Big Island tiny sanctuary in Honokaa, Hawaii, USA

Details

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  Description

  Please READ OUR ENTIRE POST ~ before emailing us – especially our CALENDAR / availability, thx. Our season to welcome guest volunteers is generally mid-NOVEMBER TO MID MARCH.
  
  Aloha from Big Island, Tiny Sanctuary
  
  “Big Island Tiny Farm” was the original name given our place by a neighbor-friend, with tongue in cheek, because I’m always outside tending to our tropical fruit and coffee trees, bushes, and plants. We share what we harvest with neighbors and friends, but we’re not a business or “commercial” grower (ie., we are a private home, not a business and we do not sell our produce to the public).
  
  We (and and our guests) consider our home a sanctuary. We’re not a commercial yoga studio. Yoga and meditation are simply part of our daily way of living.
  
  We built a sweet studio home on a lovely half acre lot in Honoka’a. It is like a live-aboard Yoga studio with an open kitchen, a large private bathroom, and a second outside shower.”
  
  Our studio home is our sanctuary, and we live a simple, mindful life. We’re in a small neighborhood on the edge of Honoka’a with good neighbors and an awesome view of Maui on clear days. Our property is only a half acre, but it is large enough and very fertile – so we are growing an “Edible Landscape” that will provide much of our diet.
  
  We have 3 mature mac nut trees, bananas, guavas (3 varieties), papayas, mangoes, avocados (3 varieties), Myers lemons, limes, cara cara and Valencia oranges, grapefruit, rollinia deliciosa, Abiu, Brazilian cherries, coffee, dragon fruit, green tea, and more - and they’re doing great!
  
  We’re interested in building several raised beds for veggies. We’re also interested in creating an island-specific compost setup that won’t attract rodents and undesirable pests - which is a challenge here in the tropics 😉.
  
  Our studio home is quite open, with lots of glass (and screens). It is simple, clean, and safe.
  
  ** AND We NOW (finally) have a new, clean, dry, and tidy 8'X 13' garden shed with a single bed platform and comfortable sleeping pad available for a guest worker :-). (See the recently added photo. I have added a small table, chair, lamp, etc.) We also have a large tent and a small tent to offer if you prefer the full camping under the stars experience.**
  
  We built our studio with an extra outside shower, which is fun, and an exterior door directly into the bathroom.
  
  Honoka'a is our favorite place in all of the islands... Lots of beauty and community. The Hamakua Coast is alive, awake, and thriving in many ways. We’ve watched an agri-cultural renaissance evolve here for the past dozen-plus years. We love it so much we put down roots!
  
  We only host ONE Workaway guest-helper at a time. Most of our Workaway guests have arranged to stay for a month - which has been great.
  
  The Hele-On Bus passes right through Honoka'a:
  
  
  Please note - Honokaa is NOT Kona - it is a wonderful, historic small town on the beautiful green (windward) side of the island, and like all of the Hawaiian Eastern / Windward shores we love the life-giving rain missing on much of the west side.
  If you want touristy night life, big city buzz and hanging on the beach every day - maybe look for a host on the west side...?
  
  * In general, we host one volunteer guest-helper at a time for about a month +/-.
  
  * Our sweet little studio home is extremely clean and tidy - especially the kitchen and bathroom - and we have had no bug or mildew problems (which are common in the islands). We ask our guests to be mindful and follow our simple house rules - to help us maintain a safe, clean, healthy environment.
  
  Please read our guests' feedback / reviews.
  
  🏝️✌️🏻♥️🎶 🙏
  Aloha, Peace, Love, Music, & Gratitude

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Help with Eco Projects

  Gardening

  DIY and building projects

  Farmstay help

  Help around the house

  General Maintenance
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  UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve

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  What's this?
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  Honokaa is an old-world, Historic Hawaiian community - not the touristy experience that most tourists limit themselves to.
  There is an awesome Agri-Cultural-Renaissance underway on this beautiful Hamakua Coast. The Hamakua Harvest / Honokaa Sunday Market is more than a typical farmers market ♥️.
  
  We have ensured that our guest helpers have enjoyed the many natural and cultural wonders of our area - and beach time.
  
  You’re welcomed to join in meditation and /or yoga practice if you like.
  
  I (David) am vegetarian - mostly vegan now. My past veggie, vegan workaway guests have been quite happy with my meal prep. Shing is an awesome chef when she’s on-island !
  
  If you plan to extend your time in the islands, we're happy to help with local knowledge, must-see's, and less costly options & opportunities.

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  Help

  1. Organic Orchard gardening (cultivating, weeding, fertilizing, edging, integrated / organic pest management, etc..
  2. Help with house maintenance & projects - including a fresh coat of paint on our studio home again this winter of 2024/25.
  3. Picking / processing mac-nuts, coffee...
  4. Designing & building a new composter suitable for our area.

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  Languages

  Languages spoken
  English: Fluent
  Chinese (Mandarin): Fluent
  Spanish: Intermediate
  French: Intermediate

  This host offers a language exchange
  I have always been fascinated by language... words... where they originated and his they evolved. A bit of an "armchair linguist."
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  Accommodation

  * Our new (private) 8’ X 13' garden shed.
  * Our new (small) double tent.
  * Our HUGE 10X16 tent.
  * Your tent if you prefer.
  * I've allowed a few guests to use our extra futon couch in past years.

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  What else ...

  I've been a musician most of my life. I have a keyboard, ukulele, a bass, and several guitars in our studio and I still play often.
  
  We're close to the amazing Waipio Valley.
  
  Honokaa is alive & thriving and there is often something going on in town. (Movies, concerts, & dance at our “Honokaa People’s Theatre”, the local pub, several restaurants with music, etc.).
  
  Kamuela / Waimea is a 15 minute drive. Hilo is 45 minutes, Kona is 1+ hour. We have some amazing back roads and trails for running & biking - just out our door. (We have a guest bike). There is much to see and do on our beautiful Hamakua Coast and the Big Island.

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  A little more information

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    Internet access

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    Limited internet access

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    We have pets

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    We are smokers

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    Can host families

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  Can host digital nomads

  We have good wifi and it covers much of our property.

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  Space for parking camper vans

  We also have space for your tent or a camper-van.

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  One

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  Hours expected

  16 to 20 hours a week divided over 3 to 5 mornings. We’re pretty flexible.

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