While most families measure their lives in school terms, mortgage payments, and weekend routines, one Kiwi family has spent the last decade measuring time in nautical miles. Their home? A 15-metre yacht anchored in bays, coves, and harbours across New Zealand and the Pacific.
Trading Suburbs for the Sea
It started as a one-year adventure. The parents, both experienced sailors, wanted to give their two children “a different kind of education” – one built on travel, self-sufficiency, and closeness to nature. They sold their house, bought a sturdy bluewater yacht, and set sail from the Bay of Islands.
Ten years later, they’ve logged over 40,000 kilometres at sea. “We thought we’d miss having a fixed address,” says the father, “but the ocean has given us more of a home than any street ever could.”
Life on Board
Living on a boat isn’t just sunsets and dolphins. There’s constant maintenance, weather watching, and careful planning for supplies. But the rewards are hard to match:
| Life on Land | Life at Sea |
|---|---|
| Commute to work or school | Paddle to shore in a dinghy |
| Monthly utility bills | Solar panels, rainwater collection |
| Supermarket shopping | Stocking up before long passages |
| Neighbours next door | Seabirds, dolphins, and the occasional curious seal |
The children, now teenagers, have completed their schooling through a mix of distance education and hands-on learning. “They know how to navigate, fix an engine, and catch dinner,” says their mother. “That’s not something you learn in a classroom.”
The Challenges and the Freedom
Storms, mechanical failures, and long stretches without internet are part of life. But so are nights under star-filled skies, mornings in crystal-clear lagoons, and friendships made with other liveaboard families from around the world.
“We’re not on holiday,” the father explains. “This is simply our way of life – and for now, we can’t imagine going back to land.”
A Different Kind of Future
As their children approach adulthood, the family is unsure whether they’ll keep sailing full-time. But one thing is certain: the past decade has left them with a deep connection to the ocean – and a belief that home is wherever the anchor drops.
