Profile information
Host rating
100 %
Last replied
14 Apr 2024
Reply rate
100.0 %
Usually responds within 2 days
Feedback
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Details
Description
Nau mai haere mai! Welcome! Willkommen!
Thanks for checking out our page...
We are a couple living on a property with 14ha of protected native bush (forest), small flocks of chickens and ducks, a few sheep, hundreds of birds, thousands of glow-worms, millions of insects, organic gardens & fruit trees - and our first baby boy, Mātai-Nuku born in March.
All of us are looking forward to hopefully host you soon in this very special corner of the world :)
Hōri -
Māori/Pākehā. From my mother, I descend from tribes in the Bay of Plenty region from the ancestral canoes - Nukutere, Mataatua & Te Arawa. My father is Pākehā from the South Island (Otago) with Scottish, English and Viking ancestry. I bought this property in 2017 and have hosted workaway volunteers ever since. In 2018 I volunteered for many workaway hosts as I backpacked around the world (mainly in Europe and South America).
My vision is to live a simple, self-sufficient life connected to land and sea. Creating a safe space where people can be high on nature.
Steffi-
Free spirit. Introvert. Animal and nature lover. Yoga. Non meat eater. Non drinker. Simple and natural way of living. Homegrown, homemade organic food and medicine. Tidy and hard worker.
I started traveling the world when I just turned 20 after I finished my apprenticeship in Hotel Management. Travelling became my biggest passion and I kept exploring the world for the following 14 years on and off. In between travelling, working and volunteering all over the globe, where I met amazing people and made some very special memories, I always kept coming back to Switzerland and Germany to see my family and gather some pocketmoney for more travels. In that time I also got my massage therapist certificates in Switzerland.
We are looking for energetic, self motivated, environmentally conscious people who have skills and experience to help with these current projects :
- Help with deck building
- Help with mamaku fence building
- Animal pest control (possums, rats, musterlids, cats, mice)
- Physical, organic weed control
- and other home care/maintenance/gardening tasks if needed
We can offer volunteers Māori culture, NZ flora & fauna info, NZ music, guitars, healthy organic homegrown food, eco friendly living, a peaceful place to be away from the stresses of travel & the city.
We strive to live a waste free life, so if you bring any plastic products (or any other waste) with you, we kindly ask that you take it with you when you leave. You can leave biodegradable waste.
This place is free from drugs, cigarettes, vapes and alcohol. Please don’t apply if you rely on these substances.
Types of help and learning opportunities
Charity Work
Art Projects
Language practice
Help with Eco Projects
Teaching
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Animal Care
Farmstay help
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Help around the house
General Maintenance
Help with Computers/ Internet
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
Connecting/reconnecting to land and sea, environmentally conscious lifestyle, conservation/ecology information, Māori culture/language, NZ music, native plants & birds, rongoā (Māori natural medicine), seasonal organic homegrown and locally sourced food, offset your carbon footprint from traveling by helping with conservation - giving back to nature.
We love exchanging culture, music, recipes/cooking/food, language, dreams, stories, positive vibes.
Projects involving children
This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.
Help
Help with moving mamaku into position for fence, move gravel/soil with wheel barrow, simple building tasks. Hōri will work alongside you.
Walk/service trap line.
General gardening and house/property maintenance.
On Thursdays we usually help papa on family land (20mins drive)
Helping hours are from after breakfast to lunch time. 5 hours in the mornings so you have the afternoons free and avoid the hotter part of the day e.g. 7am-12pm or 8am-1pm
Languages
Languages spoken
German: Fluent
English: Fluent
Maori: Fluent
Spanish: BeginnerThis host offers a language exchange
This host has indicated that they are interested in sharing their own language or learning a new language.
You can contact them directly for more information.
Accommodation
We live on rainwater so guests must be conscious of water consumption.
Volunteers have their own cabin with bathroom, compost toilet and special view over protected native bush, VERY PEACEFUL. Kitchen and Wifi will be at the main tiny house, where we live. Wifi is limited and is turned off every night when we go to sleep. It should go without saying, but it is expected that we all respect each other’s space. Three meals are provided for the days you work. These meals can be repetitive as we eat seasonally off the land. If you are a big eater it may pay to bring yourself extra food. Share the cooking and clean up. We ask that volunteers organise their own food for their days off (many choose to go on overnight trips for their 2 days off).
What else ...
We are flexible about when you take your 2 days off a week, but appreciate it if you take them when Hōri has to go to work.
We recommend having your own vehicle to get around as there is no public transport and we are isolated from town and other attractions.
Property is located 7min drive to nearest beach (Hikuwai/Hukuwai) and 10min drive (30min bike) to Ōpōtiki township.
The area offers bush walks, glow worms, camping, sea swimming/surfing/diving, cycling, bike trails (Motu Trails), tramping, bush huts, ancient trees, rafting, paddling, yoga, meditation, gardening, organic food, sustainable living, reading, environmental protection/guardianship, NZ birds, Ōpōtiki Library (books and free unlimited wifi), café/restaurants, arts & crafts stores, opshops, Motu river jetboat, new skatepark, Moutohorā (Whale Island) tours, kayaking tours, orchards (kiwi fruit, macadamia, avocado, citrus), Whakatōhea Mussels (largest open ocean mussel farm), fishing, hunting, beach walks, sunrises/sunsets, fires, star gazing, river swimming, rock/bridge jumping (bombs), chilling.
