Profile information
Host rating
100 %
Last replied
14 Jul 2025
Reply rate
96.7 %
Usually responds within 7 days
Feedback
37
Email verified
Badges (3)
Details
Description
*️️️️️️️️️️️*️️️️️️️️️️️ Please check our Workaway Calendar to find out when we are needing help *️️️️️️️️️️️*️️️️️️️️️️️
We are a busy, happy family of four living and working on our small landholding. Husband runs a digital media company from home, Wife is a researcher/writer who takes care of the children and cooks delicious meals. Big Kid has finished uni and is working (but comes home often!), and Little Kid (not so little anymore!) attends High school. We listen to awesome music, work in the garden, and in the summertime we swim in our river.
Types of help and learning opportunities
Art Projects
Help with Eco Projects
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Farmstay help
Help around the house
General Maintenance
Help with Computers/ Internet
Interests
Politics / Social justice
Technology
Farming
Self development
Vegetarian or vegan
Art & design
DIY & crafts
Books
Plant care
Music
History
Blogging
Cooking & food
Gardening
Languages
Writing
Performing arts
Cycling
Yoga / Wellness
Nature
Fitness
Camping
Dancing
Outdoor activities
Hiking
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
We are staunchly proud South Islanders and fiercely patriotic New Zealanders. With us, you will be exposed to kiwi music that you mightn't otherwise hear. We like to ensure our visitors have access to NZ films, etc, and we are always keen to bust out the road map and help you plan the next leg of your adventure.
My husband is a born-again New Zealander, so he carries with him a personal understanding of what it is to adjust to NZ from the outside, whereas I can trace my family line back 7 generations to this region. North Canterbury for life!
We love having conversations about a range of topics. My husband is an entrepreneur and I'm a former university lecturer so between us we can cover a bit of ground.
Projects involving children
This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.
Help
We are involved in an ongoing project of reclaiming derelict land and planting a small forest. We'd love help with this! There are a lot of rocks on this land and elsewhere on our property that need moving. We aim to turn our abundance of rocks from nuisances into beautiful construction. It's hard work - time consuming and physical - but satisfying.
Depending upon the time of year, you might be helping with planting, weeding, harvesting or preserving. There are chickens to be fed, rocks to be moved, structures to be built. Or perhaps you can come and represent your nation in the unofficial international wood stack olympics! We've had Swiss, French, Australian, Spanish, American and English competitors so far!! We are very into home improvement and landscaping, and we enjoy creative pursuits. Aside from hauling rocks, who knows what you'll be helping with?!
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
French: Beginner
Maori: Beginner
Accommodation
We live in a beautiful part of the country. It's less than an hour to Christchurch International airport, and our small landholding is set amongst vast farms. We are lucky to live in a spot that is private, quiet, and surrounded by gorgeousness!
You'll get to stay in a cabin by the river, or your own house, depending upon who else is on premise. Both the cabins and guest house have their own bathrooms, and kitchens - although the cabins are a bit more rustic (ie outdoor kitchen). The guest house has a swimming pool and we have a spa pool, so you might want to bring your togs (aka swimsuits).
Make no mistake: we live fairly remotely. It won't suit everyone! We are about 15-20 minutes from supermarket & espresso - but we do have WiFi ;)
What else ...
Mobile reception is not great.
We would appreciate if you could be as clear as possible with your dates and expectations/hopes!
We will abide by the Workaway advice of committing to only a week initially: if it goes well and the timing works for you and for our family we can look at extending your stay.
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Can host digital nomads
We both work from home and we can only do so because of our reliable internet and variety of places to work.
Space for parking camper vans
We have acres of space, so ... no worries.
How many Workawayers can stay?
Two
My animals / pets
Feedback (16)
We were also inspired by Elise's grabbing of… read more
Work was enjoyable and outdoors, consisting mainly of attacking the garden and removing pesky… read more
We were delighted to have you to stay on our farm for the week. What a hardworking, competent and easygoing person you are. I hope things are going really well for you in the cool new van and that you are warm enough! Come visit on your way out of the island, OK?
