Hidden at the very top of New Zealand’s Coromandel Peninsula and accessible only by off-road track is the Mahana commune. Founded in 1978, for nearly 40 years its inhabitants have been elusive. Their story has gone largely unreported. But now, parts of the utopian dream are turning sour. We visit Arthur, one of the remaining members of Mahana, to learn about his reclusive life, his battles with other residents, and his hopes of seeing the valley returned to its past glory.
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“A real lonely person, is lonely in a crowd” that hit me hard
Shut up
@@icanseeyou9227 why should she
That hit me hard as well!!!
I can see you YOU SHUT UP!!!
Not sure I agree though, I feel like feeling lonely in a crowd means you’re in tune with yourself and happy in your own company?
This actually made me quite sad. Theyve ruined the whole idea of mahana. And this poor man is left in its ruins with his tiny ray of hope. I hope some kind hearted people decide to join Arthur out there.
It's human nature it failed before it ever started, sad but true.
Lets go!
Guys I’m down too
@@gooeyboi6685 Mahanians assemble
Bruh, Can yall invite me too when Im ready? Im in Auckland lol
Arthur seems like a good soul and i love how he is unaffected by the other habitants toxic attitudes
@@Marco-zt2jj Exactly right! It is our modern world that producers the vast excess of resources and energy which affords us the opportunity to entertain such lofty ideals. Once you take away that excess however, those ideals become untenable as the excess that supported it is gone, causing the greater whole to fragment into smaller groups, that can make do with less, as everyone will struggle to secure what resources they can for themselves and those closest to them.
@@Marco-zt2jj this video is proof if we want to have the best possible outcome in life and all are happy, love needs to be applied in every instance. Love of neighbor. If he wants his peace, let him be and treat him as a brother later on if he desires. Everyone wants their space and privacy with their families. but love is like the bonding in between everyone. If we dont have a family, we'll want to be around others. It's simple, no matter where or what or when, just apply love to the situation. If it calls for something strict, do that too, because if the situation calls for it, then let it be. It's all love. It's possible, just everyone needs to realize it.
A toxic attitude is not wanting criminals squatting in the same area that you're raising your young children?
@@Poonannyish Do you for certain know they were criminals, or is there a possibility that's not true?
@@diggie9598 They burgled nearby neighborhoods and the stolen goods were found in the house they were squatting in. I'd say that was pretty conclusive. Unless you're saying the guy in the video was lying? But why would he lie? Especially given how easy it would be for another local to debunk a lie like that. Even the old hippie acknowledged that the vacant lots were drawing criminals. He walked in on the remnants of a weed farm in one of the houses. Growing a few plants for personal consumption in your own back yard is fine by me, but a grow op like that is clearly something bigger and more sinister, and it's gunna draw other shady characters into the neighborhood where my young kids hang out. No thanks.
David shouldn't be in this commune if he acts as if it was private property, Arthur is the only one who remains the true purpose of the whole thing
David Prisk, more like David Prick.
fer real
LoopEgui How do u get in one ofese places?
@@roosterwes depends on where you live. In the US communes are present and for new members they under go a trial period of staying in the commune before they become permanent residents.
yea, i didnt like his attitude toward Arthur.. i mean its a carefree community, not a facist enclave
Arthur, I don't know if you'll ever see this. But there are like-minded individuals. You have a very gentle soul. Thank you for that. Much love...
It always breaks my heart seeing people like Arthur with such a wonderful soul, wanting to make something wonderful, getting screwed by people that seem to don´t care about anything but themselves....
He's looking for a cook.
@@yasminhebenstreit5273 nah don't worry about Arfar, he's happy with his lot. Why shouldn't he be, he's better off then most of us!
technology has won , family time was deceptive of the TV & now we dont communicate
Mike Peters so true
“A real lonely person is lonely in a crowd” 🔥🔥🔥🔥 Arthur is NO FOOL 🦾
He's brilliant 😊 such enlightening energy
Everyone knows that. IT isn't some Revelation from God.
@@Therealcarolinaguy shut up jonathan
well said !!!
Its like being in a relationship, the worse thing is having a partner but still feeling alone
David: "Arthur hasn't built any relationships with any of us." Also David: "We don't want him around our families." Yeah, I don't think Arthur is the problem here, buddy 😑
That is what I thought. David is a greedy soul and Arthur is a problem for him. probably he is growing and selling dope
@@aquastar3456 you could grow and sell dope without being an asshole though :D but David decided differently, hes just a poor human being
@@MrDeltaSoldier ahahahhaaa legilising an illegal drug is priceless
@@MrDeltaSoldier lol :D
Arthur semms to be the problem though
A friend grew up on a commune. What he discovered is that most people don't really want the community part of it. They also don't want to work particularly hard, but are ok with others doing so. You can see Arthur wants community, David wants a remote home.
100%
That's people now they've been given too much and raised to be incredibly lazy that they try to always take advantage of other people to make them do everything. I've come across this time and time again and they find any way to not do things. I used to put more effort into things myself but now it's not worth it because others have made it not worth it, i'll do things in a quality way still but i've had to simplify things and i'll not accept more because people just see it as your potentially able to be taken advantage of it's sad nowadays. The standards have dropped considerably and i just don't know why because it wasn't like that even in the 1990s when i was a kid people put in more effort, then it drastically changed within the next decade. All i know is it's all not worth busting yourself over now how it is, it took a long time for me to adjust to it i only have started to within the last couple years because i wanted things to be like it was in the 1990s still where people would put in more effort because of what it meant for other people, but alas nobody thinks about that anymore. So i'll learn stuff for myself but make things easy as possible on myself, and then when doing anything else i'll look at it and see how i can do the same there, but i won't dare take on extra work not once.
