I was curious to know how viewed is our episode on Grand Designs NZ. Taking a quick poll of our guests on the event weekend, about a third or less had viewed the show. A majority did not come for the garden show eventhough we were an offshoot of the Whangarei Quarry Garden Discovery Tour. The WQG committee promoted our event as our personal journey and house tour. It turned out that was precisely what people came to see.
The small number that had seen our GDNZ episode came specially to view the place in real life. From the feedback, we were pleased we did not disappoint. All said that it was particularly interesting to experience the place for themselves and feel its energy, and the opportunity to take the tour was certainly a great introduction to Feng Shui concept.
Some of our guests went on to view the show afterwards and I was curious to learn of their reaction doing it the other way round. One viewer said that “Having seen the final result, was very interesting to see the build in progress”, referring to the massive foundation works on the show.
Very much in tune with the Dao, is living in harmony with nature. However, to build it was inevitable that we will have to dig and scour into Kauri Dragon. My culture is mindful of this. So we said a prayer to Kauri Dragon Spirit and Spirit of the Place in appreciation of the land, forgiveness for the disruptions, and our intent to live in harmony here with our best endeavors as her caretaker.
Consequently, we briefed the bush clearing contractor to only have the absolute minimal cleared and he assured us. However, we had quite a shock when the foundation and retaining walls were just completed, but we soon could see our vision enfold in our mind’s eye. Not so Chris Moller. Midway in the show sitting in what he referred to as ‘a magical spot’ bemoaned ‘…I thought that the techniques for Feng Shui would be very much in tune with the environment… seemed to be total contradiction, it’s quite a shock’ doubting our ability to ‘..to make it feel, somehow back in tune with the land’.
At the end when the house was completed during the final filming, it was clearly no longer Chris’s sentiment. His kind parting words to me were ‘It is a privilege to have known you and to be involved in this project’. And as if cued, the camera man said ‘This house does not feel as if it has just been completed, it feels like it belongs, like it has been here for over a hundred years’.
So it was indeed interesting that the our guest had a similar response after viewing the show saying ‘The footprint and foundations looked very imposing, but the completed house feels very harmonious with the surroundings’.
We succeeded in not only bringing harmony and balance back to the land but also bringing a palpable sense of prosperous wellbeing. I believe we achieved it by respecting Kauri Dragon and Spirit of the Land and the unleashing the full gamut of Feng Shui knowledge of my forefathers to bear in creating Ditiantai, the Prosperous Place where Heaven and Earth Unites.
