Profilangaben
Host Bewertung
100 %
Letzte Antwort
8 Mai 2024
Beantwortungsquote
100.0 %
Usually responds innerh. 1 Tag
Feedback
75
Verifizierte E-Mail
Abzeichen (2)
Geforderte Mindest-Aufenthaltsdauer: mindestens 1 Woche
Informationen
Beschreibung
* we offer 1 week stays each month. Our work suits outdoor, nature loving, conservation focused workawayers with a positive can-do spirit and physical stamina. Due to demand, preference given to workawayers with ecological/conservation/environmental focus. If you are a carpenter/builder/solar installer reach out anytime.
- April - arrive 4pm 17/4, workaway 18-26/4, leave 10am 27/4. 5 beds, we are full now.
- May - arrive 4pm wed 22/5, workaway 23-30/5, leave 10am after b'fast 31/5. 5 booked. we are full now.
if we are full on any month, feel free to msg and we can add you to a standby list in case there are workawayer last minute changes. If in Picton, day visits working/learning in the nursery on Thurs/Fri are an option- food included.
nb: For transport logistics, we are 10min drive from Picton - 4hr ferry from Wellington, bus from Blenheim, Christchurch, Nelson or Kaikoura, or fly into Blenheim. We can pick you up from Picton Library (has great wifi) @4pm on arrival day.
....
Our passion project has grown organically under the guidance of Nige & Mish. Our nature restoration covers this stunning 200 hectare Significant Natural Area at the head of Boons Valley, Waikawa, which is full of many natural treasures including rivers, old forests, waterfalls, endangered precious beetles, snails & plants.
Our 400-year mission is to recreate an ancient, natural, wonderland that our ancestors use to know. In restoring this precious whenua that includes Te Maunga o Pirpiri, the sacred mountain of mana whenua in this area, Te Ātiawa o te Waka-a-Maui. We are seeking to achieve three major legacy benefits:
1. Enrich a rich wildlife corridor from the two highest mountains in Picton (Te Maunga o Piripiri and Mt. McCormick/Te Maunga o PiriPiri Te Hautapu), past Waikawa Marae, to the sea including Kaipupu Sanctuary.
2. To bring People and Nature together so both can rejuvenate
3. Amplify the conservation actions of 771 Significant Natural Areas in Marlborough
Our conservation activities occur alongside our working life. Volunteers have the opportunity to experience numerous activities from;
- conservation weeding so native bush can thrive including wilding pine removal
- planting to speed up biodiversity & weed management
- propagating eco-sourced plants
- non-indigenous mammal trapping to stop native species declining
- trail building for traplines
- building construction activities - retainer walls, path steps, reflection decks/furniture, shed repairs
- garden maintenance - weeding, weed-eating, lawn-mowing and mulching
- Builders or workawayers with carpentry skills are welcome.
- Artists - painting outdoor murals/artwork of NZ native birds and plants.
- Scientists - we love having new eyes to discover the unique species here - the more we know the more we can protect
We are inclusive, and regularly host family, friends, friends of friends, local community & work colleagues, so there is a large social opportunity to meet a variety of people bringing different experiences, as well as connecting to our workaway community. We often host up to 6 workaways at the same time, which makes for new friendships and lots of interesting conversations.
We are a remote off the grid wild environment only 10mins from Picton. There is plenty of free time after 5hrs of workaway mahi, to swim, drive to beach, go hiking and enjoying other experiences off or on the property. Suits singles, friend groups and couples.Arten von Hilfe und Lernmöglichkeiten
Hilfe bei ÖkoprojektenGartenarbeitenHeimwerker- und BauarbeitenZubereiten / Kochen von Mahlzeiten für die FamilieHausarbeitenHandwerkliche ArbeitenUNO-Ziele für nachhaltige Entwicklung, die dieser Gastgeber verfolgt
Kultureller Austausch und Lernmöglichkeiten
Learning about cultural protocol directly from ourselves, Te Ātiawa Iwi/Waikawa Marae, and from visitors occur naturally here during meetings & various events hosted.
Learning about environment restoration, food that birds and insects eat, planting for biodiversity, how to propagate from seed and cuttings (season dependent), how to recognise when a seed is mature and should be picked (varies from plant to plant), sharing rongoa/plant medicine (basic knowledge), trapping skills and why we trap to save NZ endemic species & trail building skills.
Meeting many different people from all walks of life - farmers, environmentalists, business entreprenneurs, students trail builders, athletes and family members & local friends and community members to name a few.
Learning the philosophies of being welcoming hosts and good kaitiaki/guardians of whenua/land for generations to come.