I know someone who grew up in a commune and he said there are always older guys in these communities who are self-appointed leaders/elders who control and manipulate the younger ones. Sexual abuse of kids and young women is high in these places and the kids often grow up depressed and suicidal, and most want to leave and never come back. Modern cities have police and justice systems, and as much as some people resent the control, without it humans tend to devolve back to undesirable beings, smashing other's houses like in this documentary. Others sit around smoking drugs and never doing any work to contribute to the back-breaking effort it takes to grow food off-grid.
@@caravanlifenz I looked up a site you can find communes and most of them now have stricter requirements and you have to already have a legit skill to contribute and they only take people in when there's room, so they have a limit of how many people they have in the communes. One or two only let people stay there for 2 years and then you have to leave, which honestly seems like a waste of time and a way you can get taken advantage of. Use you for 2 years and all the money you put into it that seems unreal. You have to go into communes with money too because most will ask you for a fee and then a big lump sum for everything else so you have to be really careful with that. I couldn't trust that at all because how do you know they won't just bully you out after a couple years? not in today's climate.
“A real lonely person is lonely in a crowd.”
Written by Gordon Byron!
hes not lonely:)
u kno me so well ;)
I have at times, while living and working in a city, felt invisible.. with no more than business pleasantries for company.. I know Internal Loneliness..
@@deadheadri5779 I think a great many people suffer that kind of loneliness, people who had close and dear friends but chose to relocate away from them without putting the proper value on family and friendship.
I think Arthur should try his hand at writing, I want to hear the story of Mahana through his thoughtful perspective.
Yooo yes that would be wicked.
Or perhaps a ghost writer
Good ideaa
Me too I like the sound of this guy I'd love to hear the story it's sad that a lot of communes start out with good intentions and high (no pun intended) ideals.then end up going down the same path as the rest of society greed and ego take over and the dream crumbles ,Namastay Arthur,Kiora.
As a lobotomised pot smoker Arthur the author would't get too much past Jack & Jill went up the hill etc
I get where David is coming from with having a school aged child and being wary of bad strangers, but you are living on free land, you can't dictate who lives there. If you are worried then pay and move your child to an area that feels safer, again it's free land so you have to take the good with the bad. You shouldn't be able to dictate who stays and goes. The purpose of the land is set, when arthur was talking he always said things were voluntary, you can decide to provide for your own family and no one else if you choose to, but you shouldn't stop people from coming, its not yours to own.
the comment im looking for. good point
I do not understand David at all. Look at the place full of beer bottles scattered around the place and people drying marijuana in the houses. David said he has a kid and wants to feel safe. if this is the case move to the city's safe suburb bush may not be good for your kid. he asked Arthur to be not there for a reason. they isolated him not Arthur
Dear Raven. You said it, Shot...
@@aquastar3456 can understand both men quite well....david sees arthur as a threat to his peace and safety because arthur is too open and accepting to people and some of these people might be criminals or child molesters..could be thieves...also if david is making a lot of money from a marijuana crop he is growing he certainly does not want more and more people on the land walking around and coming across his crop...it is not a tight knit community any more...people have spread out to build their houses and have their families...the ideal of mahana only exists in the mind of arthur as a wish for it's return...for people to be living close together again and sharing and caring...like a commune...a communist ideology really...using all things in common...very few possessions...david and the others are like capitalists who are loitering on the communist ideology they don't follow...david and the others would not believe that a commune works for various reasons
Let's be real, no matter where you move, the risk of being around bad people exists. A lot of people don't get caught doing their "bad things" so there's no registry or way of checking to confirm your neighbors are safe. Plus, what's going to stop somebody from taking a drive into that neighborhood? If David is concerned for his children to the level of not allowing people to move there, then he better lock his kids up and keep them away from all of society.
The whole point of Mahana is communal living, and voluntary giving. The fact that the second guy said he likes not seeing neighbours houses and that they had no energy to put into a place like the cookhouse just shows that his focus is freeloading, not community. This saddens me so much.
He also doesn't want anyone around his kids who would just 'let anyone in'. Seems like the ideal person to live a well secured house with a fence, gate and locks on his doors in a residential area, patrolled by police.
Yeah seems that he's kind of a piece of shit
Go there, change it
Its healthy at least, as communication technology can never replace things like that. We drift farther away from eachother because of that technology. Chatting and sharing things over the net like facebook may seem convenient and nice, but there are some even when chatting will feel pretty lone. But it varies with different people, and the way they see things. People in good social situations may feel it less than some in worse ones. And people like david seem undeservingly blessed. If his home burnt down and hes suddenly alone, hes one of those who couldnt probably take it and kill himself. He seems to belong to that category, but i may be wrong.
Yes, what an odd comment for someone who desired communal living. He basically said, "I don't want to see or interact with anyone.". OK, basically impossible unless you are wealthy enough to almost get there...
"A real lonely person is lonely in a crowd." This person has found inner happiness and only wants to grow it. Peace.
WELL said.
✌❤
WELL it's worded to perfection.that's my understanding of loneliness,just like it says on the tin."lol"👍peace from DUBLIN CITY REPUBLIC of IRELAND..
The energy from David and Arthur are totally different. David just gives the energy of and looks like a crazy selfish controlling freak. Arthur gives calm energy, very peaceful. Sad to hear it has become this.
🙌🏽🙌🏽fully spot on. I could just sit and hang out with Arthur all day long and David is a douchebag.
I wouldn’t judge so harshly from a few minutes of video clip shown here. A person with kids to protect doesn’t have the luxury of being completely selfless to strangers, they’re busy being selfless to their kids. That said, that’s not the attitude that Mahana was built upon, so I don’t approve of it.
@@anomienormie8126 being selfless is noble .. doesn't mean you can't protect yourself against selfish people ..being open doesn't mean everything goes .. there s certainly is a lot of story beneath this story .. why did so many people leave paradise ??
