Outdoor experience learning about yoga and meditation in Motueka Valley, New Zealand
Last activity
: 15 Jun 2025
Profile information
Usually responds within 6 days
Min stay requested: at least 2 weeks
Workawayers needed
Possibility that workawayers are needed
No availability
Details
Host ref number: 789736542466
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Feedback (11)
Left by host for Workawayer (Emily)
Emily (Em) volunteered with us at Yoga and Meditation Center (NZ) for two weeks in March 2025, and we couldn’t have asked for a better guest. She is highly responsible, with a strong sense of community, and fit into our space with such ease and natural grace.
Em is incredibly knowledgeable about gardening, plants, herbs, and more — a real asset
… read more on the land. She's also a wonderful vegan cook, creative in the kitchen and capable of managing multiple tasks with skill and independence.
We trusted her to housesit while we were away for over a week, and she cared for everything — including the animals and gardens — with full dedication. Em is not only practical and capable but also intelligent, thoughtful, and genuinely interesting to talk to.
If you’re looking for someone reliable, grounded, and full of heart — we highly recommend Em. We'd welcome her back anytime!
Left by host for Workawayer (Owen)
Owen stayed with us at Yoga and Meditation Center (NZ) for two weeks in March 2025 — and what a gift that was! At only 18 years old, Owen is truly an old and beautiful soul. If you take the time to read his profile carefully, you’ll already get a strong sense of his depth, kindness, and authenticity — and it’s all absolutely true.
It was an
… read more absolute delight to have Owen with us. After just a few days together, we felt so confident in his presence that we entrusted him to housesit and care for our animals and plants while we went away on a week-long road trip — and he took on the responsibility with such maturity and calm dedication.
During his stay, he cleared a large section of our overgrown veggie garden, built a path to the greenhouse, and lent a helping hand with anything that was needed — always with a gentle attitude and grounded spirit. He also shined in the kitchen, creating beautiful meals and desserts, always leaving the space clean and tidy.
Though allergic to cats, Owen managed this with grace and never let it stop him from giving loving care to our two (very spoiled) feline companions.
If you are lucky enough to have Owen come your way — don’t miss the opportunity. He is a rare and special human being, and we feel so grateful to have crossed paths with him.
Ljiljana volunteered with us at Yoga and Meditation Center for two weeks in April 2025, and we are so grateful for her presence and support. She brought a beautiful balance of maturity, focus, and wholehearted dedication to every task she took on.
From helping with technology and organising projects, to keeping the house sparkling clean, assisting
… read more on the farm, picking fruit, cooking beautiful healthy meals, and joining in our daily practices of Kiirtan, yoga, and meditation – Ljiljana gave her full attention and care to it all.
Ljiljana has an amazing ability to tune in, take initiative, and follow through with clarity and precision.
It was a pleasure to host her and we highly recommend her to any host lucky enough to have her.
Thank you Dhara and Harideva for your kindness, hospitality, and sharing your space. I had a great time staying and working with you, there are so many worthy causes you get involved in.
I loved the calm start and end of the day with Sadhana, and a couple of Kaoshikii & Yoga sessions, with a focus on energy flow.
I admire how you live in harmony
… read more with nature, surrounded by many plants and animals, especially those lovely cats and fantails.
I enjoyed helping with a variety of jobs, from utilising the technology, gardening, food preparation, and especially picking the apples. There is something very humbling about harvesting the food from the land.
Thank you for letting me use the bicycle to explore the Great Taste Trail, that allowed me to cover more ground.
Best of luck with the conference and your many worthy endeavours.
Namaskar 🙏Feedback
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Left by host for Workawayer (Emily)
Emily (Em) volunteered with us at Yoga and Meditation Center (NZ) for two weeks in March 2025, and we couldn’t have asked for a better guest. She is highly responsible, with a strong sense of community, and fit into our space with such ease and natural grace.
Em is incredibly knowledgeable about gardening, plants, herbs, and more — a real asset
… read more on the land. She's also a wonderful vegan cook, creative in the kitchen and capable of managing multiple tasks with skill and independence.
