the New Zealand homesteaders manage to live in pure isolation, without the support of a community or society around them.
I think there is a line between working to live below your means and endangerment. This works great for the parents but it seems it does not set up the children too much for success.
There are not a self sustaining family they rely on a helicopter supplying them with food and other provisions. How good for the environment is that, having your helicopter fly in your food once a month? How great is the life when your hunting for possums, no girlfriends, friends. No Internet, who decided that the father.
It seems like this father has developed the attributes of his father. Need to relax a bit and not impose your views on your children. The Father could be exercising emotional abuse on those children.
Beautiful…. I admire this family. I plan on doing just this, just not as extreme. I’m saving every week to buy 40- 50 acres, to be as much off the grid as I’d like to be. Only bill I will have are property taxes, and very minor help from the outside world. All those people who like depending on society all the time,well, that’s your choice. The rat race is yours for the keeping!!