Te Timatanga, which means ‘New Beginnings', lies at the heart of an Earthship currently being built in Hikuai on the Coromandel.

Construction got underway this week on Earthship Te Timatanga, which was launched with an official ceremony over the weekend.

Earthship owners and builders Gus Anning and Sarah Rowe with their children, from left: Bryony, Whio and Toby. Photo: Supplied

An Earthship is a passive solar house buried into the ground which incorporates the use of natural and recycled materials, mainly earth-rammed car tyres, cans and bottles.

On Sunday Earthship owners and builders Gus Anning and Sarah Rowe welcomed local volunteers, overseas workers who will be involved with the build.

Tairua-Pauanui Community Board chairman Bob Renton was also on hand at the ceremony to make a presentation on behalf of the Thames Coromandel District Council.

Gus and Sarah, who live in Tairua where Gus is a skipper for Whitianga Water Transport, will construct their Earthship on 2.5 acres of land in the Puketui Valley.

'We will be recycling approximately 2,000 tyres, which equates to 500 cars," Gus says. 'We have sourced these from Kiwi Tyre Recycling in Thames. Smart Environmental is also a big contributor to our project.”

Gus has high praise for members of the council's building team who have encouraged the project.

He says: 'They've had nothing but a commonsense approach to all our alternative solutions.”

Building Team members Peter B Thomas and Peter H Thomas worked with Mercury Bay acting area manager Len Whittaker and Whangamata/Tairua-Pauanui area manager Garry Towler to get the consent process across the line during the Coromandel's peak summer December period.

Consent approval was gained on December 23 after the geotech information was received and the project could finally officially proceed.

The weekend's official opening now paves the way for the eco home project to begin.

For more information about Gus and Sarah's Earthship build visit their Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/earthshiptetimatanga

A completed Earthship. Photo: Supplied