@@gmy33 Awww Comon, I Got The Same Vibe Of His Greedy Ass, He Wants To Make It His OWN Utopia, Where He's IN CHARGE!!!
@@gmy33 when Arthur's daughter said it was interesting....
"A real lonely person is lonely in a crowd. The past is the past and you can’t bring it back, you can only look towards the future." Salute to Arthur, he knows.
Saying "that *he* hasn't established a relationship" and then saying "that *we* don't want him around our families"? These are two very contradicting statements....
I thought the exact same thing. Hes a piece of shit. Aurthur seems like a super cool dude. I would be his homie! Id probably kick the shit out of David to the point hed think it best to leave.
@@fistpump5485 Because that would make you truly great and wise person
"“It was seen as the only option to stop elements .. from moving in here” "It was seen?” By whom? The aggressive demolishers?
@@poetsrear Watching something be destroyed is the poor decision
you can actually see that David's not even trying to get close to Arthur, he is speaking to him and about him with such disdain
I kinda feel bad for this man tho, he seemed like he loved the commune with all the people and kids and now its all so broken down and forgotton.. I wish the best for him
“the past is the past and you can’t bring it back, you can only look towards the future” very wise quote from Arthur
There Is no such thing as past or future, we only allow ourselves the illusion to put the tag on such thing cause we starve for control, false indoctrination made us think in the box and did cage our minds
@@shaman3069 no future?
@@shaman3069 no past?
@@theroyaldutchcompany5898 Indeed. There is only now.
@@Yogsothoth32 i can remember yesterday, and i can roughly predict the future (if i jump in front of a train, ill die)
I live in Greece. I am so grateful for KZhead. You can have access to so much knowledge from all over the world. Thanks for sharing.
"He doesn't have an establish relationship with any of us....We don't want him around our families" Well mate those are two veeeery different things. You isolated him not the other way around...
David Prick
@@ShishakliAus amen
@Daniella Prince ... the old hippie guy didnt do it. the younger guy did. Rewatch.
@28kiriku Exactly! To me, this David's hostile response when Arthur first approached with the filmmakers was very telling...and his later comments just cemented it. The "hostility" comes from them, not from this wise old hippie.
David is a greedy land grabber, what a petty little thug he is. The kitchen died a natural death because it's not a commune anymore, it's a collection of greedy fuckwits who have thwarted the original philosophy of Mahana.
David sees himself as the rightful decider of who gets to use the land, and he admitted to burning down houses not in his ownership to control the land. Vile entitlement, exact opposite of the founders intention.
He came across as arrogant, didn't like his attitude.
both need to be there for the sake of growth
Yep, self entitled. What he really needs is to be run off the land.
Why isn't he in prison for arson? Wtf
@@nunya2954 . I
My heart melted for Arthur. You sir, are a rear gem in this world.
rear heh heh
@@user-bc6gg5uk9e Hippies, what do you expect?
You mean Rare. Rear means posterior. 🍑
This man has the voice of an ancient storyteller
That's called an Afrikaans accent
@@Michael-vf7vq yeah he sounded a bit Dutch or Afrikaans idd
@@Michael-vf7vq it's a New Zealand accent. It's in the title you dork
@@theresnothinghereatall You clearly don't know what a New Zealand accent sounds like
@@GecKler Yeah definitely one of the two!
The whole idea of a free and open commune like that seems amazing, It's a shame that human desire and greed ruins things like that. I would've liked to see Mahana during it's glory days.
Yes!!
probably a shit hole if i'm being honest. Private property ownership is a great idea that works. This whole open and free spirited shit never works. Many many comunes have been tried nearly all failed. As he said as the kids grew up they left because they were attracted to the toys of the modern world. Is it that or is it that the kids grew up and realised that they could live a much safer and better life in the modern world? Probably the latter.
My Brother and wife lived here for years. My niece was born here. I used to see a girl who was bought up in Mahana. I even served in the Army with a guy who I found out was bought up in Mahana. .....the older I get the more appealing this place is getting to me.
You should go, take people who agree with the commune lifestyle and revitalize the concept! They're not a commune anymore, only neighbours. Its sad to see an idea die like this.
I'd love to move there and build a hobbit style house into a hill.
I wonder if the real ambition now for those that dont want anyone new is to wait for the oldies to die so they can sell the land for millions.
Luiza Gallas I’ll be honest with you. My intentions to moving to Mahana would purely be to stay the fuck away from everyone, society, the government ripping me off, the world and this bullshit matrix internet that we are ALL now locked into. I wouldn’t be doing too much socialising there that’s for sure. The old saying, “I ain’t racist. I hate everybody equally as much”. It’d be a good place to get away and live off next to nothing affordably.
Me too 💯❤
Arthur is a beautiful soul, we are fortunate to have him as our neighbor across the road. blessings, old man.
Really where does he live now?
what happened to arthur?
Where at? Is it true that his mother is still alive?!
Ae, blessings to Arthur. ❤️ 😊 🌿
I lived in a commune but we all built our own homes, & lived together beautifully, cared for each other, helped each other, I built a mudbrick shack. I would go back & live like this again in a heartbeat, especially now. Find a way to fit into a world in a cooperative way. Live in elegant simplicity
Sentence 1: "he hasn't really established relationships with a lot of us." Sentence 2: "We don't want him around our families." Yeap... that really show he is the problem!
Someone should tell David that 'establishing relationships' works both ways. Walk up the hill, go visit the older people. Sit down and take time to listen to their stories. Tell them yours. They were young once, and if you are lucky - you may live to become that old man on the hill some day.
