Barry Brickell’s vision of a communal pottery—where young apprentices could be trained working alongside experienced potters—was supported by the Arts Advisory Council with a very modest grant to build the two-storey studio, kitchen, and bunk room. The grant ended up covering only the design, engineering, and some materials, so it was necessary for Barry to use second-hand materials from wherever they could be found, and to lean on the local bank—beginning a 30-year relationship. Word of the pottery spread along the hippie trail, but Barry was strongly averse to Driving Creek being labelled a ‘hippie commune’. Only potters and others who worked for the privilege to stay were accepted. This led to the construction of a kitchen, bunk room, two-storey poled studio, and engineering workshop. Barry built New Zealand’s first wood-fired stoneware kiln—which could reach 1300°C—using bricks from the chimney of the demolished local Star and Garter Hotel. He fueled the kiln with wood off-cuts from the local sawmill and non-native trees from the property. Potters who used oil, gas, and electric kilns visited Driving Creek to learn the gentle art of wood firing.