2 weeks Ago By Mangawhai Focus
Moss is looking forward to welcoming visitors aboard on April 26.To the uninitiated, it looks from the outside like an ordinary Mangawhai suburban home.But take a step closer and you enter The Hart of the Cosmos, a time travelling “pirate ship” with Captain Moss at the helm.
Takahe Place has been home to Moss and his eclectic collection of salvaged timber, memorabilia, plants and sculptures for the past eight years. There were also tropical birds until the recent tornado wreaked havoc on his aviary and part of his house.“This is a place where anyone and everyone is welcome,” he says.
“It’s a place where people are free to learn and dream, without being limited by ordinary conventions or someone else’s script.“People say I shouldn’t be so attached to material things, but what’s the harm? Every single thing here in the ship has a story and many carry memories of people who’ve been special to me.”But the future of the ship is not secure.
As a rental home, Moss fears that one day the landlord will put it on the market. The thought of moving worries him.It can’t happen,” he says earnestly.
A landscaper by trade, Moss has been on ACC for the past three years after a kickboxing accident severely damaged his wrist. His funds are limited so he has decided he needs to do something about it.On Saturday, April 26, he will hold a market at The Hart of the Cosmos, 3B Takahe Place with a “compulsory koha”, which can be in the form of money, cutlery, lampshades or building materials – or anything that might come in handy on a ship.
In return, visitors will be entertained with singing and dancing, theatre and food.Visitors will also be welcome to meander around “the ship”, which is made up of many parts including an ultra-violet lit garden under the house, a performance area, a shared eating area where Moss holds high tea, outside gardens, sauna and an ice bath, which breathwork facilitator Marcel Hof will use during a two-day retreat at The Hart of the Cosmos next month.Moss has also reached out to Mangawhai’s new high school providing plants and sculptures, which he hopes will encourage interest and curiosity in the students.
“Curiosity heightens imagination, and hopefully gets them off their phones long enough to start asking questions. It physically hurts me to hear a child say, ‘I’m bored’.”Moss hopes his market day will also lead to collaborations with other artists and gardeners .
.. and perhaps even some mariners.
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