Profile information
Host rating
100 %
Last replied
9 Feb 2025
Reply rate
100.0 %
Usually responds within 2 days
Feedback
28
Email verified
Badges (3)
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Details
Description
Hamish and I (Alastair) live on a lifestyle property in rural Wairarapa on land that has been in my family for over 40 years. We both work full time and in the weekends enjoy our friends and family nearby, our garden, and our pets. We have a large flower and ornamental garden, as well as a productive vegetable garden and orchard. We have 6 hectares of farmland, though we currently lease it to a local farmer to run his cattle.
We are seeking help with a jobs in the garden and around the house, including planting, pruning, weeding, mulching, wood chopping, painting, and small construction.
Long-term living arrangement possible
Types of help and learning opportunities
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Animal Care
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Help around the house
General Maintenance
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
Travellers will be able to spend time with me and Hamish and my family and friends who live nearby. New skills include gardening (including fruit and vegetables), planting, basic farming and building skills like painting. Practice English.
Help
We are seeking help with a jobs in the garden and around the house, including planting, pruning, weeding, mulching, wood chopping, painting, and small construction.
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Accommodation
The accommodation is in a separate guest house that is new, modern and sunny with views of the surrounding countryside. At this time of year we are willing to consider longer-term accommodation arrangements.
The guest house has a self-contained bedroom, dining and living room, kitchenette and bathroom. The bedroom has a queen size bed and a day bed. The dining and living room has a dining table, a couch and TV. The kitchenette allows basic cooking and there's a 4-burner BBQ available along with outdoor areas for relaxing and eating.
Hamish works from another room in the guest house on weekdays and will share the kitchen and bathroom. Guests will have the space to themselves outside work hours and on the weekends.
What else ...
Our house is on the outskirts of Carterton with rural outlook and atmosphere, but close to the shops and transport links. Our place is 10 minutes from the railway station with trains to Wellington that take 90 minutes.
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Can host digital nomads
We have a very strong and reliable internet connection, and there are comfortable spaces to work.
Space for parking camper vans
We can accommodate vans of most sizes.
How many Workawayers can stay?
Two
My animals / pets
Host ref number: 427844994251
Feedback (13)
1 Jan 2025
Left by host for Workawayer (ElenaAndJannTravel)
We really enjoyed hosting Elena and Jann. They were engaging, interesting to talk to, and easy to get along with, and had excellent communication before and during the WorkAway. They mainly helped with gardening and other kinds of yard work, including cleaning the house and windows and wood stacking - all of which they did happily and to a high… read more
(Excellent
)
28 Dec 2024
Left by Workawayer (ElenaAndJannTravel) for host
We had a great time with Alastair and Hamish and felt like home since the first day! The work was super diverse and it was fun to help them keep up their beautiful property. The dinners were always amazing and we were well taken care of. High recommendation and we would always come back :-)
1 Apr 2024
Left by host for Workawayer (Lola)
Lola and her friend Lucien were a real pleasure to host. They are mature and engaging, easy to talk to and good company. They approached the work side of the hosting experience seriously and worked hard, doing a number of outside tasks for us showing good skills, willingness to learn and picked things up quickly. They worked independently and got… read more
(Excellent
)
25 Mar 2024
Left by Workawayer (Lola) for host
My friend Lucien and I had an amazing time staying with Hamish and Alastair for a week.
Their architecturally stunning house and garden provided a beautiful backdrop to our stay. We mainly helped with gardening tasks and had the pleasure to share delicious meal with them.
Hamish and Alastair are not just hosts; they are genuine, kind-hearted and… read more
Their architecturally stunning house and garden provided a beautiful backdrop to our stay. We mainly helped with gardening tasks and had the pleasure to share delicious meal with them.
