New Zealand
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We are a busy little family living in the peaceful village of Portobello on the Otago Peninsula. It’s about a 25 minute drive from central Dunedin, just a few minutes from sea lions basking on one of the most beautiful wild beaches, and there’s an albatross colony up the road. Penguins live around here too. This is also one of the better places in NZ for seeing the Aurora.
We are American and Kiwi with two young children and a young poodle, so it's chaos. We have a large and untamed garden that we're slowly trying to get under control, and that's where we need your help. Our jobs are outside, so garden experience and generally working with your hands is a bonus but not essential. If you have any basic building/maintenance or forestry skills, we have plenty of jobs for you too.
We are interested in the good life, friends, family, food, music, crafts - there are guitars and a piano here that you are welcome to play. A mandolin too. We would love to meet anyone with mandolin skills. We love knitting and woodworking and lots of other creative pursuits that we never have enough time for, but we'd love to chat about them!
Gardening
Babysitting and creative play
Help around the house
This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.
We have a wealth of local knowledge about all the best spots to explore, and can point you in the right direction to see the unique things Otago Peninsula has to offer. We love chatting about New Zealand culture and hearing about your journeys. We will invite you into our home to share our family life. Our lives revolve around food, family, music, making, friends and community.
Our home life with kids and dog is always barely contained chaos, so you must be comfortable sharing space with small people and small dog, who will all be very interested in you.
In exchange for 4 hours in the garden we can provide your own private room and food during your stay.
Garden jobs include things like weeding, mulching, planting, wood chopping/stacking, more weeding, path building, clearing of larger shrubs/trees etc.
Vegetarians, diversity, LGBT couples, all welcome in our home. We’re open to negotiating hours, such as working more in the weekends to have weekdays off or whatever arrangement suits you and your plans.
English: Fluent
You will have your own room within our family house, sharing the bathroom with our family of 4. All food provided, we will cook for you. Unless you want to cook, which we would be totally fine with!
There is very limited bus service out here, you really need your own vehicle to explore everything the Otago Peninsula has to offer, which is wild beaches, sea lions, penguins, albatross, amazing walks, check out the Portobello Inc website for more info about local activities.
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
More than two
4 hours/day, 2 days off
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(5.0)
Cultural exchange:
(4.5)
Communication:
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