Transport to and from Ōpōtiki - your own vehicle, hitchhiking, bus, plane to Whakatāne, yacht/vessel, bike.
From Auckland you can fly with Air Chathams to Whakatāne or bus to Ōpōtiki with Intercity. There’s also a bus from Tauranga called the Bayhopper. If you don't have your own vehicle we can pick you up from Ōpōtiki.
Its about 4.5 hours drive in a car from Auckland.
From Whakatāne - 45 minutes drive.
From Hamilton - 3.5 hours drive.
From Tauranga - 2 hours drive.
From Rotorua - 2 hours drive.
From Gisborne - 2 hours drive.
From Te Araroa (near East Cape - the first place in the world to see the sunrise) - 2.5 hours drive.
From Taupō - 3 hours drive.
From Wellington - 7.5 hours drive.
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Space for parking camper vans
Normal van size. Not a super large campervan
How many Workawayers can stay?
Two
Hours expected
5 hours a day, 5 days a week
Feedback (32)
We‘re very grateful for all her energy and initiative she put into the work we gave her. She helped us with… read more
They're wonderful host, blessed cooks, careful with the working time, and easy-going people I had things to learn from.
Their place is so peaceful it's resting your entire… read more
She helped with various projects like the gardens, weed control, a shed, seedsaving, traplines in the bush and much more. She also always helped with the dishes after our meals together.
Amélie had a real lovely way with our little boy which was beautiful to witness. She shared some of her awesome music and… read more
Photos
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We‘re very grateful for all her energy and initiative she put into the work we gave her. She helped us with… read more
They're wonderful host, blessed cooks, careful with the working time, and easy-going people I had things to learn from.
Their place is so peaceful it's resting your entire… read more
She helped with various projects like the gardens, weed control, a shed, seedsaving, traplines in the bush and much more. She also always helped with the dishes after our meals together.
Amélie had a real lovely way with our little boy which was beautiful to witness. She shared some of her awesome music and… read more
Laure has been a massive help for us with many projects like a glasshouse/earthbuilding, tyding up many gardens, lifting and shifting posts,… read more
Their son, Matai-Nuku is very energetic and friendly baby.… read more
She helped us with various tasks and one day was even helping fully by herself as we had to go away for the day and she did an amazing job.
She was very interested in all the tasks, keen to learn and a real nice hands on attitude.
Kei was… read more
Our son loved them from the first minute and both of them were… read more
It was an amazing week learning different jobs all related to nature and self-sustaining life, Hori makes no work boring or repetitivo.
They live next to a millenary forest what can be visited… read more
The tasks and boundaries were clear and realistic, which made the experience mutually respectful and enjoyable.
I felt something very special sleeping on their land, right next to the protected bush, eating delicious food from the garden and enjoying a slow-paced life.
I was pleased to help this… read more
Their land is beautiful and we enjoyed having the ducks, chickens, and sheep around. The separate cabin space is nice and had a comfortable double bed with a great view of the bush,… read more
Hori and Steffi were the hosts we were most exited to stay with and they way over exceeded our expectations.
They where so so friendly from the very first day, they shared stories with us, laughed with us, and cooked us healthy delicious meals (REALLY AMAZING FOOD) and gave us 3 meals a day. Steffi made us the best lemon cake we have… read more
Hōri is not a talker but a doer, he loves sharing his knowledge about nature and culture. He is really grounded, connected to the land and to his cultural heritage.
Food was awesome and delicious made from scratch using organic locally grown ingredients from the forest and garden.
Hōri, his family and friends… read more
He is so knowledgeable about NZ culture, history, and the land, and has a deep respect for the earth that is so contagious, as is his joy. We went on many bush walks through the… read more
We’ll never forget this meeting !
Our time here was amazing; full of exchange, sharing, and kindness.
We went to NZ to connect us to the nature ; Hori’s place is the place to be for that ! 🌳🌿
He has a lovely family and his girlfriend Stefie is so adorable 😇 . They are both generous people, grateful and… read more
I stayed one week at Hori's home and it was just a wonderful place, so calm and relax, lost in the countryside and next to the forest where you can make some beautiful walks.
I really appreciated my stay with Hori as he is an amazing, funny and happy host… read more
I stayed for five weeks at the cabin and all I can say is that this place is simply magical. The bush has so much amazing energy to offer. The gardens are full of deliscious wonders, the family near by is extremely lovely and the views are… read more
Hori is the most smiling, chill and welcoming guy I've ever met. He really makes you feel at home and cooks absolutely delicious meals! He knows so much about the Maori's culture and is always eager to share it.
I really enjoyed spending time on his beautiful… read more
Alojarme en su casa desde el primer día fue como ser parte de ello desde siempre, las tareas a realizar implicaban la tierra y el hogar. La 3 comidas de cada día fueron excelentes, tanto como el alojamiento! Un proyecto hermoso que viene creciendo y así continuara por la buena… read more
Thank you so much for that!