Hamish and Alastair are not just hosts; they are genuine, kind-hearted and… read more
28 Jan 2024
Left by host for Workawayer (Jule & Leon)
Leon and Jule were a real pleasure to host. They are mature and engaging, easy to talk to and good company. They also got on well with our wider friends and family, including kids. Leon and Jule also approached the work side of the hosting experience seriously and worked hard. They did a number of outside tasks for us showing good skills,… read more
(Excellent
)
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:
(4.9)
Communication:
(5.0)
1 Jan 2025
Left by host for Workawayer (ElenaAndJannTravel)
We really enjoyed hosting Elena and Jann. They were engaging, interesting to talk to, and easy to get along with, and had excellent communication before and during the WorkAway. They mainly helped with gardening and other kinds of yard work, including cleaning the house and windows and wood stacking - all of which they did happily and to a high… read more
(Excellent)
28 Dec 2024
Left by Workawayer (ElenaAndJannTravel) for host
We had a great time with Alastair and Hamish and felt like home since the first day! The work was super diverse and it was fun to help them keep up their beautiful property. The dinners were always amazing and we were well taken care of. High recommendation and we would always come back :-)
1 Apr 2024
Left by host for Workawayer (Lola)
Lola and her friend Lucien were a real pleasure to host. They are mature and engaging, easy to talk to and good company. They approached the work side of the hosting experience seriously and worked hard, doing a number of outside tasks for us showing good skills, willingness to learn and picked things up quickly. They worked independently and got… read more
(Excellent)
25 Mar 2024
Left by Workawayer (Lola) for host
My friend Lucien and I had an amazing time staying with Hamish and Alastair for a week.
Their architecturally stunning house and garden provided a beautiful backdrop to our stay. We mainly helped with gardening tasks and had the pleasure to share delicious meal with them.
Hamish and Alastair are not just hosts; they are genuine, kind-hearted and… read more
Their architecturally stunning house and garden provided a beautiful backdrop to our stay. We mainly helped with gardening tasks and had the pleasure to share delicious meal with them.
Hamish and Alastair are not just hosts; they are genuine, kind-hearted and… read more
28 Jan 2024
Left by host for Workawayer (Jule & Leon)
Leon and Jule were a real pleasure to host. They are mature and engaging, easy to talk to and good company. They also got on well with our wider friends and family, including kids. Leon and Jule also approached the work side of the hosting experience seriously and worked hard. They did a number of outside tasks for us showing good skills,… read more
(Excellent)
16 Dec 2023
Left by Workawayer (Alicia & Sitian) for host
My stay with Hamish and Alastair was superb. The tasks assigned were easily manageable, and they made sure all the tools were readily available. I appreciate hosts who trust you to be proactive and independent in completing the work.
Aside from the wonderfully comfortable guesthouse, the company of Hamish and Alastair was delightful. Engaging… read more
Aside from the wonderfully comfortable guesthouse, the company of Hamish and Alastair was delightful. Engaging… read more
10 Dec 2023
Left by host for Workawayer (Alicia & Sitian)
It's been great to host Alicia and I'd happily recommend her for another WorkAway experience. Hamish and I really enjoyed getting to know Alicia - she's outgoing, interesting, engaging and easy to have around. She got stuck into the jobs we gave her and did them really well. She cooked us some fantastic food and even taught us some new recipe and… read more
(Excellent)
27 Aug 2020
Left by host for Workawayer (Medea & Filip)
Hamish and I enjoyed hosting Media and Filip very much; it was fun getting to know them and they did great work for us.
Media and Filip are very socialiable and open; happy to spend time with us and share information about their lives and experiences. At the same time they were happy to respect boundaries at the times when we asked them to fend… read more
Media and Filip are very socialiable and open; happy to spend time with us and share information about their lives and experiences. At the same time they were happy to respect boundaries at the times when we asked them to fend… read more
(Excellent)
3 Apr 2020
Left by Workawayer (Joanna & Dariusz) for host
We really enjoyed time we spent with Alastair and Hamish.
The work that we got gave us a lot of satisfaction.
We liked that our working time was well organized - every morning we were given a specific list of tasks to do. Our tasks were, for example, to stack the wood, clean windows, cut the grass, help in the kitchen, water the plants, make a… read more
The work that we got gave us a lot of satisfaction.
We liked that our working time was well organized - every morning we were given a specific list of tasks to do. Our tasks were, for example, to stack the wood, clean windows, cut the grass, help in the kitchen, water the plants, make a… read more
8 Mar 2020
Left by host for Workawayer (Joanna & Dariusz)
Hamish and I really enjoyed hosting Asia and Darek and would definitely recommend then to others. They’re both friendly and easy to talk to, were very willing to do the jobs we gave them, and did all the jobs to a really high standard.
