Piki & Michael BEHIND-THE-SCENES HEARTBREAK

Their TV experience was bittersweet for these Te Kuiti cousins, who suffered a tragic loss during filming

- Hayley Barnett

More like siblings than cousins, MKR New Zealand contestants Piki Knap and Michael Murray grew up together in rural Te Kuiti with Piki's parents, brothers and sisters, but that's not the most unusual thing about their childhood.

"We didn't have any electricity or running water," explains Piki, who is of Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāti te Rangi and Ngāti Ranginui descent. "It was like living in a different era. All the baking and cooking was done on the coal range."

Laughing, Michael, who also has Ngāti Maniapoto heritage, adds, "Having seven o'clock baths in the morning, 10 minutes before having to catch the bus, was not an easy thing. We had a small tub the size of a baby's bathtub, which we had to stand in and then pour water over ourselves. That was life back then."

However, they say this old-fashioned approach only made them more creative and they're now the talk of Te Kuiti's township as they're starring on TVNZ's hit reality series MKR.

It's a strange experience considering they didn't grow up with a television, admits Piki, 48, adding, "We're not big TV watchers, probably because of our upbringing.

I've always been a bookworm." Michael, 46, recalls, "Piki would be up all night reading with her candle."

 "And Michael was the card player," adds Piki.

"I had fun," he insists, giving Piki a playful nudge. "This one was a bit too serious!"

When they weren't in school, much of their time was spent on the marae, where they were taught how to cook for more than 200 people.