Enjoy a fantastic outdoor experience and learn new skills near Nelson, New Zealand

Details

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  Description

  Due to a health problem I'm looking for help on a long term basis on my small farm. Ideally a fit and healthy retired couple who can take instruction from me and at the same time settle into a cozy caravan for months or years and enjoy this beautiful part of NZ.
  
  I run a 20 acre small farm with lovely gentle purebred Wiltshire Sheep in the beautiful Upper Moutere Valley near Nelson just a hop skip and jump from golden sands and beautiful beaches & Golden Bay.
  
  I welcome ppl of all types be you straight or rainbow if you can get out of bed with a smile & enjoy working, learning from & teaching others with enthusiasm then you're going to fit into our happy team.
  
  I need help from someone who has carpentry skills, basic farm and kindness to animals knowledge.
  
  I enjoy people coming who like gardening both vegetables for everyone to eat and plants to make the birds & bees happy and the picture pretty. Most of my WAWers have never planted and tended a garden before and really enjoy watching their plants grow and eat them.
  I want to cut right down to one couple or an active single person to help me on a day to day basis. I may still need normal waw help at busy times but not for now.
  
  Two of my profile photos is sadly at whale stranding in Golden Bay. My daughter and husband are in one photo but I am not as i am always the person who takes the photos. Recently 2 different pods of Pilot Whales have stranded and my workawayers had the most unique adventure rescuing some of these beautiful animals. One pod had over 30 Whales with some babies. I think if we can help nature we really should.
  
  These amazing animals strand relatively regularly about 3 hours' drive from us. If it happens and you are here you can head there immediately to help. It is the most incredible experience. If we can save them or some of them, we have helped nature & our planet. I'm big into that.
  
  I took my workaway family to Kaiteriteri as i regularly do with golden sand and clear blue water. You can go on a small boat called The Coffe Cruise to Split Apple Rock this cruise has the most incredible scenery you can possibly imagine with penguin in the beaches you pass and shags diving and sunning themselves on rocks. The skipper Dave said a few days ago a Killer Whale had swum under a couple of Kayaks and he has seen Whales regularly. He encourages his passengers to hand feed the young Yellow eyed Mullets that arrive right beside the boat as soon as he drops the anchor. This experience does cost you but is not expensive approximately $30 per person and my Workawayers are always thrilled. The water is nice and warm atm. Some of my crew swim in the warmer months. Always excited after this experience.
  
  I love animals and have a dog & 2 cats who follow us all over the farm, sheep and horses. Last year my family rescued a tiny baby feral Bengal kitten that has a lot of breed markings with spots and rosettes that had been shot! he has had an operation and is now higly active and playful. His name is Bam Bam loved by all except my lovely older cat Fluffybum. The young cat Bambam tries to dominate her without success but my dear little Staffy Django is smitten with BB making them best friends who spend hours playing. Mr BB is absolutely the big boss (b for big and boss also Bambam) of his incredibly tolerant canine buddy holding Django my dog with claws on head while he throughly grooms him! A bit of pain is worth the grooming session in Django's mind never a growl or any form of retaliation!
  
  I have 7 Bantams. Bantams are a small fancy chicken they lay us pretty tasty wee eggs.
  Next on the needs wants and must haves is a pair of piggy's .
  
  We have many NZ native birds as we have planted trees like wild cherries to encourage birds who often fly low over us. I regularly feed them a sugar syrup then sit on the deck to enjoy watching them feast close up. They also rob my large orchard which I'm always happy to share with them our big Fig tree is loaded with beautiful ripe figs and it's a scramble to get our share. The birds take the lions share especially on the middle & upper branches but there are plenty for all to eat healthy and well.
  
  As I write this, there are gorgeous little fat black balls of fluff on long spindley legs with feet that seem already adult following their Pukeko parent's in a paddock by the house, Just delightful.
  
  We also love watching our families of ducks who nest on our pond each year, rearing up to 12 ducklings. Such devoted and attentive parents. Quails are another who are often guarding large groups of precious chicks, constantly making their distinctive clicking noises to reasure their babies.
  
  My personal favorite are the large Kereru which are our beautiful native pigeons, the Tui & Bell bird not forgetting the tiny friendly Fantail who almost lands on you as they flutter around us for minutes at a time. Being in nature is rewarding beyond words.
  
  My adult children live close by and are a great source of help, fun & enjoyment. We are essentially family people who draw other people into our family.
  
  I enjoy meeting people to find out about their country & culture and sharing our interests. I am amazed and blessed by my Waw family who stay closely in touch with me, many of whom come back to visit or stay again & again everytime they are near my home. I feel so privileged to have spent precious time getting to know so many incredible people through Workaway.
  
  The farm, family, animal health, gardening, cooking and a happy lifestyle are my reasons to rise early and seize the day however I recently developed a medical condition limiting the strength in my hands so now require strong young hands to help me do the many different tasks like gardening which really would benefit from regular attention.
  
  I offer you free accommodation, also you are welcome to use vegetables and fruit from the garden, the rest of your food you will have to provide yourself also your toiletries & towels etc.
  Fruit and veges are abundant and available most seasons of the year. Veges and fruit all spray free and delicious 😋
  
  you will learn many new skills and one of the best experiences of your life.
  Lifestyle in the country like all lifestyles can be hazardous so please make sure you have accident insurance as accident can happen and I cannot be financially responsible should anything happen while you are here.
  
  I believe happiness is infectious and should be shared. Animals and humans alike. I can call out to my sheep and they come running! They often call out to me when I'm hanging out washing or gardening and they see me!
  