We trusted her to housesit while we were away for over a week, and she cared for everything — including the animals and gardens — with full dedication. Em is not only practical and capable but also intelligent, thoughtful, and genuinely interesting to talk to.
If you’re looking for someone reliable, grounded, and full of heart — we highly recommend Em. We'd welcome her back anytime!
Left by host for Workawayer (Owen)
Owen stayed with us at Yoga and Meditation Center (NZ) for two weeks in March 2025 — and what a gift that was! At only 18 years old, Owen is truly an old and beautiful soul. If you take the time to read his profile carefully, you’ll already get a strong sense of his depth, kindness, and authenticity — and it’s all absolutely true.
It was an
… read more absolute delight to have Owen with us. After just a few days together, we felt so confident in his presence that we entrusted him to housesit and care for our animals and plants while we went away on a week-long road trip — and he took on the responsibility with such maturity and calm dedication.
During his stay, he cleared a large section of our overgrown veggie garden, built a path to the greenhouse, and lent a helping hand with anything that was needed — always with a gentle attitude and grounded spirit. He also shined in the kitchen, creating beautiful meals and desserts, always leaving the space clean and tidy.
Though allergic to cats, Owen managed this with grace and never let it stop him from giving loving care to our two (very spoiled) feline companions.
If you are lucky enough to have Owen come your way — don’t miss the opportunity. He is a rare and special human being, and we feel so grateful to have crossed paths with him.
Ljiljana volunteered with us at Yoga and Meditation Center for two weeks in April 2025, and we are so grateful for her presence and support. She brought a beautiful balance of maturity, focus, and wholehearted dedication to every task she took on.
From helping with technology and organising projects, to keeping the house sparkling clean, assisting
… read more on the farm, picking fruit, cooking beautiful healthy meals, and joining in our daily practices of Kiirtan, yoga, and meditation – Ljiljana gave her full attention and care to it all.
Ljiljana has an amazing ability to tune in, take initiative, and follow through with clarity and precision.
It was a pleasure to host her and we highly recommend her to any host lucky enough to have her.
Thank you Dhara and Harideva for your kindness, hospitality, and sharing your space. I had a great time staying and working with you, there are so many worthy causes you get involved in.
I loved the calm start and end of the day with Sadhana, and a couple of Kaoshikii & Yoga sessions, with a focus on energy flow.
I admire how you live in harmony
… read more with nature, surrounded by many plants and animals, especially those lovely cats and fantails.
I enjoyed helping with a variety of jobs, from utilising the technology, gardening, food preparation, and especially picking the apples. There is something very humbling about harvesting the food from the land.
Thank you for letting me use the bicycle to explore the Great Taste Trail, that allowed me to cover more ground.
Best of luck with the conference and your many worthy endeavours.
Namaskar 🙏
Sam and Jared spent three weeks with us and were truly exceptional volunteers. They came specifically to help co-create and support the Post-Capitalist Aotearoa Conference in Wellington, and their contribution was outstanding. From event planning and creative collaboration to marketing and outreach, they brought so much energy, clarity, and skill
… read more to the project.
Beyond the conference work, they fully embraced life here at the farm — caring for our beloved rescue animals (especially our 6 goats and 2 cats) with gentleness and love, helping with day-to-day farm tasks, and cooking delicious vegan meals that nourished us all.
They integrated beautifully into our rhythm of Kiirtan, meditation, and yoga, bringing presence and heart into the community space. Thoughtful, respectful, grounded, and kind — Sam and Jared are high-quality people and a joy to host.
We highly recommend them to any host, and we would welcome them back with open arms anytime!
Left by Workawayer (Hannahmaria4) for host
I had a wonderful 3 weeks staying with Dhara, Harideva and all their beautiful animals in January. My highlight was definitely taking care of Evie, Bella, Hillary, Pixie, Gracie and Prince - the most adorable pet goats I have ever met! I miss them already. I loved cuddling Simba and Ella, their two lovely cats. If you're an animal lover like
… read more myself, this is the place to be. The food provided was delicious, lots of fresh fruits and veggies straight from the garden. I really appreciate that they were understanding with my glutenfree diet and provided lots of yummy glutenfree dinners. I loved staying in the barn and having my own little private space. The location and their property in the middle of nature is absolutely stunning! The work was very diverse and I learned a lot of new things about gardening, animal care and meditation - I'm very grateful for that! 😊 Thank you so much for everything!This workawayer has chosen to keep their profile private, but can be contacted regarding this feedback by other workawayers.
