Her Side of the Story – Cassandra's Journey Home

The whenua I was raised on in Herekino — and my childhood mate, Juan the bull.

Kia ora! — Cassandra here
You may or may not have read Tyrone’s post on us taking on PollyAnn and Poinga’s flooring business — a huge mihi to PollyAnn and Poinga Biddle for everything they’ve built, and for the foundation we now stand on.

After six months behind the scenes — learning the ropes and soaking up everything I can — it’s time to pull back the curtain and share a little about the journey we’re on.

My roots are in Herekino, where we grew up without electricity and our nearest neighbour was six kilometres away. Out there, you learn how to figure things out for yourself. That mindset — curiosity, self-reliance, and a quiet hunger for better — has been woven into everything I do. Constant change and improvement haven’t just been part of my career; they’ve been part of who I am.

That brings me to flooring.

When we were 27, Tyrone and I took on a wild idea — a rundown woolshed from the 60s in the hills of Karori, Wellington. We poured a year of our lives into it, doing a full self-build to turn it into our home. We kept the original corrugated iron cladding from Australia and created a modern, chromatic interior that always took people by surprise. From the outside, it looked weathered and simple — but inside, it held light, space, and soul.

That was where I fell in love with design and renovation. And it was also where I discovered the quiet power of floors.

Floors are the unsung heroes of a home — the part that takes the most wear, yet holds everything steady. Laying down new flooring always felt like a turning point: the moment you breathe again, the moment you know it’s time to set your life back up. They bring comfort. Joy. And a sense of forward motion.

That feeling — of grounding and beginning again — has stayed with me.

And now, here we are.

When the opportunity came to be part of this next chapter — building legacy, being a part of the Te Hiku o te Ika business community — I thought, If not now… then when?

After 24 years away — living in Wellington, Auckland, Sydney, and sometimes with no fixed address — we’ve now been back in Te Hiku o te Ika for just over two years.

Coming home wasn’t just a move. It was a decision to give our girls something deeper: a life grounded in their Muriwhenuatanga, in the same whenua where we once roamed barefoot, laughed with cousins, and learned the rhythms of this place.

There’s a deep sense of appreciation that’s come with being back — for the pace of life, for the people, for the stories woven into every hill and coastline of the Far North.

You might catch me out planting with our community roopu, Tuituia te Kahunuku — like we did recently at Ngā Koroi o Tangonge, just up the road from our yard on Pukepoto Road — or holding space in te taiao for our taitamariki and mokopuna, or at Te Ikahunuhunu (Te Ahu/South Road), doing the quiet mahi that connects us to place, to purpose.

And if you see me out there — stop for a chat. These conversations, like the whenua, are what ground us.

We’ll be sharing the highs, the learning curves, and everything in between — because this story is still being written, and we’re glad you’re here for it.