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Help with gardening at our family place in Hawaii, United States

Availability

  2024 

 Min stay requested: No minimum

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Details

  • Description

    Description

    We are a couple on a 1-acre plot in Puna, 12 miles from Hilo and between Keaau and Pahoa. The 20 year old house is surrounded by beautiful tropical vegetation and some unaltered lava mounds just a few centuries old. The ocean is over 3 miles away, usable beaches even further. This is *not* a tourist area, but an inland and ordinary (for Hawaii) rural zone. Our dead-end street is well-maintained and has little traffic, yet is very close to a major highway and bus stop.

  • Types of help and learning opportunities

    Types of help and learning opportunities

    Gardening
    Animal Care
    Creating/ Cooking family meals
    Help around the house
    General Maintenance
    House sitting
  • Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

    Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

    You will learn about various tropical plants, both native and some of the invasive ones we're trying to control, although the invasive guava can actually be quite tasty, and we'll show you how to identify the ripe fruits. You will definitely meet and possibly help catch, butcher, and eat some wild chickens and pigs. You'll also at least hear of the less visible denizens like mongooses, chicken hawks, and coqui frogs. You can also learn about many of the unique physical, social, economic and even legal peculiarities of this island state, such the island's strong "re-use" culture where little goes to waste. I can give tips about using various lawn tools, including a chainsaw if you're interested, but that must be used with supervision. One of my projects this year will be replanting bamboo shoots to grow new trees, so we can experiment together with that. We have lots of bamboo, so you might be able to take some home, or make a pet project with it. We will also be spreading new cinder to make soil on a recently-flattened area of the yard, planting grass and some native trees and plants.

    We are not Hawaiian natives, but have great respect for their culture and try to keep learning more about it so we can honor those who came before us before the unjust seizure of most of their land, so as we go I'll share my limited third-hand knowledge of this. You'll also learn about how modern technology facilitates island life via our self-contained rainwater catchment system, and solar water heater and PV/battery system which makes us about 90% independent of the electrical grid.

    About us: Scott is an independent scholar in philosophical ethics, also interested in science & history. Jennifer enjoys arts, crafts, and cooking. Her art uses both African and Hawaiian themes, using some local materials or inspiration. We have progressive politics and humanistic values, respect science and reality, and are fully vaccinated. If you are a Trumpian conspiracy theorist, please look elsewhere; LGBTQ & allies will find a warm welcome, not just here but throughout the islands, which has a very diverse population.

  • Help

    Help

    Most help required is fairly basic: cutting and moving around unwanted trees/brush, relocating rocks, clearing moss and other vegetation off of volcanic rocks, etc. Certain tasks require heavy lifting, but many do not. Any experience with tropical plants, or chickens and pigs, is welcome but not essential. We're open to ideas about arranging lava rocks, maybe even planting additional fruit trees or other vegetation.

    We are also open to visitors with cooking skills who can share dishes from their own cultures. We also wouldn't turn away a good masseuse--we both like to do lots of outdoor work and sometimes wear our old muscles out!

    There are mosquitos and stinging fire ants in the yard, though we have repellant against the former, and the latter have been greatly pushed back by some poison treatments. Individual sensitivities to these vary greatly; I'm largely immune while they drive Jennifer nuts! We also provide gloves and safety goggles as needed.

    Amount of help requested: We calculate this as 3 hours per night stayed, and 2 hours every seventh night for a total of 20 per seven day period. This does not mean you work every day, it should just add up to that during your stay. You should try to be flexible about when you work, keeping in mind:
    - type of work needed (some is best done with a partner, some separately)
    - weather (rainy days shut down most outdoor work, while on sunny days it can get pretty hot by early afternoon)
    - time off (you should plan some whole days off to relax or explore the island; not necessarily weekends)

    We're happy to be flexible in turn and negotiate work times to meet individual needs and capacities. If you get tired or overheated, please take a break and recuperate. You're never far from the house, so come back inside or at least into the shade anytime, and stay well-hydrated, we have plenty of ice water. If you don't feel suited to a particular task, let us know and we'll try to find a different one for you.

  • Languages spoken

    English: Fluent

  • Accommodation

    Accommodation

    Workaways will usually use the main floor bedroom, which has a very comfortable king bed, a small private lanai, and is adjacent to the shared living room, kitchen, and bathroom.

    FOOD: We will provide basic meals, or staples (e.g., rice, pinto beans, egg noodles, butter, instant potatoes and milk, frozen vegetables, spices) for you to make your own with. Meat will usually be chicken or pork, often harvested off the land. If you have specialized diet/tastes, including vegetarian/vegan, you may have to purchase additional supplementary food; there are farmers' markets within walking distance, and many stores in Kea'au or Hilo. We are actually unlikely to take vegetarian visitors as we found they are difficult to provide for. Note that while dry bulk goods are essentially the same price as the mainland, some perishable foods are significantly more expensive, including milk products, bread and (perhaps surprisingly) fruit. If your tastes lean to the latter, you may have to adjust.

  • What else ...

    What else ...

    There are no interesting places to visit within walking distance, but on the free county bus (#40, stops 2000 feet from the house) you can easily reach Hilo, or the smaller villages of Kea'au or Pahoa. Hilo has several swimming holes/tidal pools, the incredible Rainbow Falls, a free lava tube park, many museums on local culture, history, biology, and ocean science, and art galleries. Pahoa has a few galleries and museums as well.

    A car is needed to reach most of the more scenic or touristy sites. If you don't rent your own car, we can drive you to one scenic site per week, more if it fits our plans, but please don't expect frequent chauffeuring beyond this. Nearby sites include Volcano National Park, Lava Tree State Park, and other parks and beaches in lower Puna. There are a few beaches north of Hilo, although all the most desirable beaches on the island are on the west (Kona) side. There are many hiking trails of various lengths both up the mountains and down to the shores in almost all directions, and some fresh lava sites from the 2018 eruption are a must-see. We can probably take you to and from the Hilo airport, but if you're traveling via Kona you should take the bus to our side.

    Plan for an initial stay of no more than one week. If we get along and like your work, this might be extended. I realize this makes planning difficult for people who are coming from off-island, but frankly we've had a few visitors who did little work, and seemed to be hoping to spend every afternoon at a beach, so now require a trial period. We had to turn two people away after a single day; one who did little work, and more recently another who left abruptly and took property which was not returned. We don't like to do this, so make sure you're really a match for our needs and setting, and can commit to basic rules and common courtesy, before making a request. OTOH, we've had many very delightful experiences with excited workaway visitors and look forward to many more.


    Please include the following numbered answers in your request:

    1) your covid-19 vaccination status and health insurance status (documentation not required, just your assurance).
    2) your specific experience and/or interest in the kind of work we are asking for.

    Before you arrive, also give us your full name(s), phone # & other relevant contact information, including the name and contact information for one adult (relative or close friend) who is not traveling with you, in case we need to reach somebody about your situation.

  • 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

    Yes, in fact one household member works online and never had serious access difficulty.

  • Space for parking camper vans

    Space for parking camper vans

    There is limited parking space close to electrical outlets, though you'd have to come inside for water. We'd rather not host campervans though.

  • How many Workawayers can stay?

    How many Workawayers can stay?

    More than two

  • ...

    Hours expected

    4 hours/day, but see final note under "help requested"

Host ref number: 464984485752

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