Left by host for Workawayer (Hannahmaria4)
We were delighted to host Hannah as a volunteer at our place for 3 weeks during January 2025. She was working independently and efficiently and supported a BioChar workshop event that we hosted atour place (cooking and helping in preparation for the workshop, hosting etc). We felt very comfortable to leave her by herself to take care of our
… read more animals and gardens while we were away on retreats twice during her stay, and we were not disappointed. She is a true animal lover and developed beautiful relationship with our pet goats, sheep, chickens and 2 cats. They all adored her and were following her wherever she went. Hannah has a gentle and quiet energy. She also helped in the kitchen to prepare and clean after meals. This place is a very dynamic place and Hannah was adapting easily for hosting guests and having large meals together, to spending time by herself and taking responsibility to the whole place. We are highly recommending Hannah as a volunteer and a beautiful person to meet and enjoy her company.
Left by Workawayer (Robin) for host
My stay with Dhara and Harideva Harideva ranks with the top workaway experiences i have had. The location and peceful surrounds combined with the wildlife and their animals...in particular Simba the ginger cat, made our stay all the better. We embraced Harideva's Kirtan meditation, although I personally found it took some time to get used to two
… read more sessions a day but i really appreciate that he shared his spirituality with us.
The work itself was mostly outdoors and oreinted to maintaining the smallholding. I was given the tasks of clearing overgrown areas using the line cutter and I found Harideva to have very specific and clear ideas as to what he wanted but in the blur of the line cutters blades and the green haze of elimanted vegatation there were a couple of casualties.. which he was not too happy about! .. the line cutter is a blunt instrument.
Dhara provided food for us and typically we joined in main meal of the day, and i really enjoyed her fabulous and healthy cooking. This gave us the chance to get to know them and we had some great discussions and exchanges of perspectives from opposite sides of the world.
Overall we came away enlightened and envigorated..we just need to make meditation a regular part of our lives as we have been shown!
We had the pleasure to host Pennie and Robin for 2 weeks during February 2024. It was a great experience to have them both., and we highly recommend them to any host. They work well together and separately and we enjoyed their independency, care and patience that comes with maturity, experience and being a home owner themselves. Pennie has good
… read more knowledge of plants and gardening and worked with care and love to the land. She also helped around the house (brilliantly fixed our curtains - Thank you!) and we enjoyed her beautiful salads and desserts.
Robin was great with tools and general repairs, and literally transformed the place using the weed eater and keeping the area very tidy.
They kept our yoga space and compost toilet and shower spotless and join our daily spiritual activities, as well as our community yoga classes and meetings.
Pennie gave a beautiful and deep restorative yoga class where she shared her gentle and supportive energy - I highly recommend any host to experience that if interested.
Our cat, Simba, enjoyed their company as well, and was spoiled with many hugs and treats.
Thank you for your beautiful caring energy - we hope to visit you one day in Europe and pay it back.
My stay with Dhara and Harideva in Motueka was a fantastic and calm experience. I was able to join them daily for Kirtan and Meditation, which I really enjoyed and appreciated. We were also fortunate to join in Dhara's yoga class a couple of times. Our space in the yoga studio was comfortable and clean, with cooking /washing up facilities and a
… read more compost toilet not too far away. I helped prepare food with Dhara, with many fresh vegetables from their garden...I also made some vegan cakes to share, with their delicious plums. I was sad to leave, but felt enlightened by my experience with them. Sadly our stay was cut short by a few days due to a mix up in calendar dates.
I will miss them all, including Simba, their cat the goats, especially Hillary!
