Life On Board

Waiheke Island, off the coast of Auckland has always been a haven for those who like to go off the grid a little. The surroundings are idyllic, with enough infrastructure to make life really convenient.

Rocky Bay (also known as Omiha) is a small village settlement, clustered around a beautiful southern bay. Is it home to many artists and craft enthusiasts and is a favourite with boaties, as it is sheltered and secluded.

There is a small community of people who choose to make their home on houseboats in Rocky Bay, and they are the subject of an art project by Unitec art student, Candice Nover.

A Place At Our Table is a photographic series and observational film, which invites viewers from the ‘outside world’ into the everyday lives of Waiheke houseboat dwellers. The house-boaters use solar power, rain water and composting toilets as the basis for a simple, sustainable life and a real characters.

To complete her Bachelor of Design and Visual Arts, Candice’s end-of-year project shows the house boats and the people who live in them, living by ecologically-balanced systems.

“I aimed to merely observe someone’s life and let the subjects do the talking, but over the development of the project I felt the need to encourage discussion about living alternatively within New Zealand.

“A table has always been a space in my home where we engage in conversation, sharing and open discussion. I invite people to take a place at this table, and listen in on the conversations that happen not only within the community, but also as a broader conversation regarding the appreciation of alternative lifestyles within New Zealand.”

 The boat dwellers operate a tight-knit community, especially on the creek where they are moored and have dug in communal vegetable gardens against the creek bank. Candice describes them as, “colourful, quirky and welcoming” and “a special thing to run into”.

Candice’s ‘A Place At Our Table’ is a photo-book comprised of 50 images and a short film. It will be one of the 500 student exhibits showing at Unitec’s Gradfest 2016 on 24 November.