Asia and Darek were easy company with lots of interesting things to talk about, in terms of where they’re from… read more
Asia and Darek were easy company with lots of interesting things to talk about, in terms of where they’re from… read more
(Excellent)
24 Feb 2020
Left by Workawayer (Viktorija) for host
I had a great & memorable experience at Alastair's & Hamish's home. They share their wide knowledge generously and make you feel like a member of the family from the first sight. They are so thoughtful and generous, thinking of everything and ensuring I felt comfortable, too. The work was rewarding and interesting. It consisted of helping out in… read more
22 Feb 2020
Left by host for Workawayer (Viktorija)
It was a pleasure to host Viktorija and we'd recommend her to other WorkAway hosts. Viktorija is living a really interesting life with so many varied experiences, so she's great company and has lots to talk about. She was also really easy-going and willing to do the jobs we had for her, which mostly consisted of gardening, weeding, planting - and… read more
(Excellent)
22 Feb 2020
Left by host for Workawayer (Eleanor)
It was a real pleasure to host Ellie at our place. We enjoyed her company and really appreciated the work she did for us. Ellis is engaging and easy going, hard-working, and awesome around the house with cooking and cleaning-up. She helped us with gardening, planting, potting-up and some small-scale building and carpentry, to which she brought… read more
(Excellent)
6 Feb 2020
Left by Workawayer (Eleanor) for host
I had a really awesome week staying with Hamish and Alastair. The jobs we had to do were varied, interesting and I learnt a few things to. It was a real joy contributing to their beautiful home. Post-work river swims, collecting veggies from the garden for dinner, delicious food and fun company made it a week to remember! Thanks guys!
5 Jan 2020
Left by host for Workawayer (GUILLAUME)
It was a real pleasure to host Guillaume. He was very engaging and easy to get along with, as well as eager and hard working.
Guillaume did a range of jobs for us, but mostly gardening and landscaping-type activities. He dug several large holes for trees to be planted in, including some very difficult holes where he had to dig through tree roots… read more
Guillaume did a range of jobs for us, but mostly gardening and landscaping-type activities. He dug several large holes for trees to be planted in, including some very difficult holes where he had to dig through tree roots… read more
(Excellent)
3 Jan 2020
Left by Workawayer (GUILLAUME) for host
Alastair and Hamish are genuinely nice people easygoing thoughful and always caring.
They made a wonderful home of the family property
I learned a lot about proper gardening with these 2 who have a green thumb.
Except that i didn’t know chokes and rabbits were good natural fertilizers.
Their garden is already looking great and is gonna get better… read more
They made a wonderful home of the family property
I learned a lot about proper gardening with these 2 who have a green thumb.
Except that i didn’t know chokes and rabbits were good natural fertilizers.
Their garden is already looking great and is gonna get better… read more
14 Sep 2019
Left by host for Workawayer (Eduardo)
It was a real pleasure to host Eduardo and we would recommend him to other WorkAway hosts.
Eduardo is a really interesting and engaging guy, and very easy to get along with. We spent quite a bit of time together working or sharing meals and it was great to get to know Eduardo more. We found him willing to share things about his own country and… read more
Eduardo is a really interesting and engaging guy, and very easy to get along with. We spent quite a bit of time together working or sharing meals and it was great to get to know Eduardo more. We found him willing to share things about his own country and… read more
(Excellent)
13 Sep 2019
Left by Workawayer (Eduardo) for host
It was a very mindful experience staying with Alastair and Hamish. They are great hosts and do manage to take care of a cozy and diverse rural area, even having both other jobs, sometimes out of the property.
I stayed 10 days there during the winter, which was my first experience on Workaway. Activities were quite varied, so a good opportunity to… read more
I stayed 10 days there during the winter, which was my first experience on Workaway. Activities were quite varied, so a good opportunity to… read more
16 Aug 2019
Left by Workawayer (Kevin & Claire) for host
Our recent stay with Hamish and Alistair was truly a great New Zealand experience that we thoroughly enjoyed!
- The work consisted mostly of gardening which was varied to keep it interesting. Alistair and Hamish were very flexible and trusting over the hours- we could pretty much work around the weather and work more hours in a day to work less… read more
- The work consisted mostly of gardening which was varied to keep it interesting. Alistair and Hamish were very flexible and trusting over the hours- we could pretty much work around the weather and work more hours in a day to work less… read more
6 Aug 2019
Left by host for Workawayer (Kevin & Claire)
It’s been brilliant having Claire and Kevin with us for the last few weeks. They’ve been great company and got stuck into the jobs we had for them.
