Client Journey: Tomomi and Ben's Journey

Japan to Wakefield, Tasman — a customised Toroa, 10x3

They ordered a house on the other side of the world, watched it get built through weekly photographs, flew in as it was being finished, and moved straight into it.

Who Tomomi and Ben are

Ben wrote to us in February 2025 from Japan, where he and Tomomi were living with their daughter Olivia. They were planning to move to New Zealand around the middle of that year and wanted a tiny home waiting for them when they arrived.

His first email is one of the best enquiries we have ever received. He asked five questions in order: how long does a build take, what can be customised and what do the common customisations cost, what does transport cost, do you offer solar, and — the one that mattered most — do you know any landowners who would lease land to tiny home owners.

That last question is the one most people ask far too late. He asked it before he asked for a price.

What they decided

Within three days they had settled on a customised Toroa, 10 metres by 3, two bedrooms. They sent us a link to a previous client's home on YouTube and said, essentially, that level of customisation please — a tub and shower combination, a charging drawer in the living area, a small wood stove, and questions about a detachable deck and a sunroof.

Tomomi had her own layout ideas and brought them to the table.

They had a video call with us on 19 March and signed the next day.

Building a house you cannot visit

Everything after that happened across a time difference of several hours and roughly nine thousand kilometres.

They never walked into our workshop. They never stood in the shell. Every payment, every selection, every window and every finish was decided by email and video call from Japan, and the only way they could see their own house was the set of photographs Kim sent at the end of every week.

"The onboarding process was especially clear and reassuring, which made it so much easier for us to manage everything from abroad. The weekly photo updates were also a wonderful service — since we couldn't visit the workshop in person, these updates gave us a great sense of connection and peace of mind."

Finding them somewhere to live

Meanwhile we went looking for land, because a house with nowhere to go is not much use to a family arriving in a new country with suitcases.

We put options in front of them through May. They looked at Atawhai, which they liked for being close to Nelson, and at Motueka. Then we introduced them to a couple with a property at Wakefield.

Ben emailed the landowners directly from Japan — a slightly extraordinary email to have to write, asking strangers on the other side of the planet about land size, utility connections and rent — and they had a video call. A solicitor looked over the lease. We put them in touch with our plumber and our electrician so the site connections could be organised before they landed.

They arrived in New Zealand in late July, the same week their home had its final touches done.

Where it is at

Their home was delivered to Wakefield in August 2025 and handed over at the end of that month. The wood stove went in after delivery, along with the balustrade.

Six weeks after moving in, Tomomi wrote to us. The part we did not expect was not about the house.

"More than anything, we're incredibly grateful to Fran for finding this beautiful land and introducing us to our amazing landlord. We've been warmly welcomed and feel truly accepted here — so lucky to be part of such a lovely community."

"Thank you again for creating not just a home, but a beautiful beginning for our new life in New Zealand."

In January their story ran in Stuff — and their landlords took part in the article too, which tells you most of what you need to know about how that arrangement has gone.

What this taught Ruru

A land lease is not a transaction. For a family arriving from overseas it is an introduction to the people who will be their neighbours, and it decides whether the first year in a new country is lonely or not. We got that right by accident the first few times. We now treat the match between tenant and landowner as the most important part of the service, not the paperwork around it.

The second thing is about the photographs. We send progress shots every Friday because clients like them. For Tomomi and Ben they were the only view they had of their own house for five months. That reframed what those emails are for, and we have taken them a great deal more seriously since.

And the third: Ben asked about land in his very first email, before he asked what a home cost. Everything went smoothly because of the order he asked his questions in.

Moving to New Zealand and wondering where you would even put a tiny home? Ask us that first, the way Ben did.