@Sean Doherty That's what makes Arthur, so very Arthur. He gets it. David comes across as either guilty, afraid, angry or traumatized. What ever his issue is, that's not really the ideal of COMMUNE. Commune's are yes, a bit of a cult. You join the collective, the common good. If when people are just relaxing and smoking herb, all should go well. I don't know where they get their money, and food from, pensions ? Health Care too - Everyone loves tropical forests, but some disease, snakes, spider bites, or just old age takes it's toll. May many blessings be upon their commune family.
seriously what the fuck is up with that guy?? he sounds like the biggest jerk in the world!! Arthur I mean of course... I don't want HIM around my family... He has no friends!! EEEW
That's what triggered me..David goes pointing the finger but then blatantly says they dont want him around..uh well how can a relationship form !
First I hear the guy say that Arthur is not interested in having a relationship with the rest of the community and then a bit later he says, we dont want him around our families. Wow, what a lovely guy! xD
Yeah picked up on that too. Both sides have their idea on how the place should be run. In the mean time there is no communication.
@SuperBarytone : Yea, but it wasn't even a bit later, it was the very next sentence, lols.
Yeah..this David guy is a reall dick!Cos of people like him this places cant evolve further&people cant live in harmony!Animals are our reall teachers in that way,cos theyre without the ego!
I´m sure there is anything else besides about how the place should be run. Anyway, I do not think David is a cock as other people says, he just have his own opinion and is unfair to blame him for being himself
Ill say it again, David is a little Bitch!!!!!!!
You're great Arthur, a real old hippie and a free soul. For years I roamed with my family in a double-decker bus through Europe. Together with an uncle, aunt, their children and my brother-in-law with his wife and children. we drove with 3 very large campers I will say. At one point bought a large farm in the south of France and settled down. After a few years we finally started driving again, but all in a different direction. The free life is the best thing that can happen to you. I wish you happy days and never change for someone else.
sounds adventurous
Such a shame what the place has become. The old man seems full of such wisdom... he should write his life stories and the story of Mahana into a book. It would make for some fabulous reading.
I think audio book with his narration would be wonderful
I wanna visit this man and just talk to him about life, I feel like he would have a lot to teach
You bet, This real freaks, have a story to tell. I'm 60'now, don't regret much, of course, mistakes happen. I do feel sorry for this, and the generations to come. Free thinking, accepting one a nother, seems to be a thing of the past. Thanks for living the life I live, 'Who am I to blow against the wind.! See ya later Arthur, she'll be right!
@@martinwalden9519 I agree, people are Soo uptight. Loosen up and be more accepting and loving.
Have a smoke bloke! The best experience's, I made in where in Tassie, there would be tons to tell. 'Gray daze '???
you can watch him at least once a week on the BILL MAHRER show seeing how it is bill maher in prosthetics.
Same!
David: We've learned to live with each other and.. one sec. ARTHUR GET OFF MY LAWN!
WHERE THERE ARE HUMANS....THERE ARE PROBLEMS....'MINE!'...NO 'MINE'
@@chazmology This is why anarchy is not possible to exist if you want to live without problems. Hippies were impulsive people who wanted to live by instincts like animals, and the impulsive behaviors are precisely the most toxic ones as they cannot understand empathy or respect other people without throwing and attacking with his opinions to others. They usually believe that no one have the reason in anything so you cannot educate anybody with that.
@@jimix8575 "Hippie" was a name given to half a generation of people because the "establishment" wanted to discredit the idea of doing without the "establishment". It's actually an insult. People are people and there's always one opportunist, that's why anarchy fails in large numbers. If the land is free for anyone to live there and I wasn't on the other side of the world I'd go build that fkin house again. I've seen it over and over, on mountaintops even.
I saw that too...where is the freedom there? Much love Blake!.......Jimi x is too good for a free loving fellowship.
@@jimix8575 I lucked out...Vietnam Vet...real world stuff...so ashamed of hippies I cut my hair...then my stash...I call it 'the politician look..lol I've been around a bit...my friends and I were FREAKS....Rockers...Not Hippie collage trash.....then I went to college...what a laugh....I knew more than the professors...they didn't like that...now where are we?...BLOW IT UP.....ha ha just blow it up
I'd love to see a big documentary with other members, maybe people who don't live there anymore to get an completed picture why this community failed or why they're ideales got lost
Me too!
Man, I love this guy. He’s like Gandalf who decided to live as a hobbit. Hope he’s doing well.
You could spend 5 minutes with this man and know his heart. He's wise, he's good. Just look at his face when he holds his grandchildren. Nothing stays the same. People always find a way to ruin this beautiful world. Mine, mine, mine. God owns it.....and he will take it back someday. God bless this sweet man.
How many times has the Earth hit the reset button? Edit: For example- Noah's Flood
god gave us.... every 3 minutes a child dies on earth because of poverty,(dirty water and preventable diseases),IF the top richest 100 people donated 1/4 of their income it would stop! mmm,not gonna happen,but most will be godly? and then mother earth gave us Arthur,and she will accept him back again.....the original recycling keep it real......
@@patrickj8984 The Earth has a consciousness. There is a greater reality than our reality.
Broken Robot II I hope so.
When you said the work "God" I knew you had ruined it
this is heartbreaking on many levels. God bless you Arthur.
What if Arthur is actually God himself?
God is within, when and if people can know this, life will change for them.
Dude is happy. I'm happy for him. Love is loving someone as much as you love yourself.
@@kirstinstrand6292 if only people could see it's just an experience
@@calinchirtes3888 Everyone's God. That's the third eye tattoo. You know you're God, right?
David has ruined the place. God bless Arthur and his love and patience for putting up with that 🤯 I want to visit, with my school aged kids!! The people that came as “thieves” were probably drawn there to change their ways it’s a shame
It's bound to happen in a place where anyone and everyone is welcome.
I always love the primeval vibe of the New Zealand bush when the fog descends upon its ridges and hills.
Yes! I'm a Kiwi tramper and I love that primeval feeling of our mountains and forests.