  2 Thoroughbred horses Called Stella & Copper live here. My daughter and granddaughter own and ride them. We own an amazing pony who our 4yr old rides Miss Candy Kisses but she is away teaching children confidence at a nearby riding school as she needs exercise and our little one is busy with sandpit and monster trucks atm.
  Our property is Windsor Stud.
  
  We have bred some of NZ top
  show and jumping ponies who are known nationally as lovely gentle ponies ideal for young children to ride, jump & show. These days, I have shifted focus to produce the best Wiltshire sheep i can.
  
  I need help weeding, general home, and property maintenance. bringing horse manure from paddocks to vege gardens & helping us watering, digging etc. Continue painting my house & restoring a large caravan.
  
  Never bored always projects so If you are keen we can learn new skills from each other.
  
  I live very close to Able Tasman with beautiful golden beaches and super special places like Farewell Spit, which is the northernmost point of the South Island. You can visit the lighthouse there on a guided tour bus from Collingwood.
  
  Also in the area is Wharariki Beach. Highly recommend you visit this beautiful beach that has sea caves with large tree limbs jammed into the roof from the great crashing sea's probably years ago. Obviously important to time a visit at low tide. We have been the only people there sometimes but with tourism booming I can't guarantee this now.
  It is a bit of a walk although easy going from the car park to the beach. Truly
  magical experience.
  
  Vineyards are in my area with the world famous Neudorf Vineyard directly across the road from me and award winning Peckham's Cider brewery right next door to me so good opportunities for casual work.
  This is rich fertile land with a ideal climate for agriculture.
  
  Upper Moutere village is a 5-minute drive from me. There is a small grocery store, Bakery which make the best ever pies, Chinese takeaway, Coffee Shop, Petrol station and service station, The oldest Hotel in NZ, Primary school, Beautiful old church plus Event centre with a great gym, Artisan outlets. It's a great little village.
  I have many bicycles and good helmets for you to choose from, so you have pedal power to explore or ride up to the Moutere pub! Great craft beers there!
  
  My lambs have arrived early all healthy and race around in gangs with stressed mummies calling, but the naughty babies only respond when they need to fuel up again before racing off to their playmates! The jump leap chase and have all-day adventure even start bunting each other in play from 2 or 3 days old! Lose hours easily just watching them.
  
  Situated only 38km from Nelson CBD yet right in the middle of Kaiteriteri golden sands beach and The Rainbow Ski Field, which is very close to 3 beautiful lakes, Lake Rotoriti, Lake Rotoroa & Lake Rangatahi
  
  Really, our region has it all, and I feel proud to live in this locality and I'd like to share it with you. Come and live the good life with us. We're looking forward to meeting you.

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Help with Eco Projects

  Gardening

  DIY and building projects

  Animal Care

  Help around the house

  General Maintenance

  Help with Computers/ Internet
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  Interests

  

  Fitness

  

  Self development

  

  Movies & TV

  

  Sustainability

  

  Pets

  

  Farming

  

  Plant care

  

  Music

  

  Gardening

  

  DIY & crafts

  

  Carpentry

  

  Books

  

  Animals

  

  Camping

  

  Beach

  

  Adventure sports

  

  Outdoor activities

  

  Nature
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  We treat people as our extended family. We want you to have a great experience and come back another time. We have had many foreign students over the years and they have kept in close contact with us some now have their own children and we think of their children as our grandchildren. Some come back to visit us time after time from countries far away.
  So very special for us all.

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  Projects involving children

  This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.

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  Help

  I really need help in the gardens. This could be to mow lawns and gardening. putting in vegetables & herbs for our seasonal table and preparing ground for planting. I also need help weeding pot plants and propagating them.
  
  I urgently need help sanding and painting windows also restoring wooden tables etc
  
  I will teach you to identify & eradicate some weeds that are toxic to animals or take over my pasture.
  
  I can teach you how to prepare the gardens to grow and harvest seasonal vegetables fruit and herbs.
  
  I'd like help to get my veges harvested
  including potatoes and seasonal fruit & vegetables. My fruit trees should have been thinned long ago as they are laden with fruit. Mulching and garden maintenance is a constant here as we suffer droughts through the summer and sometimes autumn months.
  
  Getting wood piled or stacked up for winter from my own trees which have been cut down recently by professional arborist is at the top of the job to do list requiring help please to keep the winter cold at bay.
  
  I believe strongly in recycling, zero waste if possible, sharing knowledge and kindness to our planet.
  
  Lambing takes place in September and October which is always a busy time for me, demanding when I have to bottle feed new lambs. I have been known to bring them into the house with baby nappies on but I try not to do this these days as they then identify with humans and not their sheep flock.
  
  Working with farm animals or on the farm is not what I am asking for there are tasks around the house and gardens. Understanding each others strengths and struggles makes for harmonious living.
  
  There is always good times and plenty to do to make you want to get out of bed see our planets very first awesome sunrises accompanied with bird song & sunsets with beautiful colours and patterns to delight you. Let us enjoy each day.

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  Languages spoken

  English: Fluent

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  Accommodation

  You will have your own space and privacy. We have 2 caravans set in a lovely small bush area that is close to the house but private. We have a dedicted shower and a good toilet facilities for your comfort. The caravans are warm and comfortable and will accommodate 2 people if you have a travelling companion.

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  What else ...

  I am not religious and do not like people trying to convert me to their religious beliefs. I respect your religious rights and choices so please respect mine.
  Depending on your culture and what you would like to do with your time off I will do my best to help you.
  I have 6 good bicycles with helmets and high vis vests for your use.

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  A little more information

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    Internet access

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    Limited internet access

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    We have pets

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    We are smokers

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    Can host families

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  Can host digital nomads

  We have Starlink Internet freely available for your use before or after your required working hours.

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  Space for parking camper vans

  Yes we have room for you to park your van on the farm.

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  More than two

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