Left by host for Workawayer (Angèle )
We are so pleased to HIGHLY recommend Angele (and her friend Louise). Do not let her young age hold you back - she is just AMAZING! Very mature, can-do (and "done") attitude for any task you can imagine. Angele volunteered at our place for 3 weeks during November 2024. She came with her lovely friend, Louise and gave us a reminder of the true
… read more Workaway experience. We loved hearing their laughter while doing any task, from weeding to painting, helping us to transform a neglected area to a magical retreat space. We enjoy their company also during Kiirtan and long sitting meditations, as well as preparing beautiful meals. Namaskar Angele from all of us here, especially Simba the cat who still dreams of you!
Left by host for Workawayer (Britt )
Apology for such a late review for one of our best volunteers!
Britt volunteered at our place for 2 weeks during October 2024. She was a great help during preparations for our annual Women Yoga retreat. Britt helped with marketing events as well as working hard to help clean and organise the place for our guests. She tackled any task, from washing
… read more walls to scrubbing windows with positive can-do attitude and warm smile. We worked closely together and I truly enjoyed her great personality - a very inspiring young woman!
Britt was also great caring for our animals and gardens and was just an over all helping-angel during quite a stressful time.
We HIGHLY recommend Britt to any host and would love to meet again one day.
Left by host for Workawayer (Kevin & Julia)
We were so so lucky to host Julia & Kevin for 2 weeks during December 2024. They are both amazing people and great volunteers! Anything needed was done with great ability, enthusiasm and ease (and warm smile). Very positive energy, incredible talented, amazing chefs and very handy, hard workers. If you are lucky to be contacted by them - DO NOT
… read more HESITATE - you are in for a TREAT!
Love from Dhara and Harideva, Simba & Ella the cats, the chickens, goats and sheep, even the fish and hedgehogs)
Left by Workawayer (Kevin & Julia) for host
We can't even explain with words how beautiful our experience was staying here. Dhara and Harideva are two truly wonderful and kind souls that are nurturing the land they live upon. They welcomed us into their home where we shared good food, knowledge, culture and lots of love. We stayed in the barn which is a beautiful space with a sleeping loft
… read more and a yoga studio. We loved the fact that they shared their practices with us, and everyday we learned something new. Our favourite part of the day, besides the morning meditation and Kirtan together, was to spend time with Bella, Grace, Eve, Pixie, Hilary and Prince.... six amazing goats !!!!!!! Our daily chores was varying with lots of space for creativity.
This experience will always stay with us and we hope other people get to experience the magic of this place :)You can only contact Workawayers who have an active membership.
Left by Workawayer (Dunja) for host
Staying with Dhara and Harideva was an amazing experience. I feel really lucky to had an opportunity to immerse in their unique lifestyle. Dhara and Harideva were very attentive hosts, always making sure we are happy and well. Dhara introduced us to meditation tecniques and yoga poses and I really miss doing kirtan and kaushiki together. Tasks
… read more were varied, gardening, cleaning and preparing venue for retreat, but my favorite by far was feeling the herd of pet goats (soso cuddly and sweet 🐐). Whole experience - people, work, food, animals and surroundings - felt very nourishing. Thank you for everything ❤️!You can only contact Workawayers who have an active membership.
Left by host for Workawayer (Louise)
We were delighted to host Louis (Lou), Yoga & Meditation center, during September 2023. Lou is a beautiful and deep person and was very helpful around our property. During her stay she worked in the gardens, planted native trees, weeding using hand tools as well as weed eater machine, caring for our animals and giving a hand wherever needed. We
… read more greatly enjoyed her professional cooking skills and she left our kitchen spotless. Sharing daily practices of Kiirtan, Yoga and meditation brought us together and we were happy when she joined further activities during our Women spiritual lifestyle retreat. Lou was also staying with our friends and they enjoyed her presence as well.
We will recommend Lou for any host that needs help and trust you will enjoy Lou's skills but also her gentle and unique personality.
