Profile information
Host rating
80 %
Last replied
7 Nov 2023
Feedback
3
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Email verified
Badges (2)
Details
Description
We are a Canuckiwi family - Nicole is from Canada, John is a Kiwi, and in June 2022, we welcomed our newest member to the family -- a wonderful baby girl named Kalani.
We met at Burning Man in 2013 and began our life together almost instantly. We were married in Hawaii in 2018 and traveled Central and South America for 18 months until summer weddings brought us back to NZ, and Covid made us stay.
We turned lemons into lemonade and shifted our focus from travel to a shared vision of starting an eco-retreat where we would welcome guests to disconnect from technology and reconnect with themselves and nature. We purchased a property on 25-acres of native forest, complete with freshwater springs, Kiwi birds, and glowworms. The land is right on the Twin Coast Cycle Trail between Opua and the Hokianga Harbour. We live completely off the grid (aside from the internet), using solar power, spring, and rainwater, and working on growing our own vegetables and fruit.
We want to protect our land and the Kiwi that live here and work to grow our own food and give back to the environment. We are aiming to create a yoga and nature retreat over the next 12 - 24 months where people can come to get away from the city, reconnect with nature and themselves, and learn how to unplug, reset and restore.
Nicole works full-time as an executive with an e-commerce company, and John is a physiotherapist by trade but sold his physiotherapy company to pursue his dream of being a writer and start this eco-retreat! He just won an award in America for his debut novel and is now seeking a publisher in New York to get his novel published in the States.
We have three rescue animals: a beautiful Huntaway dog, named Rosa, a Labrador/Mastiff cross named Machado, and a lovely Burmese cat named "Baby". All animals love coming on forest walks and will happily snuggle up with you or give you your space if you'd prefer!
We both love to do yoga and meditate every day, usually at sunset, and one of the projects we will be undertaking will be a yoga deck in our meadow.
John loves to surf and heads at least once a week to beaches on the east coast, or point beaks and reefs on the west coast. If you are a Workaway surfer, let us know! John would love to have a surfing buddy to go with and has extra boards if needed!
We also do "at home" workouts each morning, mostly bodyweight training with kettlebells and TRX, and runs to the river with our dog Rosa, and would love to assist with training programs with Workawayers if they wish or collaborate (or stay sleeping, whatever you want!)
We also love to play music and have several guitars, a ukelele, a banjo, and harmonicas.
Types of help and learning opportunities
Art Projects
Language practice
Help with Eco Projects
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Animal Care
Farmstay help
Babysitting and creative play
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Help around the house
General Maintenance
UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
The Utakura Valley is a special place in NZ. The farmer who sold us the land (who goes by the name of "Snow") is a lovely man and still operates in the Utakura Valley. His great grandfather was one of the first European colonizers in the area and got along very well with the local Maori Chief.
The Chief learned about cattle farming and agriculture from Snow’s great grandfather, and Snow's great grandfather learned from the Chief about sustainability and showing respect for the native forest and its animals.
The evidence of this relationship is clear throughout the property in the old, crumbling stone walls seen throughout the land which used to serve as fences for their cattle. The mature native bush, bountiful fauna and flora, and drinkable freshwater springs shows that sustainable farming has clearly been utilized throughout this valley from the start.
Our goal is to take this forest to the next level and help the beautiful Kiwi and native birds throughout this forest to thrive, and protect them and their home for future generations. We would love to teach and learn from our Workawayers about living in balance with nature, learning from the plants, science, and indigenous wisdom.
Our home has a view like no other. It looks over a valley with river and swimming hole access and backs onto the Twin Coast Cycle Trail between Opua and Hokianga Harbour.
There are at least four kiwi birds immediately around the property and our main priority with the property is to protect them and their habitat. We also have many Ruru (moreporks), Kereru (native wood pigeons), Piwakawaka (fantails), Tuis, Silvereyes and Waxeyes, peacocks, and turkeys.
There are also walking tracks around the property and glow worms visible at night along the creek lines.
We are very comfortably 'off the grid' and passionate about protecting the native forest and teaching others about how to live sustainably and learning from others about their methods of sustainable living.
Projects involving children
This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.
Help
Main projects we will be looking to undertake in the next few months are as follows:
- Gardening: Assisting with garden creations around the property and maintenance of current gardens, including weed whacking, maintaining the banana forest, weed control, planting etc
- Vegetable Garden: Assisting with building and planting fruit and vegetable gardens in a greenhouse.
- Building: Helping with land clearing/leveling for accommodation pods and building decks and platforms for glamping tents. Helping with building chicken coop. Helping with creating walking tracks throughout the bush.
- Artwork: Creating signage for walking tracks around the forest and down to the river.
- Forest Regeration: Helping with clearing forest creek lines, clearing for walking tracks, and planting of new native trees to regenerate forest.
- Pest Control: Helping with possum, rat and stoat trapping.
- Cooking & Cleaning: We now have a little one so help with cooking dinner would be hugely appreciated and general cleaning around house.
Languages
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Spanish: IntermediateThis host offers a language exchange
We travelled through Central and South America for almost two years so would be very interested in continuing to keep our Spanish sharp!
Accommodation
The guest room is private, separated from the main house, with its own entrance, ensuite, and a beautiful view over the Utakuru Valley & river (it's the best view in the house - see photos below!). Queen bed with bedding included.
Main kitchen and living spaces to be shared. Unlimited internet access.
We will provide breakfast, lunch, and dinner 5 days/week. We have limited fridge space, but there is ample pantry space. Cooking dinner for the group may be part of the hours some days (with food provided).
What else ...
A 4 wheel drive vehicle is recommended, as we do live down a bit of a wild driveway -- or at least 4wd or country-road driving experience. 2wd cars have no problem on our driveway, but people with no experience driving on country roads may feel nervous driving on it. People with experience have had no issues whatsoever with 2wd cars on the driveway.
We spend our weekends exploring the Far North, there are plenty of things to do, like walking trails, private beaches, surf spots, restaurants, cafes, and of course, the cycle trail.
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Can host digital nomads
We also work online from home and have unlimited Starlink internet which runs fast and can be accessed throughout our home.
Space for parking camper vans
This host can provide space for campervans.
How many Workawayers can stay?
More than two
Hours expected
Maximum 4-5 hours a day, 5 days a week
Feedback (2)
He was a wonderful, intelligent, and caring guy who we had awesome conversations with, helped with work around our land, shared many elements of his culture with us, and was a wonderful friend to our 18 month daughter (she absolutely adored him).
He helped to build… read more
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Accuracy of profile:
(5.0)
Cultural exchange:
(5.0)
Communication:
(4.5)
He was a wonderful, intelligent, and caring guy who we had awesome conversations with, helped with work around our land, shared many elements of his culture with us, and was a wonderful friend to our 18 month daughter (she absolutely adored him).
He helped to build… read more