Arthur is right.... There's a world of difference between being alone and feeling lonely
Just been on a mission to find this place recently, every local other than Arthur still resides. Very erie feeling that you're not wanted there. The person we spoke to said "arthurs gone, had been for about 3 years now, you can use our driveway to turn around now if you'd like" sad end to a trippy roadtrip and a good story. Mahana isn't taking new members from what we could tell
What do they mean - Arthur's gone? Has he moved in with his Granddaughter? He would totally hate that. But, I guess, as you age it is harder to live alone.
@Jack Laycock...I'm so sad to hear that. I tried to contact his family to get in contact with him many months ago but to no avail. Such an injustice to turn away from what Mahana's core beliefs were! I was so keen to become part of a new Mahana...a beautiful place now ruined by greed.
@@Charli883 No, as you age it's easier to live alone. I know, I'm elderly.
@@tomwatson3735 agreed. Though I am not an elderly. But I find it easier being on your own.
Sad the purpose of the place has been lost yet again to mans greed and need for ownership
The last few seconds of the video of him puring up a cup of wine, lighting a join and talking about how he's never been lonely is a whole ass vibe
This is so well made, I didn't expect it to have so many layers
It saddens me that in all corners of the world you find people like David.
his name is bill maher. he is on t.v all the time. he has prosthetics on his face. just open your eyes. its all staged.
@@itsthesmallhats Why would Bill Maher travel half way across the world to NZ, drive out to this remote location, pile on a tone of prosthetics and act like an old lost hippie, just to film this mini doco?
Christopher Morrissey David is Trump in disguise
@@elimead8260 why would George cloony and Sandra bullocks go right up into space just to make a movie. why would they destroy the moon in starwars...….lol
@@itsthesmallhats LOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL Bill Maher, buddy, let go off crack, remove the tinfoil hat and enjoy life
I allways wondered where Gandalf ended up.
LOL...
@SDZ 86 With a zeee!
sealand is where that killer whale lives in? hahah
Hahahaha my first thought! eactly that. He looks happy now
He reminds me more of the necromancer in lotr.
bless him, Arthur seems so down to earth and humble, hopefully it builds up again!
“A real lonely person is lonely in a crowd” So fucking true
arthur knows whats up and though everyone else thinks hes living too far in the past, hes just trying to maintain the ideals that mahana was founded with
you got that 3rd eye as your profile pic or wa
@@niksplayz2926 she's half Mahanaian
@Alan Horning i sincerely thank you for your service, and i hope you know that there are so many people in this world like arthur, that would gladly welcome you, and already love you. because once you are humbled by nature and the complexity of human nature, we realize that we don't have the place to judge anyone. we are all in this life together, and it's never been more obvious than it is now. but again thank you for your service, and i really hope that you find peace.
@Alan Horning Hi I hope you are doing well today! Happy memorial day! Thank you for serving our country! I truly admire the strength you have for choosing to go on everyday after going through so many hardships. It inspires me to keep being a loving person no matter what i have been through. I hope you are with your loved ones today, and if not, know that me and so many other people appreciate what you've done and are praying for you to find peace, because you truly deserve it. Everybody deserves peace and love. With peace and love we will make it through these times, because we have to. Not only for ourselves, but for the future generations, and for the people who have given up everything to make the world a better place in the past.
These new residents of Mahana, don’t understand the whole ideal of the community. Let them go back into ‘normal ‘ society. Why stay in a beautiful commune, if you don’t want to participate in communal living? I’m broken hearted. A freehold is for all. This lovely man is fighting a good fight for a beautiful ideology that people don’t seem to understand anymore.
I 100% agree! I just felt so bad for poor Arthur, who clearly misses what his community used to be.
Sounds... boring. What would you do in such a place? What is there to fill the 80 some odd years you are going to live? People need competition, motivation, drama, etc. otherwise we get bored.
They didn't misunderstand anything, they're taking advantage of the rent-free life. If you're part of regular society, but living rent-free, and essentially squatting-for-ultimate-land-ownership, you got a real leg up compared to your peers out there in regular society, where earnings are lower than costs for most people. That is why they behave the way they do, spiritually they are regular society folk looking to lower costs, not communal types at all.
@@yawgmoth5662 “People need competition, motivation, drama, etc.” Nope. You. You need those things. Not everyone is the same. I’ve willingly lived in Slab City just to get way from the system and people with your kind of ideology. They only problem with Slab is the HEAT!
@@yawgmoth5662 Let me guess, you were born in the 90s
So sad to hear Arthur has left. I tried to contact his family many months ago to get in touch with him but to no avail. Would have loved to become a part of a new Mahana, a place with an earthy soul, welcoming and diverse. Sadly this will probably never happen and Davids greed will extinguish any hope there was =(
Missy, create your own community.
I would love to do this for my son and I. A real community of love. 💜
@@jaamesfn Looked like a couple of okish houses up there...maybe if enough people "moved in" it might change the dynamic?
Man don't do that you come off as just weird lol a complete stranger trying to contact his family, think about the safety of the kids.
@@FlyingMonkies325 What on earth are you talking about...what kids? Why is it weird to reach out to someone, people do it everyday to find friends, loved ones etc. Someone who turns an innocent gesture into something sordid is the weird one.
It will be such a sad day when Arthur is no longer there for the land. Greed always seems to win over love. So sad.
Arthur is magnificent and self-actualized. I am glad he has his granddaughter and great grandbabies to share his love with.
At the Moment..
Agreed!
200th like lol
he has to be more sanitized to kiss his that young grandchild.
No. I know Arthur personally and he is not someone you would ever ever leave a child with.
I think the conversation around 9:36 shows how great a guy Arthur is. Even though David is being hostile Arthur just seems happy he was able to help get the interview with the film crew. He's such a gentle person.
indeed.... even knowing the perspective would be in opposition to his own, he helps the team get more insight.
yeah and the other guy came off terrible.