Left by Workawayer (Louise) for host
i stayed here for 2weeks , well what to say ?i wis i stayed more , such an amazing place darah and hari deva are such kind people i felt like home , theres alsways things to do , but the work is easy and they are very flexible :) , be here is an immersive experience and you need to be fully comited to it but trust me at the end it will be
… read more beautiful experience , meditating and kiirtan every day is very enlightening also darah gave us yoga class i feel gratefull for that . the river is not far , the birds , the food every thing was great . and if you like to cook darah will be happy hihihi . ill come back .
Namaskar ,Lou.You can only contact Workawayers who have an active membership.
Left by Workawayer (Kirsty) for host
My stay with Dhara and Harideva was unparalleled.
It is a beautiful space, extremely well cared for and provides a calm paradise to slow down and connect with nature.
You will eat very well here - hearty whole foods with as many homemade/grown ingredients as possible to create delicious vegan meals.
My work centred around IT support but both were
… read more keen to ensure I had a chance to be outside, whether that's helping out with giving the goats supper, picking flowers, gathering salad leaves, learning how to prune kiwi trees. You will always find varied and interesting work to do.
What makes this workaway truly exceptional is the warmth and kindness of Dhara and Harideva. I have never felt so cared for. It made leaving an unusually emotional challenge for me, a Brit with a stiff upper lip.
They share not only their home and their food, but their time, energy and abundant knowledge so generously. You will leave as a better version of yourself, but wishing you had the opportunity to stay for longer.
Namaskar Dhara and Harideva, and thanks again for everything.Left by host for Workawayer (Kirsty)
Kirsty is amazing! We called her our BI, as even better that an AI🤩🤩🤩 She came to help with our digital and social media, and wow! what a help she is!
In the 2 weeks she spent with us she updated 2 of our website, our social media and upcoming retreats materials. She worked with Wordpress and Wix and Canva and all social media platforms. All that
… read more while keeping a calm and enthusiastic attitude, explaining everything patiently and pleasantly. Our cats LOVED her as well and she was just a great company. Extremely smart, funny, very interesting, playing the piano and keeping the place tidy. We highly recommend her as a wonderful workaway.
Left by Workawayer (Billie ) for host
Where to even begin!
I stayed here with Harideva and Dhara for 2 weeks and it was truly a transformative experience.
Upon arriving at the property I felt an immediate sense of calm, peace and comfortability. I couldnt help but notice how vibrant and full of life everything was.. from the veggie garden to the daffodils to the old trees. I quickly
… read more learnt the state of property was a direct reflexion of state of being of my new hosts. I can only describe it with one word...Love.
With each meditation, kirttan and asana practice we were cultivating embodying Love in its essence and taking it into every moment for the rest of the day. It made working in the gardens and doing my tasks for the day not just "work" but an actual tangible experience.
I was incredibly inspired by Dhara and her endless energy when it came to tending to the gardens or sharing any knowledge she has about life and spirituality.
Harideva never failed to make me smile! I have never met a kinder host, his passion for the land and the betterment of the environment and humankind was equally inspiring.
The living space and amenities were extremely clean and well put together and I fell involve with the room I was given! Warm comfortable spaces and rooms with lots of light and windows to let in the beautiful fresh spring air!
The communication about work was clear and they answered any questions happily if I had them.
The work was varied every day there was an emphases on not overworking yourself on one task too much, meaning I always felt recharged and enjoyed putting my energy into many different projects.
And the fooood!! I have never eaten healthier more wholesome food that tasted that good before! Fresh greens from the garden, local fruits and a freshly baked loaf of bread every other day was such a treat.
I could not recommend this place enough for any travellers looking for a break from the hustle and bustle of the outside world. My time there was truly something I won't ever forget. And should you stay with them for any given time, you won't either!You can only contact Workawayers who have an active membership.
Left by host for Workawayer (Billie )
Billie stayed with for 2 weeks during August 2023. I would like to say that if you are lucky to be contacted by Billie, make sure not to skip the opportunity to host this amazing volunteer!
We were fortunate to host Billie for 2 weeks at our Yoga and Meditation centre on the top of the South Island of New Zealand.
From the moment Billie arrived to
… read more our property, she was respectful, considerate, tidy, cheerful and the most dedicated person to any task that she was responsible for.