Nigel is an athlete and invites interested workers to join him on runs, kayaks etc. This allows you to see alot of the natural wonders offsite as well as onsite. Both Nige & Mish are outdoor people. At the moment, most of our activities are based onsite as with 200Ha or 500 acres to restore, we are highly motivated to do as much as we can now, every trap cleared, tree planted, helps to ensure birdsong triples & natural world flourishes. You will be part of this excitement. We are positively focused and acknowledge the good things, you will see the positive difference you make while you are here.
The most unique aspect to this property is that the land is magical. There are so many incredibly stunning views, that it takes quite some time to get around it. We still have unexplored parts of the property to enjoy - its wild and rugged in parts, and there are also beautiful tamed parts of the land to enjoy resting within. Part of the volunteer experience may include nature practices such as Forest Bathing and EcoNidra meditations (time & weather permittting) as Mish is a certified guide and likes to share these practices as a gift for your work here.Arbeit
Most of our work is around supporting conservation practices or garden maintenance hosting conservation groups. You will work with purpose for the environment on any of these (seasonal projects)
Nursery: Mish collects seed, germinates, grows and then we return plants to whenua/land. You are welcome to be part of this process. So far we have grown 30,000 eco-sourced plants.
Planting for conservation: We will be extensively planting to speed up biodiversity for bird & insect food over March- September. This includes erecting plant protectors and weedmat. We have planted 10,000 shrubs and trees to date, creating a microsanctuary for wildlife corridors.
Weeding for conservation. Whilst weeding doesn't sound very glamourous, it is of high importance in an environmental restoration project, so weeds don't invade pure forests and birds don't spread them. We will be ramping this up over Oct-Mar. It takes around 3 years of weeding, before newly planted native plants crowd weeds out.
Garden Maintenance: We are visited by many community groups including Te Ātiawa Trust, Waikawa Marae, Marlborough District Council, Department of Conservation, Kaipupu Sanctuary, and various scientists in the biology, ecology, freshwater field, schools including Waitohi Kindergarten and government organisations to help support guardianship of Te Taiao as good kaitiaki (guardians). We like to have the common areas looking aesthetically neat - grass mown, banks weeded, mulched. This helps increase the positive vitality/mana of this place. These groups are welcomed here supporting nature connection for wellness, and conservation practices.
Trail building & maintenance - there are 12km of handbuilt trails for plant & non-native animal pest control. Trails are regularly improved with a grubber so paths are easier to walk & complete conservation work. If you do trail work, it's likely your day will be longer, and you can balance up with a shorter day after that.
Hunting/trapping: if you are a hunter, Nigel culls ungulates (goats) & possums as they heavily browse and cause damage to the native trees and eat all the new seedlings and new shoots on plants. If you are interested and without skills, Nige is willing to share, although this will be more social for your learning, rather than your workaway mahi.
Non-native animal control: Check and record predator removal (rats, mice, stoats, possums mainly) on the 10km of handbuilt traplines. Nigel spearheads a massive trapline program to support bird & insect life and its working with birdsong doubling over the last 3 years with the removal of over 2200 non-indigeneous mammals.. Fitness is a requirement for trapping as the land is steep rising from 100m to 970m. There are 500+ traps taking 7 days for 1 person to check them. When you are with Nige, anything can happen and it will be an adventurous day. If you are interested in trapping, Nige can share through education outside of the workday. If you are wanting to work trapping, then let us know as he will educate and show trails early so you are confidently independent, as he works during the week day.
Building work - there are endless building projects with retainer walls, improving sheds, nature platforms, safety steps, building sheds and more. We love it when a carpenter/builder/retaining wall builder workawayer visits us.
Your working day: we meet for breakfast at 8.30am, and work 9-2.00pm including 12-12.30pm lunch break. If we are going to be in the bush, Mish packs lunch with thermos. After work, you are free to explore, and we encourage independence as Nige & Mish continue to work a full day. Each of your accommodation spaces have lovely outdoor tables to spend time there until 7pm meal up at the house. Enjoy this peaceful sanctuary and the beautiful environment of Picton and Waikawa - it is a special place.Gesprochene Sprachen
Englisch: Fließend
Unterkunft
We have 6 beds, 3 x double & 2 single beds around the property in caravan or sleepouts, mostly rustic but warm/insulated and comfortable, all a short walk to the main house. All accommodation is off the grid, bring head torch for evening light.
If you are bringing your small campervan, you will be based at the nursery where it is flat.
