Nestled in the Hauraki Gulf, the Rakino Cabin is an exercise in having just enough.
Designed in 2022 by architect Richard (Arch) Archbold for himself and his partner Ana, the Rakino Cabin is 36 square metres of prefabricated off-grid perfection (with a 20 square metre sleepout), a place that feels a million miles from the city.
The Rakino Cabin isn’t available for rent – although if you make friends with Arch and Ana, they might invite you to stay in their sleepout there. The cabin was featured in George Clarke’s Homes in the Wild in 2025. That’s George on the right.
Small is exactly the point.
It’s probably no coincidence that Arch designed the (very small) Rakino Cabin at the same time as he was working on the design of the (very large) New Zealand International Convention Centre in Auckland.
The simplicity of the cabin was a sweet antidote to the gargantuan complexity of the Convention Centre project – an imaginative escape before it became a physical one.
“We decided very early on to prefabricate the buildings,” Arch says. “This allowed for better quality control as we could visit the build more easily - and so could building inspectors. It also removed the logistical challenges of a traditional build in a remote location.”
The Rakino Cabin was designed in two prefabricated parts (minus their roofs) that were ferried to Rakino by barge. There are neighbours on either side of the site, so Arch’s design works to carefully control views and privacy.
The main cabin’s bedroom is tucked away on a mezzanine floor overlooking the kitchen and living space. “The design was informed initially from the transport constraints, which set the maximum height (4.2m) and width (3.2m) we could transport without needing a pilot and permits,” Arch says. “From there, a regular module was set, which the V-braces adhere to, and the main geometry of the building is laid out.”
The interiors were kept simple out of necessity, with thoughtful space-saving touches like a fold-away table (left). The stair at left leads to the mezzanine bedroom (below) with its window allowing a glimpse of the ocean from bed.
Rakino Island is about 45 minutes by ferry from downtown Auckland, one of many islands in the Hauraki Gulf/Tīkapa Moana. It has a land area of just 1.5 square kilometre and about 76 houses on it, but only about 18 permanent residents. There are no services or shops on the island, meaning most food and other supplies need to be brought across on the ferry.
Fully off-grid, the cabin has a solar power system with 12x450w solar panels and a 20KwH battery, a 10,000L rainwater tank and purification, and its own septic system. Screw piles minimise the need for excavation and concrete in the foundations.
Collaborators
The successful tenderers for the build work commenced prefabricated construction in 2022.
The landscape design firm whose work is currently growing on the Rakino Island site.
Completed the consent and construction documentation.
Architectural photographer.