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Host rating
100 %
Last replied
5 Apr 2026
Reply rate
100.0 %
Usually responds within 1 day
Feedback
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Details
Description
Kia ora and Hello,
We’re looking for a friendly and reliable couple to join us in exchange for fully self-contained accommodation. Ideally, we’d like couples to stay for 2 to 4 weeks so that we get to know you, but we're flexible.
***We have space from around the 22nd of April***
This time of the year we’d love most of the help to be in the garden: pruning, weeding, planting winter veggies, replacing some nails that pop up in the deck with screws, cleaning gutters, and other small odd jobs like that.
On rainy days or indoors, we’d love help with some help with light housework, admin and/or possibly social media. For couples, it may work really well to split tasks: one person can focus on the outdoor jobs while the other helps with indoor tasks.
About us
We’re a warm and welcoming young family with three little ones (all under five). Hilde is at the tail end of her cancer treatment (last operation was in January, but tiredness still plays a factor) and we’re looking for a compassionate and responsible couple to help us keep the household running smoothly.
This would be for 15 hours per person per week (3 hours a day from Monday to Friday). Days can be flexible, or fewer days but longer hours is fine too - happy to work around other jobs you may have in the area.
What we'd love help with
🧹 House tasks: tidying, vacuuming, dishes, laundry, light admin and/or social media
🌿 Gardening & small outdoor projects around the house (especially in spring and autumn)
🚐 A car is a must to get around
Your accommodation (food not included, but we’d love to share the odd meal together!)
You’ll have your own private one-bedroom apartment, featuring:
✔ A bedroom
✔ A lounge
✔ A bathroom
✔ A fully equipped kitchen
✔ Unlimited WiFi
✔ Android TV
Location (by car)
📍 30-40 minutes from Christchurch
🍷 15 minutes from Waipara (perfect for wine lovers!)
🛒 5 minutes from the supermarket in Amberley
🌿 Just over an hour to Hanmer Springs (great for a weekend getaway)
🚶 Beautiful walking trail along the river leading to the beach
We immigrated to New Zealand 14 years ago and love sharing our experiences with others considering the same. We have a cat called Otis, who will love any extra attention as well. Nick works in Christchurch and Hilde has her own company in the tourism industry.
If this sounds like the right fit for you, we’d love to hear from you! 😊
Types of help and learning opportunities
Gardening
Help around the house
General Maintenance
Help with Computers/ Internet
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
We offer a warm welcome and a different perspective to NZ, as we immigrated here 13 years ago. We have lots of knowledge in that sense, if anyone is considering the same. The area is beautiful if you like nature and peace and yet it's only a 30 to 40 minute drive to Christchurch, 15 minutes to Waipara (with some lovely wineries) or a bit more than an hour to Hanmer Springs, if you wanted to explore the region.
Projects involving children
This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.
Help
We like to see what you enjoy doing or what you'd like to learn to do and we usually will have a project on the go to meet those ideas. Just to give you a bit of an idea :)
- Help around the house (tidy and clean and small projects)
- Help around the garden (more so small projects than weeding), especially spring and autumn
Let us know what your skills and interests are, we’ve met some amazing people and have had some fantastic things made, like our boat sand pit for the kids for example and two beautiful paintings. No DIY skills required, as we’ve also really enjoyed having the house re-organised and tidied and are appreciative for everyone’s unique area of expertise.
Languages
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Dutch: Fluent
Spanish: BeginnerThis 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
Self-contained apartment above garage (not attached to the main house). Apartment has one bedroom, bathroom and open lounge/kitchen area. Completely furnished and comes with king bed, couch, dining table and chairs, fridge/freezer, oven/stove and pots and pans etc. Includes free unlimited WiFi and washing can be done at our house.
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Can host digital nomads
We have unlimited WiFi and the connection is good in the apartment (router is in the garage underneath the apartment), but we've had people work in the apartment remotely).
Space for parking camper vans
We have a large parking area at the front of our house, but you can stay in our separate one-bedroom apartment.
How many Workawayers can stay?
Two
My animals / pets
Otis (7 years)
Otis is just the sweetest cat. He doesn't normally stay in the apartment, but if you like cats he will love all your cuddles!
Chat with Workawayers who've visited this host
Feedback (14)
Absolutely loving, caring and welcoming family (parents as well as kids as well as the cat ;))
Hilde was super flexible even though her daily life is packed (incredible!). Conversation was always easy going.
I can highly recommend it :)
Photos
Chat with Workawayers who've visited this host
Feedback
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Accuracy of profile:
(5.0)
Cultural exchange:
(4.8)
Communication:
(5.0)
Absolutely loving, caring and welcoming family (parents as well as kids as well as the cat ;))
Hilde was super flexible even though her daily life is packed (incredible!). Conversation was always easy going.
I can highly recommend it :)
They took us in when we had a hard time finding a host and we couldn't have asked for a better first workaway experience :)
The work we did was really interesting and more than fair, as Hilde even made sure the weather was beautiful on our "off-days". The children… read more
The best woofing we have ever done so far:)
Hilde’s family have been so welcoming, caring & flexible with us. We’ve spent our 3 last months in NZ with them and it was such a privilege to have been their host.
On a daily basis we were supporting them by cleaning house, cooking, working on digital mission, taking care of the… read more
- Hilde, Nick and the kids are really wonderful humans !
- The location is really good, not so far from Christchurch, the beach or even Methven and Kaikoura.
- The flat provided on top of the garage by Hilde and Nick was incredible, everything is provided so that you can have your own… read more
The apartment is on the garage, very cozy, and it is very comfortable, the work was varied, sometimes cleaning the… read more
