Share our family life and help with gardening and painting in Kerikeri, New Zealand

Details

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  Description

  Organic gardening • Sustainable living • Cultural exchange • Bay of Islands
  We are Di and Jack, a retired couple on a lifestyle block close to the Bay of Islands.
  We have hosted people from around the world in the past and have made some wonderful lifelong friends. We are still in touch with many of them and have also had the pleasure of visiting some in their home countries. We are now looking forward to welcoming people into our home again.
  We enjoy a relaxed, practical and sustainable way of life. We grow a lot of our own food with extensive vegetable gardens and fruit trees, and keep free-range chickens. Three horses, two dogs, one cat, a daughter and two grand-daughters also share the lifestyle block.
  Di: I love gardening and try to grow as much of our food as possible. I also love a variety of crafts such as sewing, crochet, knitting, etc. Eight years ago I founded the Resilient Communities Trust for the Far North and am involved in a number of projects that help the resilience of the district. I have a qualification in Sustainable Exchange and am passionate about that subject. I am involved in Transition Towns, and our local crop-swap we have each month. My husband Jack is a retired chartered accountant. We enjoy good conversation, sharing ideas, cooking, gardening and meeting people from different cultures.
  There is always something happening around our property, and we would welcome people who enjoy joining in with everyday life.
  Depending on the season, you might learn about:
  • Organic gardening, growing vegetables and caring for fruit trees.
  • Composting, soil improvement and sustainable growing practices.
  • Growing, harvesting and preparing food from the garden.
  • Caring for chickens and learning about rural life in New Zealand.
  • Practical ways of making a property more sustainable and easier to maintain.
  We also enjoy introducing people to life in the Far North. We are looking for a genuine cultural exchange with people who would enjoy sharing our lifestyle, learning from one another and contributing to the everyday activities of our household.
  We can offer comfortable accommodation (own room and ensuite), Wi-Fi and a property where 80% of the boundary is the Waipapa River (plenty of swimming spots) in a peaceful rural setting situated only 3 kms from Waipapa township.
  We enjoy spending time with our visitors, sharing meals and conversation, but we also appreciate having our own space and quiet time. You will have time to relax and explore the area. We will discuss other arrangements with you before your visit so that we all know what to expect.
  We would particularly enjoy meeting couples who are interested in sustainable living, organic growing, nature and experiencing everyday New Zealand life. You don't need to be an expert gardener! An interest in learning, a willingness to join in and a friendly, considerate attitude are much more important. We would love to hear a little about yourself, what interests you and what you hope to experience during your time in New Zealand. As we are out of town it would be useful to have your own transport.
  Di and Jack

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Charity Work

  Light gardening

  Creative DIY projects

  Light maintenance

  Help with Computers/ Internet
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  Interests

  

  Sustainability

  

  Politics / Social justice

  

  Pets

  

  Farming

  

  Charity work

  

  Writing

  

  Plant care

  

  Gardening

  

  Cooking & food

  

  DIY & crafts

  

  Books

  

  Animals

  

  Sailing / Boating

  

  Outdoor activities

  

  Nature

  

  Fitness
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  I love teaching people how to grow their own food, and love to share our family life with others. If you are interested you might also love learning about how to implement resilience projects and learn about how to become more self-sufficient.

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  Help

  I am not short of things one could help with, but will tailor the projects to those who come to stay. There is always gardening and general property tasks to do, we are in the process of upgrading our house so have plenty of stuff like painting the house, and would love to have someone who is skilled in Wordpress websites to help me upgrade our Resilient Communities website.

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  Languages spoken

  English: Fluent

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  Accommodation

  We prefer a couple and the accommodation consists of a spacious room with ranch slider onto your own verandah, queen bed, with ensuite bathroom (previously built with Bed and Breakfast offering in mind, but not doing that at the moment.

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  What else ...

  We are close to Waipapa (3kms) and Kerikeri. There are lots of lovely walks locally, and not far from the coast. We have two bicycles available although they may need a small amount of maintenance (oiling, tyre pumped up etc). Even not leaving the property there is plenty to do, especially if you like the water.

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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 a good starlink connection and can put a table in your room to work from.

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  Space for parking camper vans

  there are some beautiful spots on our property where you can camp by the river if you prefer that.

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  More than two

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  My animals / pets

  Seventeen chickens

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