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Host rating
100 %
Last replied
6 Jun 2025
Reply rate
100.0 %
Usually responds within 17 days
Feedback
29
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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
Types of help and learning opportunities
Help with Eco Projects
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Farmstay help
Help around the house
General Maintenance
Interests
Vegetarian or vegan
Van life
Sustainability
Politics / Social justice
Movies & TV
Culture
Events & social
Farming
Writing
Music
Languages
History
Gardening
Carpentry
Books
Astronomy
Animals
Fitness
Hiking
Yoga / Wellness
Water sports
Sailing / Boating
Mountain
Nature
Cycling
Camping
Beach
UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve
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.
Help
1. Organic Orchard gardening (cultivating, weeding, fertilizing, edging, integrated / organic pest management, etc..
2. Help with house maintenance & projects.
3. Picking / processing mac-nuts, coffee...
4. Designing & building a new composter suitable for our area.
Languages
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Chinese (Mandarin): Fluent
Spanish: Intermediate
French: IntermediateThis host offers a language exchange
I have always been fascinated by language... words... where they originated and how they evolved. A bit of an "armchair linguist."
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.
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.
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Can host digital nomads
We have good wifi and it covers much of our property.
Space for parking camper vans
We also have space for your tent or a camper-van.
How many Workawayers can stay?
One
Feedback (13)
Paula's first stay was for a month (Jan./Feb. 2019), as a fun, happy, and excellent helper at our Big Island Tiny Sanctuary and young tropical mini-orchard. Paula did SO much varied, quality work for me 🙏.
The following Dec., Paula… read more
I really didn’t want Pessy to go back home ~ and if you have the fortunate opportunity to host Pessy, you’ll experience what I mean ~ and love being around her kind, peaceful, fun spirit & energy.
Pessy is an amazing young woman. She is 100% real / authentic and has a gentle heart and wisdom way beyond her years. She is very… read more
David is one of the most generous, respectful, honest, and grounded people I've ever met. During my time in his home he ensured my comfort and safety at all times which I was very grateful for. Working on his beautiful home and on his fruitful trees was an honor and I learned a lot from… read more
Helen was the perfect guest.
Helen has a strong body and a gentle heart.
I totally enjoyed and appreciate her integrity, her focused, happy work and attention to detail, and most of all, her awesome happy spirit and company. I consider Helen family now - after only 3… 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:
(4.9)
Cultural exchange:
(5.0)
Communication:
(5.0)
Paula's first stay was for a month (Jan./Feb. 2019), as a fun, happy, and excellent helper at our Big Island Tiny Sanctuary and young tropical mini-orchard. Paula did SO much varied, quality work for me 🙏.
The following Dec., Paula… read more
I really didn’t want Pessy to go back home ~ and if you have the fortunate opportunity to host Pessy, you’ll experience what I mean ~ and love being around her kind, peaceful, fun spirit & energy.
Pessy is an amazing young woman. She is 100% real / authentic and has a gentle heart and wisdom way beyond her years. She is very… read more
David is one of the most generous, respectful, honest, and grounded people I've ever met. During my time in his home he ensured my comfort and safety at all times which I was very grateful for. Working on his beautiful home and on his fruitful trees was an honor and I learned a lot from… read more
Helen was the perfect guest.
Helen has a strong body and a gentle heart.
I totally enjoyed and appreciate her integrity, her focused, happy work and attention to detail, and most of all, her awesome happy spirit and company. I consider Helen family now - after only 3… read more
Kiara did all of the many, diverse projects and jobs that I gave her with a smile and with a commitment to quality.
We also went “holo holo” a bunch on this… read more
JUST THE BEST EXPERIENCE EVER!!!
David is an amazing host! He treated me as his own child, protected me and carrying so much about me any time!! I felt so safe at his Tiny Sanctuary!! So well connected to the town, where I loved to go cycling and enjoying my time around. David is AN AMAZING CHEF! Specially cause I have so many… read more
Such a FUN, happy, respectful, and sincere guest. I totally enjoyed hosting Sabrina for a month.
We shared lots of fun green-work in our edible-landscape & orchard: weeding, cultivating, fertilizing, planting, pruning, picking, processing, and even experimenting with some new bio-dynamic techniques! Sabrina… read more
Steph is a very open, thoughtful, and kind, with a huge, beautiful heart. We had a great time working and playing together on this amazing island home. Steph is a great worker and I’m grateful for all her conscientious help with the… read more
Mitch is calm, centered, gentle, and kind, and she has a really positive influence on others - including me. She is also very respectful and a great worker. I totally enjoyed her spirit, her help and her company.
In addition to working together, we practiced yoga together, did a… read more
I totally enjoyed hosting sisters Ingrid and Hedi. I was immediately impressed at how positive, thoughtful, sincere, and centered these two beautiful souls are. Meals together was always a pleasure - they were always happy and grateful and our conversations were stimulating and insightful.
I appreciate all of their… read more
I was very welcomed and David always helped if I… read more
He is not takes great care of others, but also himself. A great model of human being. From bottom of my heart I respect and honer… read more
