The image depicts a man sitting on a red stool, wearing a red jacket and holding a power tool, with a white house and storage area in the background.
The image depicts a serene garden scene, featuring raised wooden planters, a bird bath, and a tree, set against a backdrop of lush greenery and a cloudy sky.
The image depicts a cozy living room with a large window, featuring a couch, armchair, TV, and coffee table, with a serene view of trees and hills outside.
The image depicts a wooden deck with a table and bench, surrounded by lush greenery and a fence adorned with potted plants.
The image depicts a cluttered workshop with a large wooden box on a workbench, illuminated by a fluorescent light. The room is filled with various tools and materials.
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new host  

Learn new skills surrounded by bushland in suburban Lower Hutt, New Zealand

Availability

  2025 

 Min stay requested: No minimum

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Details

  • Description

    Description

    Hi there, I live in a valley half an hour out of Wellington close to our local river and surrounded by bushland. It's a beautiful place. I have a big garden which I need help with & in return I can provide good food, interesting conversation and a nice place to relax. I love discussing philosophy, psychology and anything to do with understanding the business of being human. I have an interesting little business making coffins & have no family but many friends. I'm always interested to meet new people.

  • Types of help and learning opportunities

    Types of help and learning opportunities

    Gardening
    DIY and building projects
    Help around the house
    General Maintenance
    Help with Computers/ Internet
  • Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

    Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

    Well, I'm an interesting person and that's all I can say really. I've lived on my property for 20yrs, doing all the landscaping and gardening myself, so I have lots of skills which I'm happy to share. The house is small but well set up with nice outdoor areas for relaxing in. There is a lovely view from the deck. I have a massage room which you are welcome to use & if you do a week in the garden I will throw in a free massage. There are some nice bush walks in the valley, a Buddhist monastery nearby & I have a decent TV with internet access. No Netflix sorry.

    If you are interested in learning basic landscaping or carpentry skills I can show you those & I also have facilities for small-scale Oamaru stone carving. I have a piano and enjoy sharing music with anyone who visits me. You can come to my choir rehearsals if you want!

    I travelled quite a bit in my early years & am always happy to meet new people.

  • Help

    Help

    My ideal visitor will be someone who is strong and capable of reasonably hard physical work - using a garden fork, carrying garden waste and so on. There will be a lot of weeding and some digging. I have a bad hip now so although I'm happy to work with you I am not as able as I used to be. So if there's any heavy lifting or awkward movements involved I will be asking you to do that for me. If you prefer indoor work my house always needs cleaning as I'm no fan of domestic duties.

  • Languages spoken

    English: Fluent
    French: Intermediate

  • Accommodation

    Accommodation

    I have two spare rooms at the moment, one single and one double, both furnished and comfortable. The house has one bathroom which we will all share. I am happy to provide breakfast lunch and dinner as well as tea and coffee but you will need your own snacks and soft drinks. The house is up 50 steps (hence the nice view) so it's quite a long way to carry your gear up. I live at the end of a very private cul-de-sac so it's quiet with parking on the street.

  • What else ...

    What else ...

    I live between two fairly large towns with all sorts of facilities including their fair share of galleries and cafes. I'm half an hour out of NZ's capital city. There are nice walks in the hills locally and down by the river and we have a local swimming pool with a gym as well.

    My domestic standards are pretty low and the house is definitely not Air bnb standard. It's more like a farmhouse really. I don't drink a lot of alcohol and don't like being around smokers as I am very sensitive to smell. So please visit me only if you are a non-smoker (this includes vape).

    I am happy to provide vegetarian food but not vegan or gluten free. My own diet is standard omnivore.

  • 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

    I'm not sure what a digital nomad is but if you are one I'm sure you can tell me. I have unlimited wifi so internet access is not a problem.

  • Can possibly accept pets

    Can possibly accept pets

    I draw the line at elephants sorry

  • How many Workawayers can stay?

    How many Workawayers can stay?

    More than two

Host ref number: 551376938959

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Photos

The image depicts a serene garden scene, featuring raised wooden planters, a bird bath, and a tree, set against a backdrop of lush greenery and a cloudy sky.
The image depicts a cozy living room with a large window, featuring a couch, armchair, TV, and coffee table, with a serene view of trees and hills outside.
The image depicts a wooden deck with a table and bench, surrounded by lush greenery and a fence adorned with potted plants.
The image depicts a cluttered workshop with a large wooden box on a workbench, illuminated by a fluorescent light. The room is filled with various tools and materials.
The image depicts a man sitting on a red stool, wearing a red jacket and holding a power tool, with a white house and storage area in the background.

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