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22 Jul 2024
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Description
Welcome workawayer's! We are the custodians of a magical and enchanted forest located in the subtropical climate of Northland.
On this 10 acre paradise we are working together to regenerate and protect our native species, whilst intergrating a biodiverse food forest, flower gardens and resort vibes. Using organic practices we hope to create a space that is not only holistic for the land and it's creatures but facilitate a space to share skills and create together.
This is our garden of eden, here is a space to build, to burn, to play, to share and to inspire.
Located just eight minutes drive from Kerikeri and five to Waipapa, it offers both convenience and privacy. The local town has everything we need, in summer the neighbouring towns of Russel and Paihia become a great place to grab an evening drink and to explore.
The property consists of a community of houses, bungalows, a gym, ablution block and a fully functional workshop.
Our workaway accommodation is currently a self contained, open plan school house that captures all the morning light. Here you have the ability to cater to your own meals when you feel like it, or join us in the barn house for communal eating.
It has a queen bed in the bedroom along with a couch in the lounge that can be folded out.
The property is a rotating door of friends and family staying throughout the week. We love to host and to share this incredible space.
By way of introduction my name is Matt, Kiwi born but a nomad at heart. I returned to New Zealand four years ago after a life abroad to begin this project together with my family and friends. Still working overseas for large chunks of the year, when I do make it home I love to throw myself into creative projects.
Having inderpendent workawayer's here allows me to both focus on my ongoing projects whilst exploring collaboration, skill exchange and making life long friendships.
Also hosting is my wife Erika, when she's not out picking the flowers or snuggling ducklings you will find her working some magic in her art studio. Being a lover of the Sun and Sea her passion for nature, culture and travel expresses itself through her incredible and vibrant creations.
We would love to host any community focused, friendly travellers, artisans and grafters
Types of help and learning opportunities
Art Projects
Help with Eco Projects
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Help around the house
General Maintenance
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
We love to facilitate a beautiful space that is benifical for all. We work together and find everyone's strengths and encouge them to focus on the things that nourish their souls. From being a foodie in the kitchen to caring for the bush, feeding fruit trees, weeding gardens and planting new life. You can share your yoga, arts and crafts or bring an instrument and jam. There is really something here for everyone.
We are very house proud and all we ask is you to help us leave no trace. We often host long term work awayers and have had so many beautiful friendships forged as a result.
We can garentee you will love the magic here in northland, be warey of the vortex, these enchanted lands can be hard to leave.
Projects involving children
This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.
Help
Work away update
2023 Spring Summer and beyond. After a winter of hard work abroad, many day dreams and some fairly loose planning we are looking to kick off once again. Opening our doors to the incredible work awayers from around the globe. To share our way of life, our passions and our space with you. This summer our projects focus in around garden development and maintance. We will be experimenting in our first DIY liner pond with a bio filtration system, cascades and aqua garden. We work with rocks alot from the land, using them to shape raised beds, pathways and accent the land. Instalation of a sculpture or two. Lots of sheet mulching which we use to battle weeds and improve soil. We will be building a steel deck, laying a Beautiful paradise stone patio inlcusive of rock mandalas and mosiacs. We collaborate with amazing people so there is always loads to learn in any peojects you are interested in. Along the way there will be lots of beer in our dusty duck saloon.
We will continue with maintance on our flower and food gardens . We do all this utilizing permaculture practices (we love to teach and to learn). It's not all work, We also love to enjoy the summer and will drop tools to explore beaches, hit festivals or host friends and family for evenings spent dancing under the stars. Keeping as busy as we do ideally you will be independent and easygoing. We appreciate the flexibility, over summer it can get to hot in the midday sun so we often are out in the mornings/evenings working on projects then enjoying our own private waterhole through the heat of the day.
We are always looking for new ideas and fresh perspectives. Part of the reason we travel is to be inspired, to learn and grow.
We are in the early stages of building a food forrest so those with knowledge in permaculture, sustainability, community design and development are encouraged to join us.
The land lends itself to the Artists, the passionate, culinary wizards and creative minds. Traveling can be limiting, not having access to a studio or gear, we love to support your art forms and you will find everything you need in this space to create.
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Accommodation
The school house is exactly that, it was an old classroom moved to the land a decade ago. It's warm wooden floors and big glass bifolding doors open up to a beautiful lawn filled with ducks, quails and the call of the kiwi at night. It's as private as you get whilst remaining connected to our family here on the land. Each building has roughly 100m between the dwellings and planted up with beautiful subtropical gardens.
The school house has a small bathroom, bedroom and an open plan kitchen and living space. There is stable Wifi throughout all buildings.
It has a heat pump so you will never be cold and in the summer you can open up all the bifolding doors to enjoy that real alfresco feeling. Just watch out for the cute duckling scam.
We have large vege gardens, ample fruit trees and year round harvests to try and enjoy as you explore through the magic of our land.
We also have a new nicely equipped gym for those who love to sweat it out, a beautiful yoga deck nestled in the tree tops and of course plenty of spots throughout the gardens you can escape to and chillax.
What else ...
Kerikeri is rather quiet over winter, lucky winter doesn't last more then a few months up here in Northland.
We love to have fun and connect with the greater community, sometimes its over some hard work but its always rewarded with some kind of adventure. We are burners, with a love for the arts and all things eccentric. It's not uncommon to find us working on a flame thrower or death defying rope swing.
If you love hiking, beach combing and the outdoors there's plenty of places to discover both on and off the property in the far north. Public transport is non existent up here so to make the most of the area its best to have your own vehicle.
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Can host digital nomads
WiFi is solid, unlimited and available to work awayers. phone signals can be weak around the house depending on the service provider. We are slowly upgrading our mesh wifi system so available in many areas of the property and all the dwellings
Space for parking camper vans
We Have a electrical hookup for campers and an ablution block - laundry facilities, toilets, showers and even an outdoor shower.
How many Workawayers can stay?
More than two
Hours expected
Maximum 4-5 hours a day, 5 days a week
Feedback (10)
This is an excellent workaway because:
* the land is so freaking gorgeous; there is a crazy big waterfall and swimming hole, loads of veggie gardens, flowers and trees, and duckies… read more
From the moment she arrived she fit right in, her warm energy and… read more
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This is an excellent workaway because:
* the land is so freaking gorgeous; there is a crazy big waterfall and swimming hole, loads of veggie gardens, flowers and trees, and duckies… read more
From the moment she arrived she fit right in, her warm energy and… read more
wee Romilly, staying with us for just under two weeks. In that small amount of time they helped us immensely - tackling an overrun garden bed which looks amazing to this day. They were very inderpendent and the meals we did share were absolutely divine. Marcels passion for landscape gardening was very… read more
Here are some straightforward details for my fellow… read more
From the day these two incredible humans arrived, they graced our lands with love, an eagerness to learn, share and work together (and independently) on countless projects.
They are both house proud… read more
Well, here goes…We had the BEST TIME EVER! Matty is an exceptionally kind, fun, thoughtful and enthusiastic human who lives in a magical paradise. There is a… read more
From day one Michelle and Jordon have graced our land with love, creativity, community and a work ethic that goes far beyond what was asked. Both of them having the utmost integrity and character, they cared for our house and lands as if it was their own. Never once did I have to ask… read more
whom were more then happy to get stuck in on our land. We spent a few days weeding a bunting in preparation for planting. They worked hard, and played hard. They were even so kind to introduce us to some Acro yoga (which we are loving)
We shared… read more
Would welcome her back anytime
Although we didn't have too much work to do here, she approached everything with a great attitude.
Her curry was to die for and I wish her all the best for her work and travel year around New Zealand.
-Franzi