One job consisted of double-digging a big new garden bed - no mean feat and tackled with gusto. They also showed their carpentry skills by building us some awesome new shelves, and their culinary… read more
One job consisted of double-digging a big new garden bed - no mean feat and tackled with gusto. They also showed their carpentry skills by building us some awesome new shelves, and their culinary… read more
(Excellent)
21 May 2019
Left by Workawayer (Marina & Ivan) for host
It was a really pleasure for us to stay at Hamish and Alastair’s home. They felt us feel at during our two weeks stay there. It was our first workaway experience and it couldn’t be better.
From I wrote them to arrange the stay, they were very helpful and friendly with us.
They understood our personal situation (Ivan can works just from midday)… read more
From I wrote them to arrange the stay, they were very helpful and friendly with us.
They understood our personal situation (Ivan can works just from midday)… read more
19 May 2019
Left by host for Workawayer (Marina & Ivan)
It was a real pleasure to host Marina and Ivan and I would recommend them to any other WorkAway host.
Marina and Ivan were very willing workers who worked hard and achieved a lot in their two weeks with us. Marina has existing plant knowledge and they both had gardening and landscaping skills, so they were a real asset outside. They also… read more
Marina and Ivan were very willing workers who worked hard and achieved a lot in their two weeks with us. Marina has existing plant knowledge and they both had gardening and landscaping skills, so they were a real asset outside. They also… read more
(Excellent)
13 May 2019
Left by host for Workawayer (Theresa)
We were very pleased to have met and hosted Tess. She was very easy to have around, did everything to a high standard, was engaging and personable, and was great company.
She was enthusiastic, did all the job we asked he to do willingly, and was interested to learn about us and our families.
She was great with the kids in our extended family and… read more
She was enthusiastic, did all the job we asked he to do willingly, and was interested to learn about us and our families.
She was great with the kids in our extended family and… read more
(Excellent)
11 May 2019
Left by Workawayer (Theresa) for host
I had a really great time with Hamish and Alastair! They are such nice, open-minded and warm-hearted persons, who treated me like a member of their family. I could not have wished better hosts! The house and the area surround is really awesome. So it was a pleasure for me, to help them in their beautiful garden. Unfortunately Alastair was very… read more
17 Apr 2019
Left by Workawayer (Daria & Connor) for host
Alistair and Hamish were excellent hosts, very caring and great cooks!
The flat they provided was brilliant, it had a nice large bedroom with a kitchen unit. The work was very varied, physical at times but rewarding and we were given clear easy to follow instructions. They also have two adorable friendly cats which you can't help but fall in love… read more
The flat they provided was brilliant, it had a nice large bedroom with a kitchen unit. The work was very varied, physical at times but rewarding and we were given clear easy to follow instructions. They also have two adorable friendly cats which you can't help but fall in love… read more
15 Apr 2019
Left by host for Workawayer (Daria & Connor)
It was a real pleasure hosting Daria and Connor. They're interesting and engaging people who are easy to be around. They were both very keen workers and did a great job for us on a variety of tasks, including painting, gardening and fencing. They observed all the house rules and left the accommodation is a very clean and tidy state. I would… read more
(Excellent)
23 Dec 2018
Left by host for Workawayer (Bert & Yentl)
It was a real pleasure hosting Bert and Yentl and I would recommend them to any host.
Bert and Yentl are interesting and pleasant, forthcoming with details about their own country and background, and interested in us and New Zealand in general. They were very thoughtful guests and kept the accommodation very clean and tidy. We had a good balance… read more
Bert and Yentl are interesting and pleasant, forthcoming with details about their own country and background, and interested in us and New Zealand in general. They were very thoughtful guests and kept the accommodation very clean and tidy. We had a good balance… read more
(Excellent)
21 Dec 2018
Left by Workawayer (Bert & Yentl) for host
We stayed with Alastair and Hamish for 2 weeks. From the first moment, they made us feel like home. They're very nice and gentle people.
There was a big variety of jobs for us to do (building bridge, gardening, cutting gorse ...), so the work never bored us.
The room we got was amazing. Very clean and spacious. We also got our own seperate kitchen… read more
There was a big variety of jobs for us to do (building bridge, gardening, cutting gorse ...), so the work never bored us.
The room we got was amazing. Very clean and spacious. We also got our own seperate kitchen… read more