@@colinr4860not terrible, just like a guy who lives in society
I think David changed his last name from Prick to Prisk. What a dick he is.
probably the Devil who is there somewhere. im just guessing but perhaps its about earning money.
"Loneliness is something that I have never erxperienced in my life". Arthur is a kindred soul of mine.
I saw this dude at Newtown fest today in wellington!! Very cool, still young and thriving
It seems some of the people there don’t understand the idea of communal living. I liked Arthur.
That is exactly what I was thinking, If you think that when living in a commune you can have "your" things you are missing the point. I'm not saying the people who stole things were in the wrong, but the situation coul've been solved by behaving like a commune and showing them that sharing is an option and should be the first option. If they weren't so selfish there wouldn't have been a problem at all.
Very well put.
I understand the concerns of the other residents, but if anything, they should be the ones to go and they certainly aren't handling things right at all. They can go build their houses elsewhere or mortgage something in a picket fence neighborhood if that suits them better.
@ Yeah and more idiots than any other nation in any time in history
@ These ideas are not bad but their execution usually is. In the cases of communism and socialism, the method by which it seeks communal unity is the implementation of a structure that will lead to it. This is a delusion because the structure to create community is already in place and its called relationships. Putting the ideas into practice in your day to day life makes what communism and socialism aim at actually manifest, where as the fallacy of those systems is the need to create something else first to lead to it, merely make it be.
Even through the medium of this video, I could feel the repulsive and aggressive-defensive energy vibes coming from that resident David. How sad to live in nature and be so hostile. I hope that one day he can heal his poor heart.
He's sociopath
some people are just born cunts
"Beware of those who constantly seek crowds; they are nothing alone"
The "deconstruction" sounds like a criminal act that David should have to answer for. If he and the other residents all feel this way about the property they should change the governing body and charter. Although sometimes you have to take matters into your own hands. It sounded like the people that moved in may have been of questionable character and thieving from the other residents, which is a serious issue.
Imagine calling the character of others moving in questionable when this David guy goes around and burns down all the houses of people he dislikes. That dude is more than likely a serial killer or something.
You can see the difference in generation. Arthur is welcome all free love old school hippie kind of guy and the other dude is more modern and creating separation . He seems to be the opposite of what the land was meant for
Arthur is the idealistic, David is the pragmatic. David had kids, Arthur didn't. It's all fine if your community is perfectly safe. If you have people coming and going and they have access to your house, your children, etc... remember there are some awful people in this world. Arthur may actually be one of them, as David alludes to.
@@dogchaser520 bollox
Our modern world is more connected in My opinion
@@dogchaser520 .... alluding to something is under handed and a cowards way of stirring shit .... ( we dont want him around our families ) David doesnt want anyone he and the other self appointed high priests havent vetted . they would have to meet his standards, cos he is so all knowing ... why doesnt he fck off bak to a city or some facist little town , seeings he's as straight as can be by the looks of it . boss fake hippy ...
@@chrishowells4488 aren’t you a sour one. You make assumptions based on little information.. The world ain’t black or white extremes, maybe Arthur is not as harmless as he is portraying.
"He hasn't established relationships with any of us. We don't want him around our families." How is a guy to establish a relationship with you when you don't allow him to? Jeesh, David.
+Joby Butler It's really simple; when Arthur had the chance early on, he avoided them. As time has passed he became an unwelcome stranger to them, hence they don't want the problematic weirdo around their kids and likely don't enjoy his company themselves.
@@pmodd The problem is that people who came into the land felt like they should exclude other people from coming in because they have kids and all that. That's not the point of Mahana. It's not "Come in and take ownership of the land" it's "Come in, the land is owned by humanity." The fact that they had to register is not a mode of acquiring a piece of the land. It is merely a procedure of ensuring that people are accounted for. If they're using the land for a purpose different from what it is established for, they should leave.
@golden dragon
@golden dragon I just saw your next comment here that Arthur moved in with his daughter. Thats nice, but at the same time, sooo sad. He will probably never ever be able to return to Mahana now as he knew it. Good luck to him, & your own pursuits of happiness as well! You should start a You Tube channel. Maybe post a video of the "new"/current arthur, & check in for us so we know he's doing well. :)
What a lovely place, I hope the people come back. Many are planning to move to communities.
Woww just to imagine so many pure hearted folks who simply wanted to live in peace, then here comes the bad apples. 😞 I'd love to meet Arthur and listen to his stories all night. 💙
I agree with Arthur. The houses shouldn't be burnt down or demolished by any means. That land was purchased and provided with that exact purpose, and not for some group to take over, and start calling the shots on everything.
Then go do something about it :) That is the natural form of what freedom has there right now.
@@tapasvisingh4864 What do you suggest should be done..?
@@jac9963 Volunteer.... *Hunger games theme starts playing*
@@tapasvisingh4864 On top of that: I don't live there.... Not about to go marauding into their community sorting mfs out, yeah... Hahaha!!...
11:11 "There was a house deconstructed." What a gentle way to say "arson." 12:13 "He hasn't really established relationships with a lot of us. We don't want him around our families." Does anybody else see the link between these two sentences? If Mahana does start setting up a vetting system, the first person they should get rid of is David.
Sailor Barsoom ive met David's before.
also David has a creepy doll in the background. why is it almoat life sized and if it is life sized why hanging on the wall
@@demontea3133 Is he (hopefully) not so bad a guy? Did this video depict him unfairly? Because he looks pretty bad here.
Sailor Barsoom i think david is afraid of someone trying to take "his" stuff and probably reactionary. He is trying to avoid the severity of what he had to actually physically do to deconstruct a perfectly livable place. Took effort. deliberate effort. People with like mindset probably are making it hard for coexistence in a place built for community.
