We don't buy and sell second-hand tipis or yurts, but occasionally we hear of someone who is selling theirs. Feel free to ask us if we currently know of anything available.

Tipis offer a way of life extremely close to nature with a stunning interior space and unique beauty. They can accommodate an open fire and lend themselves to living close to the ground without raised furnishings. Tipis will be cosy when the fire is going but will not hold heat for long once it has died down. Yurts offer a slightly more conventional living environment. They work well with similar furnishings to a solid home, are easily heated and will hold heat well if fitted with insulation. Yurts also have more usable space due to the vertical walls.

Yes, you are welcome to visit us at our workshop in Golden Bay. We have a 7m yurt that we can show you through, and you can see our production process. Unfortunately, we won't be able to show you through a tipi, as we don't have one pitched on site. Please contact us a few days in advance to arrange a suitable time.

All our products are made in the South Island of NZ. We use mostly NZ native timber (sustainably harvested) for our frames and the canvas we use comes from Australia.

Yurts generally lend themselves to open-plan living, but you can certainly use partitions to divide the space. You might choose to use a simple movable partition to create privacy for a sleeping area, for instance, or you could build something more permanent.

Yes. We can fit an "Aquaseal" flue outlet, which is suitable for a wide range of flue sizes. It is fitted into the roof cover, about 500mm in from the wall. You can choose at what position around the circumference you want it positioned.

Yes, our yurts are designed to withstand strong winds. Securing them to a solid deck is the best system in these conditions. If you are on a very exposed site that is prone to severe gales, you may need to consider whether a canvas structure is the most suitable option. You will hear the wind more than you would in a solid structure and see the yurt shudder and shake with strong blasts. We generally advise people to choose a slightly more sheltered site if possible, primarily for comfort, but also for protection from extreme weather events.

For portable/temporary pitching, you can purchase a polypropylene groundsheet from us, or just use your own plastic sheeting and mats. For long term and luxury living we recommend erecting your yurt on a solid floor/deck. We do not supply solid flooring, but can provide drafted plans which can be easily followed by a builder or handyman/woman. Of course you may also design your own unique flooring solution.

7m diameter is currently the largest yurt we make. If you have been inside a 7m yurt, you may be surprised by the space. We recently had a customer who thought they needed an 8 or 9m yurt, but after visiting us, they settled on a 6m!

In many cases you won't need a permit but this can depend on several factors. Please see our permitting page for more info.

This will depend on the size of the yurt and the insulation, but even our largest yurts with heavy insulation can be easily erected in less than a day. Smaller yurts can be pitched in as little as 30 minutes with practice. The procedure is quite simple, and after you've done it a couple of times, you should not need to refer to the instruction manual. Any of our yurt sizes can be easily pitched by two or three people, and with a few clever techniques, they can even be pitched solo.

Yes! A fire is one of the joys of tipi living. Our traditional tipis include the flap system for drawing the smoke up and out. It is also possible to install a wood burner if preferred. Good dry wood is essential for a warm and smoke free tipi. Our 2-pole tipis can also accommodate a fire but the smoke hole is smaller so you will need to have dry firewood that gives off good heat without excessive smoke to have a smoke free tipi.

Once you are familiar with the procedure you will have your tipi up and looking great in under an hour (less for small sizes). The first time you pitch a tipi it may take you a couple of hours. There are certain systems which must be carefully followed from our instruction manual.

It is important not to leave a tipi damp for sustained periods. During wet weather, you should light frequent fires to dry the canvas out as much as possible. Although mould detracts from the appearance, it is not too destructive to the canvas's strength, as the 50% polyester content is not affected. Although bleach-based cleaners such as "30 Seconds" are effective in cleaning the canvas, we do not recommend their use, as we think they may damage the waterproofing and structure of the canvas. A safe way to clean dirt and mould off is to give the canvas a light water blasting. Do not go too hard with a powerful blaster, as this will certainly damage the canvas.

It won't take more than 10 or 15 minutes. You can likely do it in less with practice. Packing the 2-pole tipi down is even quicker!

There are several options for ground cover. Traditionally reeds or bullrushes were used, other ideas include plastic sheeting and then carpet, bare ground with grass mats, grass, wood chips. Some people even prefer to build a plywood floor slightly raised off the ground that can be covered with mats or carpet. The decision is largely made by available resources, portability required and just how close to the earth you want to be.

Yes it is quite fine to paint on your tipi. The best paint to use is a water based (acrylic) paint. Ensure it is not a spirit based (enamel) paint as this will damage the canvas treatment. It is best not to apply the paint too thick so as to keep the cover flexible. Remember that painting large areas of the tipi with dark colours will decrease the amount of light entering the tipi.