I can wholeheartedly recommend Louisiane as a valuable team… read more
Photos
Feedback
These are extra optional ratings when members leave feedback. The average rating left for each option is displayed.
Accuracy of profile:
(5.0)
Cultural exchange:
(5.0)
Communication:
(5.0)
We were also inspired by Elise's grabbing of… read more
Work was enjoyable and outdoors, consisting mainly of attacking the garden and removing pesky… read more
We were delighted to have you to stay on our farm for the week. What a hardworking, competent and easygoing person you are. I hope things are going really well for you in the cool new van and that you are warm enough! Come visit on your way out of the island, OK?
I can wholeheartedly recommend Louisiane as a valuable team… read more
Salut,
Many thanks to you, Guillaume for a lovely week. You were fine company: hardworking and easygoing. I really appreciate the beautiful work you did around the place, and how nonplussed you were about being immersed into the busyness of our family's life at the craziest time of the year!
Wishing you goodness and happiness,
With… read more
Lovely family with genuinely good individuals
Always Caring warming thoughtful
I feel blessed for having spent a week with them in their lovely home
A lot of great ongoing projects
Merci du fond du cœur
kia ora/whakawhetai koe
Y'all did our hearts good. We wish you every happiness and many tree houses. Arohanui, m&m&b&e x x x x
Thank you for your excellent help around the place; weeding, digging, and otherwise assisting outdoors. I appreciated your primo musical skills and warm smiles. Although I need to be honest: we are still playing Uno by the kiwi rules, and not the (allegedly superior) European way ;)
I hope the rest of your travels have… read more
The kindness and hospitality we experienced far exceeded any expectations we had. We thoroughly enjoyed sharing family meals with them and swapping various stories and playing games with the whole family. We were also lucky enough to… read more
It was a busy week for the family while Jen & Nick were staying, and they were brilliant at just rolling with the… read more
What a wonderful week we had with you, Fabien and Clemence. I thank you for tackling every task we asked of you, some of which were physically demanding (how heavy were those rounds of wet wood???) and others were challenging for other reasons (like creating a meals from an English language recipe!) The girls and I loved playing… read more
We loved having Kyle during his time on our team. We would cheerfully have kept him longer, were it not for the tyranny of itinerary! He is hard working, upbeat, and easy company.
Kyle: you will always have a place to call home in North Canterbury. You are now our pretend li'l nephew/big brother for life! We wish you all the luck in the… read more
Thank you for the wonderful 10 days that we spent with you. We appreciated how you made us feel like part of the family, and really enjoyed meeting many of your friends. The meals you cooked were delicious, we've since made a few of Auntie Alison's recipes since returning the States! It was a beautiful place to spend our… read more
I thoroughly enjoyed my time with the family. I appreciate the way you welcomed me and made sure I had everything I needed, and wanted! The cottage is perfect for a workawayer, I haven't eaten so well or often for weeks and your 'crazy kids'… read more
Your warm sense of humour, fine work ethic, musical… read more
We enjoy even your … read more
We wish you well for your travels and look forward to hearing how your adventures work out ;)
Arohanui xx
I also got a full New Zealand cultural experience thrown in with music… read more
Couldn't have stayed with a nicer family on my travels. I got stuck in at home, helping with the gardening project they are doing, cleaning and other little jobs to do throughout the week. Felt like part of the family during my stay, going to the shops and other everyday family things! The… read more
If i ever return to New Zealand i will definitely reach out my helping hand again.
I hope Brooke and Eleanor will remember me in their new extended home.
1) IKEA
2) Volvos
3) Robert Palm
You are treasure. We miss you already. Your work ethic is exemplary, you have created such spectacular things around our home. You went WAY above our expectations. The kids adore their new, improved play house! You are a delightfully independent guest to have and we… read more
My chickens have never been so happy as they were after you made their home so cosy. I am also grateful for your help stacking wood and with other jobs around the house. You have a lovely sense of humour and a delightful twinkle in your eye!
I am glad to hear that things went well for you during your next week in White Rock and… read more
