Help with spring planting or autumun projects at my permaculture food forest and flowers in Northland, New Zealand

Details

• 

  Description

  Kia ora, welcome to New Zealand. I hope you have a wonderful experience in our country. We have a permaculture food forest property 2.5 acres in Kaiwaka, the gateway to Northland. I also love colour and flowers, so I'm now planting lots and lots of flowers. Flowers are for the bees and for joy.
  I grow vegetables year round so there's always working, learning and planning to do. We have a newly developed orchard of almost 500 fruit trees including figs (lots) , apple, pear, plums, peaches, cherimoya, casimiroa, mountain pawpaw, feijoa, guava,, passionfruit, grapes, lemon, limes, orange, mandarin, tangelo, pomegranate, persimmons, apricots, crab apple, mulberry, nectarine, Cape gooseberry... Oh, and a stack of new plants I just purchased, again. There's always room for more in a food forest.
  We have grapevines and berries to plant, more fig trees to propogate (please bring me some new cuttings), avocado's to establish and flowers. I want flowers everywhere.
  I'll teach you about permaculture, compost, seed saving, weeding and all the joy of gardening!
  Were also doing adobe bottle bricks for the Fibonacci Cathedral (bathroom) and light earth cabin bathroom.

• 

  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Art Projects

  Help with Eco Projects

  Gardening

  DIY and building projects

  Animal Care

  Farmstay help

  Creating/ Cooking family meals
• 

  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  We are looking forward to sharing our home and time with you. We love to have guests join us for family meals, walks on the beach, and I can even take you to yoga or freedance if you want to have a go. I'm passionate about permaculture and organics, and happy to share my knowledge with you. I can teach you about soil and compost, including worm farms, bokashi and even humanure if you want! We live 15 minutes from several beaches including mangawhai Heads, Mangawhai Estuary and Te Arai surf beach.
  I'm into wholesome, delicious vegetarian food including fermented food, slow food, sourdough bread and hearty goodness. Cake is important too of course. I'd love to exchange recipes and learn your favourite dishes too.
  My house is off-grid, solar power, log burner and we have composting toilets, you will need to be conscious of power use, light the fire in the winter afternoon and conserve water in summer. It is important to check with me about your shampoo and soap etc as everything is composted by worms. We must look after these little workers very carefully. You can recharge your devices and have a quick hot shower every afternoon. You will be warm and cosy with the log burner and have delicious hot vegetarian meals each day.

• 

  Help

  We are continuing an exciting eco-build project! You and the team are building an Adobe spiral bottle house outdoor bathroom and need your help and enthusiasm. Yes, it's an earth building using Adobe and bottle bricks. We'll be making lots of glass bricks from old bottles, mixing clay and straw for the adode and creating beautiful designs. The shape of the bottle house comes from nature-the Fibonacci spiral.
  When we're not working on this we'll be gardening, sowing seeds, planting seedlings, making compost, or patting our adorable kunekune pigs, collecting the eggs from our lovely flock of hens. We might plant more fruit trees, do some weeding, or putting gravel on the path to the new cabin. Did I mention my passion for figs? I collect as many varieties as possible. Please bring me some cuttings if you can!

• 

  Languages

  Languages spoken
  English: Fluent
  French: Beginner
  Maori: Beginner

  This 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

  Accommodation is either in the cabin, sunroom or the spare bedroom, depending on how many workaway and family are staying. Both are cosy and comfortable. If there's a bigger team here we'll have to get more creative but I'll make sure you are safe and comfortable on a couch, with a hottie if it's cold. The cabin is brand new, insulated and cosy. It's off-grid, does not have any power or cooking facilities. You can enjoy total peace.

• 

  What else ...

  Your days off will be the days I'm at work so I can drop you off along the way while you explore the countryside or go down to Auckland. The AT bus goes to wellsford or the Intercity to kaiwaka where I can pick you up for a short drive to our home.
  All the usual comforts are available while Our property is off grid living. You will be able to experience truly being attuned to nature's resources. You will be warm and comfortable but in the winter we can't use a hair dryer unless it's a very sunny few days. I love my creature comforts so our composting toilets are not going to make you crinkle your nose. Experience comfort and care for nature too.
  Please note if the weather is suitable accommodation for the adobe building will be tenting. Please bring your own bedding if possible but just communicate your needs with me and we can sort out a good solution.

• 

  A little more information

  • 

    Internet access

  • 

    Limited internet access

  • 

    We have pets

  • 

    We are smokers

  • 

    Can host families

• 

  Space for parking camper vans

  This host can provide space for campervans.

• 

  How many Workawayers can stay?

  More than two

• 

  Hours expected

  Maximum 4-5 hours a day, 5 days a week

Feedback (5)