While staying here Billie cleaned the greenhouse, planted natives along the property borders, weeded pathways, cleared neglected areas from weeds and landscaped with rocks and bark, dug compost into the veggie garden, totally transformed the entrance to our practice space and helped with cleaning the entire house! All this was done with beautiful energy, sincere dedication, endless energy and radiating smile🤩
On top of that we were spoiled with a few yummy vegan meals she cooked, leaving the kitchen clean and tidy.
During her 2 weeks stay, we had a few guests for practices and meals. Billie helped around in her peaceful and calm presence, adding her views to the conversation and making everyone feels included.
We were delighted to share our yoga and meditation practices with her and trust that if you will be interested, she would guide you gently as she is a qualified yoga teacher as well.
I am highly recommending Billie to any host that will be benefiting from her hard working attitude and wonderful presence.
Left by Workawayer (IVANA) for host
Dhara and Harideva! It was the best decision stayed 2 weeks here!! I been in a Yoga retreat, I meet amazing people, thats now feels my family 🧡! Me and another workawayer we were gardening, weeding, picking fruits, and cooking of course! I was the chef for 2 weeks (always happy to cook for them!). I learned a lot about meditation! Now practicing
… read more by my own everyday! Thanks Dhara!! see you soon 🧡 Namaskar!You can only contact Workawayers who have an active membership.
Left by Workawayer (Alice) for host
First of all,l apologise if it took me so long to leave a review. I really think this workaway has been one of the most precious experience l ever done. When l read the profile l immediately felt something calling me, a very spontaneous attraction so l totally changed my plans and went there. It is a flourishing piece of paradise and all beings
… read more that share that land ,live with harmony and connected by love. It took me few days to have eyes to realise what Dhara and Harideva vision was all about. Here you can truly experience yogic life in its essence. Doing karma yoga by selfless action grew genuine happiness as the plants in the garden were growing,the projects were taking shape and so the biggest joy became being part of this "giving/receiving "uninterrupted cycle. People often seek spirituality through retreats or trendy mindfulness courses where they hope to find some authenticity but there is not really anything there more than a well priced service. My experience with Harideva and Dhara is so precious because they enclose all the values that real yogis believe and follow with such passion. I felt so incredibly inspired from the way they honour life and taught me to observe nature as highest teacher. Harideva is really smart, vigorous, ever smiling man. He is a philosopher,activist and sing beautifully. Dhara has the energy of the Sun,is impossible to stay at her pace but at the same time she's delicate,so grounded,compassionate as she's always emanate a sense of peace. I also learnt to value silence and l was feeling great comfort in keep it quiet,observe the animals,care for them and listening the bird singing. One of my main task was taking care of the garden and there is so much to learn, l never met anyone that love plants more than Dhara and am so grateful she patiently shared her knowledge. We picked vegetables and herbs from the garden and had the best salads of my life. Every meal was like healing divine food l felt transformed in body ,mind and spirit. I felt a sense of oneness and in that moment l realized l was experiencing real Yoga. I would recommend this cultural exchange for those who are genuinely interested to explore themselves in a spiritual level. I wish to come back to that beautiful corner of the worldLeft by host for Workawayer (Alice)
Alice was a ray of sunshine from the moment we met. We had many many volunteers for the past 18 years, and can honestly and whole heartedly say she is at the top few who are so exceptionally amazing - the kind you dream and pray to come to your place and stay for as long as possible.
Alice stayed with us for about a month during the summer of
… read more 2023. She was immersing and supporting in every aspect of our life here at Yoga & Meditation Centre: Practicing daily Sadhana of Kiirtan, yoga and meditation, studying and teaching classes, baking and cooking amazing meals from fresh ingredients from the garden, attending to our homestead, guests, gardens and animals. She worked independently and enthusiastically and we feel her energy here way after we said goodbye.
If you are lucky to be contacted by Alice, please do not hesitate to connect and invite her to your home🙏Come join my nature and animal oasis in Oxford, New Zealand
Come and help us around our home and garden in Hokitika, New Zealand
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Vegetarian or vegan
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