@@demontea3133 Thanks. It's nice to be able to ask somebody who's met the people in question.
I've seen this years ago, but never watched the whole thing. Excellent story, incredible man. I moved from Auckland to live in Turkey
I would love to move there, and thrive with this man. But.... how does one with no money to begin with, even for about doing something so special? 🙏🏼 It would be awesome to see that place be exactly what it was meant to be. ❤️ I love this idea, and it’s all I’ve ever wanted to do with my existence.
You can start a KZhead channel about this adventure.
Unfortunately Arthur has moved out and Mahana isn't taking any new residents. Unfortunately I cam only see Dave using the land for his own selfish gains or profit.
@@ItsKeithy-vu7dw They can't say no to anyone moving in when they don't own the land themselves. They can try to burn more houses down, but all that would do eventually is get their own houses burned to the ground as well.
The success of these projects always depends on the purity of the people’s hearts
Which means they are always doomed.
Just like the waxing and waning of the moon, at times they work and in others not so much.
Absolutely
@@ellistomago3369 pretty much
depends more on the price of dope, but sure, dream on lol.
Oh, Arthur. God bless your sweet, sweet heart. I so admire you for your strength and your kindness. It's not for nothing. You are a beacon of light. People often ask "what happened?" when they reference those of us who came of age in the sixties and seventies. Well, this is what happened. We can all look back and in hindsight believe that we have figured out what went "awry." Arthur is proof that it wasn't something that went awry... it was us. Thank you, Arthur.
golden dragon 🤦
wow the second man is exactly what the founders were against.
I think if they were all like Arthur, Mahana would come back to life. That other guy is disrespectful.
Being from New Zealand I didn’t even know this existed so interesting
I sort-of did. I was at Nambassa. My 1st wife had previously travelled with The Mahana Roadshow. There was a band called Mahana (same show). I was in that scene for years and visited many communes. And all too often there was trouble. Dissent. Disintegration. Sociopaths of various stripes. That was the most common theme. (I knew a few of them, too! Friends, until I woke up to their true nature.) Damn sad, seeing this failure, the ruins. So much idealism, but too may people arrived without having done any deep personal-growth work. Carrying the same old patterns: sexism, power&control issues, etc. Man-babies. (me too, my own broken stuff). Damn sad.
same
Same, he almost sounds Australian
Lol I guess it really is different out in Auckland
I used to live in Coromandel town which is less than an hour away but I'd never even heard of it.
you meet 2 resident ,one is open and friendly the other is downright hostile and what seems like a real hater.
"Gandalf the Grey.. hmm.. that is what they used to call me. I am Gandalf the Green."
YEAH!! thats what i came here to say, kinda hobbit and gandalf vibes mixed together
Ganjadalf the Green? Chilled dude.
Haribol that[s Mahana!
lol
@@jcrafty3264 especially his house felt like a hobbit hole lol
I live in NZ and i didn't know about his place! How beautiful.
i always come back to this documentary once in a while.
I've lived in two communities like this: I can totally see the problem from my own experiences, and those of the many, many folks from other communities I've met. As quiet as it's kept a place called The Farm in the US went through a similar process. The problem comes from everything being voluntary with no 'compulsory' action, i.e. no boss telling you what to do. Sounds great! What is usually ends up as is no organization to get anything done. Then the people who do live there and work hard get sick of all the unorganized people who don't do any real work. So the place goes form being open to hostile to new comers. The trick is that you still need to have organization and planning; the communities that do the best are the ones that have an organized business plan baked into the structure of the community.
That almost proves his point right there, if everyone is free and can do what they want, seems to attract lazy people and then it stirs and breaks up the structure. You get what you put it, everyone has to work and keep the place clean and cook most nights. Thats not going to happen when people are "free to do what they want bound by no higher authority."
100% true, this doesn't work in any setting, even in a family of 8 if u aren't organised the anger starts building up!
Euthanasia would just be another huge step back. How about we just make them work, or they starve and die.
@Powder not possible, plus everyone feels they are working and contributing their fair share, many feel they are working more than others etc almost everyone is wrong
Everybody cant fit into one category-- laziness was just an example. For those with mental illness and disability, there should be somewhere better for them to go. A place where people wont take advantage of them(is there many places? Probably not) especially in different countries. Only thing you can do is hope other humans will see the difference and point them in a "better direction."
Of course. I can always be a hermit. What an inspiring gentleman. He reminded me of a quote from Jean-Paul Sartre. ''If you feel lonely when you're alone then you are in bad company''
Wow. Im so stunned and i used to live in coromandel for years. This makes me miss it. 🤧
Beautiful, lovely, peaceful, what I wish is that your video brings people to you
Absolutely LOVED the interview with Arthur! The other dude..., not so much. Hope to see another interview with Arthur soon.
Great short documentary, thx for creating.
its heart breaking to see this , obviously this man gets a different concept (the one he found in Mahana) and he loved the community and what was going on there, its a shame , you can see how much he loved the whole concept of the 70s
That David guy didn't get it, "[no one had the energy for the communal Hall as we have kids to look after]". So, he wants to live in a commune without the benefits of having a whole team of people to help with the energy it takes to raise a family and live a healthy life... Sounds to me like he is there to grow weed not live in a commune.
Notice how he mentioned he had a school aged child? If he's a drug dealer he'd probably sell you the kid too. What a worthless bastard.
He wants to live in a commune with no people... 😶
idk how no one in comments gets it through their head yall keep callling it a commune its not a commune anymore and hasnt been for a long time only 1 guy thinks its a commune thats not a commune.... arthur should stop complaining shouldve gone to live with his FAMILY if he actually cares about them!
@@johnappleseed936 the main issue is that Arthur is in the right. That land belongs to the people, it's free land for people to use and live in. burning down houses because you don't want neighbours is wrong. plain and simple.