Showering is in the main house and you have a separate bathroom to Mish and Nige. This would be shared with any other friends or other workawayers staying. The laundry is shared and you are welcome to use. There are three toilets onsite, one in the house bathroom, one down by the nursery and a long drop near the workshop.
Meals are eaten with us in the evenings around 7pm. Mish cooks healthy and hearty vegetarian fare (can adjust to vegan). We have a vegetarian kitchen; sorry meat cooking is not an option. Workawayers pitch in washing/cleaning up after the meal and keeping our shared space including bathrooms clean.
We do live off the grid with our own hydro-electricity system with Pelton wheel. If there has been a lot of rain, we sometimes lose power. If this happens we might be glamping for a few days until the river subsides and we can get it working again. Life is still comfortable with gas oven, wood heater and back up electricity for basics; all part of the adventure.
We have mobile reception in most part of the property, especially around the house and all toilets. Starlink internet available.Was noch ...
We are 10mins drive from Picton which is the gateway to the Marlborough Sounds. there are so many activities available to enjoy including kayaking, hiking, fishing, conservation volunteering on other projects. There are also many cafes, pubs & various gift, art, and book shops in Picton. A bus can take you to Blenheim where there is a bigger town for shopping & movies. Some visitors push-bike to Picton as an option as well.
As mentioned, we are outdoors people focused on conservation. Nige goes back and forth to Blenheim a few days a week for work and Mish works from home in the office 3 days a week, and on the land the rest. If we go offsite it is usually for food shopping, outdoor adventures or to visit friends. Our lifestyle is wholesome and outdoors focused and you are welcome to join. We encourage you to explore outside of your workaway mahi; to get to know the region. If you have any questions, please ask. We look forward to hearing from you.Etwas mehr Information
Internet Zugang
Eingeschränkter Internet Zugang
Wir besitzen Tiere
Wir sind Raucher
Familien möglich
Kapazität - wie viele Workawayer maximal
mehr als zwei
Arbeitszeiten
5 hours a day, each day of your time here. We usually work 9-2.00pm with 30min lunch @ 12-12.30pm.
Feedback (33)
Weitere Bilder
Feedback
Dies sind zusätzliche optionale Bewertungen, wenn Mitglieder Feedback hinterlassen. Es wird die im Schnitt hinterlassene Bewertung für jede Option angezeigt.
Korrekte Angaben im Profil:
(5.0)
Kultureller Austausch:
(5.0)
Kommunikation:
(5.0)
The land on which they live is beautiful. It is a special place, even in an area as spectacular as the South Island. It’s full of cascading water and massive native trees….topping out to the highest peak in the… read more
Nige and Mish have great hospitality and will immediately make you feel at home, and they do such an amazing job fostering a sense of… read more
Yeah I could write a huge text about my experience at this wonderful place, but I think with putting this in a nutshell and say that this Workaway was amazing and I can only recommed this lovely guy's. It was an amazing energy.
thank you so much!
How can we even begin to describe this amazing experience we had with you. And obviously with your dogs, Ash and Fred.
Your place is a paradise of flowers, birds, trees and love.
When we arrived, you gave us all the information we needed to feel independent and comfortable. You have a really beautiful house, and the bedroom was very… read more
We really enjoyed our work, Noemi had great fun realizing an art project and I(Meike) was able to learn how to work with a chainsaw. We also enjoyed working with Michelle and Nigel and the other workawayers… read more
The job consisting of planting native NZ trees. Mish and Nige were so full of good vibes and energy, it was a real pleasure to work along their side. Even if the job was physical, Mish always support her workaway-women and she was never pushy. She… read more
Thank you for the… read more
I was so lucky to be working with such a great group of like minded people… read more
They’re incredibly dedicated to… read more
We were six workawayers from all around the globe and we planted around 400 trees in their beautiful bush. It is steep terrain some places and we had alot of rain, but Mish did what she could to make it a fun experience and made cakes, snacks and… read more
The place is a little paradise and it was an honour to contribute to its restoration!
We loved learning about native trees, birds and plants. We did planting, weeding and games by the fireplace!
Thank you for everything you shared with us!
All the best 🌿🪶
Both of them are extremely caring and looked after our well being the whole… read more
There is such a wonderful energy to the place, and their passion and drive for the conservation and restoration is obvious in everything they do.
Their project is heart-led and Mish and Nige speak so emotively about their… read more
Jen is an incredibly kind, positive, fun and hardworking person and it has been an absolute pleasure to host. I would highly recommend Jen and her partner Rowen to any work-away host. They are both so proactive and helpful in every way and so willing to tackle any jobs. Jen loves projects and our walking trail has been weeded and… read more