The image shows a man and woman posing for a selfie on the beach with a brown dog, set against a blue sky with white clouds.
The image depicts a cozy bedroom with a bed, nightstand, and window, featuring a gray upholstered headboard and a striped blanket, set against a neutral-colored wall and carpeted floor.
The image depicts a cozy living room with a dining area, featuring a wooden table, blue sofa, TV, and balcony access, surrounded by natural light and a serene atmosphere.
The image depicts a cozy living room with a blue couch, wooden desk, and white refrigerator, exuding a warm and inviting atmosphere.
The image depicts a house with a gable roof, featuring a large front window and a smaller one to its left, surrounded by a well-manicured lawn and a few trees.
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Last minute

Join our family around the house and in the garden in Canterbury, New Zealand

Availability

  2025 

 Min stay requested: 1 month or more

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Details

  • Description

    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 prefer a longer stay over a few weeks, but we’re flexible. This could be a great opportunity for someone looking for accommodation while working part-time.

    About us
    We’re a warm and welcoming young family with three little ones (all under five). Hilde, the awesome Mum and lady of the house is currently undergoing chemotherapy and we’re looking for a compassionate and responsible couple to help us keep the household going. This would be for 15 hours per person per week, 3 hours a day from Thursday to Monday. Ideally 1.5 hours in the morning and 1.5 hours in the late afternoon/evening, but this can be discussed.

    We have had two wonderful couples stay with us for three months whilst also working in the local area (more than happy to ask if you can contact them for any questions). We are also open to one person finding a paid job in the area and the other person picking up their hours (so 6 hours a day) if that works better.

    What we need help with
    🧹 House tasks (tidying, vacuuming, dishes, laundry)
    🍳 In charge of cooking two vegan meals a week (these two meals will be for you as well of course – no other food provided)
    👶 Helping with our kids (playing, entertaining, occasional babysitting) – if you have experience looking after young children that’s a bonus but not a must have
    🛒 Running small errands (e.g., picking up groceries from an online order)
    🌿 Gardening & small outdoor projects around the house (especially in spring and autumn)
    🚐 A car is a must to get around

    Your accommodation
    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
    📍 30-40 minutes from Christchurch
    🍷 15 minutes from Waipara (perfect for wine lovers!)
    🌿 Just over an hour to Hanmer Springs (great for a weekend getaway)
    🚶 If you love walking, there’s a beautiful trail along the river leading to the beach.

    We immigrated to New Zealand 13 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. The next 12 months will be a challenging period for us as a family and if you decide to come and stay with us you will truly make a huge impact on our lives ❤

    If this sounds like the right fit for you, we’d love to hear from you! 😊

  • Types of help and learning opportunities

    Types of help and learning opportunities

    Gardening
    Babysitting and creative play
    Creating/ Cooking family meals
    Help around the house
    General Maintenance
  • Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

    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

    Projects involving children

    This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.

  • Help

    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: Beginner

    This 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

    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

    A little more information

    • Internet access

    • Limited internet access

      Limited internet access

    • We have pets

    • We are smokers

    • Can host families

  • Can host digital nomads

    Can host digital nomads

    We have unlimited WiFi and the connection is reasonable 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

    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?

    How many Workawayers can stay?

    Two

Host ref number: 439529841489

Website Safety

Feedback (13)



Photos

The image depicts a cozy bedroom with a bed, nightstand, and window, featuring a gray upholstered headboard and a striped blanket, set against a neutral-colored wall and carpeted floor.
The image depicts a cozy living room with a dining area, featuring a wooden table, blue sofa, TV, and balcony access, surrounded by natural light and a serene atmosphere.
The image depicts a cozy living room with a blue couch, wooden desk, and white refrigerator, exuding a warm and inviting atmosphere.
The image depicts a house with a gable roof, featuring a large front window and a smaller one to its left, surrounded by a well-manicured lawn and a few trees.
The image shows a man and woman posing for a selfie on the beach with a brown dog, set against a blue sky with white clouds.

Feedback

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Accuracy of profile:
(5.0)

Cultural exchange:
(4.8)

Communication:
(5.0)















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