Icy group swims and mindful crafts: finding joy and wellness on a tight budget

The word 'hobby' can sound trite but an absorbing interest can do wonders for our mental and physical wellbeing, not to mention our sheer joy in living. And right now – with the cost-of-living crisis and general mid-winter malaise – it's the perfect time to embrace simple pleasures. Dylan Jones spoke with some Christchurch locals about what they get up to for cheap wholesome thrills, and was surprised by the depth of their experiences.

The sun is barely rising over Ōtautahi’s North Beach as a group of ten run into the freezing water. Some race in, dunk their heads and go straight back to shore. Others stay a bit longer, contemplating life in the icy currents.

It’s normally a placid beach on a winter morning, but on Fridays at 7am the Chilly Vibes cold water community bring it to life with music, a hot water converter for the outdoor shower and breakfast burritos over the BBQ.

“All it costs is your morning,” says Tamatea Wihongi, youth worker by day, cold swimmer by dawn.

Wihongi and his fellow cold-swimming workmates Christian Gallen and Valentine Tauamiti have found a hobby with high rewards at a low price. That’s no mean feat in a cost-of-living crisis. As day-to-day expenses rise, the ability to pursue interests with a price tag – be that skiing or eating out or even going to the movies – drops for many people. But that doesn’t mean we have to stop enjoying life, we might just need to be more resourceful in how we do it.

For these guys, it’s that weekly cold dip. The Chilly Vibes crew started when Tauamiti, CEO of youth organisation Attitude, included Friday morning cold swims in a fitness programme for Gallen in winter last year.

“We’d gone along maybe two or three times and we bullied others to come,” recalls Tauamiti.

Positive peer pressure, Gallen calls it.

Over summer numbers got up to 20, but heading into winter they have dropped to around ten, which is also the average temperature of the water.

So why get up before the sun to immerse yourself in the frigid ocean?

“You’re doing something good for your entire hauora. Physical health benefits, taha wairua skyrocketing, you feel good all day,” says Gallen. “You build this little community around it. Only half of us live in North Beach, the other half come from all over the city.”

Wihongi enjoys the camaraderie, or as Tauamiti puts it, “bonding through hardship”.

“It’s such an oddbod, eclectic mix of people,” says Tauamiti.

Part of that diverse group is the wife of a friend of Gallen’s, who he says is an avid reader. “Typically her activity wouldn’t be going out and doing gnarly swim stuff,” says Gallen. “She comes every week now. Bikes down, jumps in the water, keeps her hair dry so she doesn’t get hypothermia, then she bikes home.”

They’re a unique bunch, but they’re not the first to do group cold dips. “Sumner Beach has a crew that’s been going for years. There’s a big community of senior citizens who enjoy it,” says Taumiti.

“Experienced veterans of the moana,” adds Wihongi.

After an extensive and spirited conversation about cold swimming, Gallen starts another one. “If we’re talking about free hobbies,” he says before pausing and leaning in. “Mate, disc golf.” But that’s a story for another day – Gallen talks long enough for that.

Occupational therapist Aimee Heslop thinks hobbies are important for people of all ages, with benefits going beyond simple enjoyment and recreation.

“Helping us stimulate our executive function, our planning, making sure we’ve got all the resources and time… then there’s the learning element of it, learning a new task or technique for the hobby,” says Heslop.

The list goes on, with Heslop talking about emotional regulation, stress relief and keeping aging minds and bodies healthy.

As people feel the cost-of-living crunch and try out some less expensive hobbies, Heslop finds a silver lining.

“I really like it that people are trying to challenge that materialistic spending mindset.”

On the other side of Christchurch, in a warm country house a world away from arctic waters, siblings Madeline Horne and Grey Lucas are showing me their crafting hobbies.

Sewing is in Horne’s blood, something she attributes to being part of a homeschooling cult in her childhood.

“My mum taught me to sew when I was seven. I would do mending for the family to earn my pocket money.”

Now she's out of the cult and has two young kids of her own. Her newfound hobby uses those sewing skills with a slight spin.

“Embroidering my clothes to make them more interesting, reflect who I am at the moment, and bring a bit more life into my wardrobe as an unadventurous mum of toddlers,” says Horne.

She got into it after admiring a friend’s clothes adorned with eclectic lace and pattern inserts. Her friend let her in on the secret that they were all old or secondhand clothes rejuvenated by the colourful, sewed-on additions.

Twenty dollars on needles and thread from a shop called Sew It, and a dig through her friend’s fabric stash set Horne on her way.

Her current project is transforming a gifted denim jacket that isn’t quite her style into a unique piece that she’ll enjoy wearing. But it’s far more than just a revamp for her wardrobe – it’s self care. “Doing something that brings rest and joy is important for me when I give so much away in supporting people… If I’ve got my hands busy, I can sit with my brain and think about how I’m going with life,” says Horne.

Lucas puts their hobby in simple terms.“I love making beautiful things. I do collaging, putting bits of paper together, basically. Old books, magazines, papers that I can get my hands on.”

They reckon the only other essential item is glue. Scissors? Optional. Sometimes the best method is ripping the paper by hand. All things considered, a very affordable hobby.

Horne says her sibling has always been “incredibly arty”, but it wasn’t until a political youth camp at the start of this year that Lucas felt they’d found their medium.

“They had a craft corner during some of the talks. I sat there for most of the week as, like, an anxiety shield,” says Lucas.

Collaging is more accessible for Lucas than some of their other creative pursuits as they contend with a terminal illness. “Because of my disease, communication is a big thing I struggle with. Hashtag Huntington’s disease.”

Huntington’s is an inherited terminal disease that causes death of brain cells. This results in extreme personality changes, loss of cognition, and the ability to walk, talk and eat. Life expectancy is about 15 years after onset.

“The longer I’m alive, the more incapacitated I am,” says Lucas.

Because of the impact of the illness on Lucas’ daily capacity for concentration, collaging is an ideal hobby as it’s not as technically demanding as other creative pursuits like charcoal or painting. They use collaging as a way to “test drive a lot of life skills”. “Even just more generic stuff like patience or perseverance, it lets me practice those skills on a stage with no one watching,” says Lucas.

I started researching this story wondering if it would just end up being a fluff piece about what people do for fun on the cheap.

In every conversation, though, it quickly became clear that these people find deeper meaning, a supportive community and a place of respite and reflection in their hobbies. That’s not fluffy. That’s real life.

I’ve just finished an intense semester juggling postgrad study and freelance media work while feeling the pinch of the cost-of-living crisis. Because of this, some of my old hobbies have fallen by the wayside.

As I’ve listened to people talk about their recreational pursuits and the joy they get from them, I’ve found myself wondering: could I join a cold water community? What patches could I embroider on the back of that old bomber jacket? Where could I get some old magazines from? And how much is a set of disc golf frisbees? (The answer is $40 if you know where to look).

Maybe I’ve been so head-down focused on work and study that I’ve forgotten the importance of having other interests, or I’ve held the belief that I’m lacking in time and money to do something for myself.

Maybe it’s time I got a hobby.