@@JB-cq8is the main issue is arthur needs to grow his ass up and stop living in the woods even his own family wont live with him. Sad
It says in the article: It'll all come to a head soon; Arthur says. He's called a meeting of all community members, past and present, to rule on whether Mahana stays open. He seems confident that the meeting will rule in his favour, and it will mark the start of Mahana's return to openness and its former glory. I ask him what will happen at the meeting, what outcome he's hoping for. "Well, I'd like to see those people expelled," he says. This video and article comes from 2017. It is 2019 now, can we get an update? Is Arthur still alive? How is the tribe... Was David expelled? I would really like to know more...Vice, can you go back there :)
I'm so intrigued now
i thought the same way, maybe they should pay a visit tho.
I see an eventual lord of the flies scenario happening here unfortunately. With disagreements comes eventual violence and this has been proven over many generations. I hope Arthur relocates with his granddaughter and family.
@@unounv Maybe what yu say already happened over a year ago. I am very curious. It's a shame New Zealand is on the other side of the world...It's hard to pay a visit mysellf :)
@@unounv one person is burning down homes, how is he still walking free, not arrested, or even worse ?
I enjoyed that. Very interesting clip. kudos to VICE.
My first thought was that Arthur seems alright...a good demeanour and a veteran hippy. What a pity some living there don't see eye to eye
"Land ownership is the root of all evils" ... "Arthur get off my land"
Is defense as evil as assault? Maybe don't think in absolutist terms and allow for nuance.
@@JVarni Nuance like... oxymorons and hypocrisy? The guy contradicts himself.
@@JVarni "this is mine, that is yours" attachment and division are the current plights of humanity.
@@warrensmith792 - And thinking we can somehow force that out of human nature is illogical, irrational, and naive. Idealism just makes people feel nice about holding pretty ideas. Real solutions require pragmatic realism and acceptance of humanity's inseparable shadow.
@@JVarni it isnt human nature, it's just the present acting in accordance to the past. We can break free, all it takes is a little awareness and unity.
Poor Arthur. His dream and lifestyle is turning into suburbia as he stands.
@I'm unsubscribing. why
@@who6494 He's just an edgy teen. No need to talk with him
Eh the joke goes like this. Three women talking. The first one says-: "my son is a priest when he walks down the street, everyone yells - Father Father"::: The second woman says this -: "my son is a cardinal, when he walks down the street people yell -: Exalted Excellency! "... The third woman says: "my son is three hundred kilos, when he walks down the street peoeple yells- OMG Jesus Christ ! "
I really hope people go back to Mahana poor Arthur he is the sweetest guy and he needs support and deserves to have Mahana back to its glory
Very good, loved it. Well done VICE
For a second I thought he was all alone and I wanted to cry but he has family and that makes me 10/10 happy.
Pussy lol
@@cloroxbleach175 cant blame. Its a woman
9:45 LOL "without you present" and Arthur's just like "yea, okay, sure!" cause he knew this guy would not need any help making himself look like the complete jackass that he is.
Yeah, there's no one to correct him after the fact.
i kinda see his point tho its not his fault time changed this place its just a natural progression. its like those guys wanted to escape society and made one for themselfes and eventualy had kids that grew up in that inviroment who ether went away or maibee beeing protectiv about it because its theire home. just my thoughts tho i think they are both intresting to listen to
so true!! reminded me of a big lez and norton moment there with that petty comment lol. Love how he goes onto say arthur wont develop relationships with them. would you want to when receiving such hostility? Would be completely slandered if he tried to anyway!!
@@moritzbierdimpfl7233 yeah to me i reckon they are all protective because of their grow ops, Arthur said some of them are growing insane amounts and i wouldnt be surprised if thats what got stolen.
Moritz Bierdimpfl this comment got progressively worse as i read it
Thanks for sharing your story.:).
Young people in the late 60’s, early 70’s didn’t want to be like their parents, they wanted to be different, not conform to society and solved all the answers of life’s problems and became hippies, live in communes. Hippies have all faded away with the hands of time. The hippy way of life failed miserably. All the millions of hippies are gone, went back to society, got houses, got jobs, got a piece of their own land, and back to their parents way of life. One old hippy left still living in a dream world of years gone by.
Dave Prick seems to be the classic arrogant and unbearable neighbor. Its energy is perceived ominous even through the screen.
Same here, the vibe from Arthur was totally different than from Dave. Arthur was calm, choosing his words wisely though speaking from the heart. All I heard coming out of Dave's mouth were words spoken from the ego. Look at his eye movement, the guy's doing mental gymnastics over there! Edit: I meant Dave in the last sentence, not Arthur. Lol, no-one corrected me and agreed anyway.
the neighbor could only talk about how he didnt like aurthur
He didn't want to look at the interviewer. Telling.
@maciverandy1 You're probably the kind of person who tries to fuck other peoples girlfiends, it was a commune, now it seems like a bunch of freeloading crack heads (at least Davids beady darting eyes definitely reminded me of one) trying to basically steal what Arthur and his ilk built.
@maciverandy1 i can tell you're an unhappy, pathetic little man from nothing other than your comment. good luck, you'll need it.
Shame he really misses the sounds and energy from kids
Similar. I was in a commune for a decade. The Best decade of my life... I am still on the land. Most have moved to town. As a single man, I was blessed to have eight children..
Arthur looks and speaks like a good wizard, who cares for nature and his heart is so pure like a diamond 💎 you can feel his good vibes...
I live in a small RV in Canada. Man, I would love to be Arthurs friend - it would be nice to share a tea with him every morning.
what is RV??
And a pipe!!!
@@fradigabi recreational vehicle
G U thank You, now I know, great
@@fradigabi it's a motorhome :)