Join our retreat in Leigh, near Auckland, New Zealand

Details

• 

  Description

  We’re Helen and Dean, the hosts of this retreat, a wedding and events venue nestled in beautiful Matheson Bay, an hour north of Auckland city. Together we’re building a place that blends nature, creativity, and connection — and we love welcoming people who want to be part of that journey.
  
  I (Helen) have a background in education and have been a principal for many years. Dean has worked in sales. We have five children who are between 23- 32 and the younger three are all around the place traveling and have done workaways. We fell in love with this property almost a year ago and put everything we owned into it to give it a good go! A fun adventure and a steep learning curve. The previous owners had cancelled almost all the weddings to sell the property as they needed to return to the UK in a hurry so we have spent a year learning and have had one wedding and one elopement. Lots is about to happen though in the next few months.
  
  Dean is fun, hands-on and practical, with plenty of gardening and maintenance skills. Helen brings the vision and hospitality along with gardening skills that help keep the venue running smoothly and we both love helping guests feel at home. Between us, we value teamwork, good conversation, and creating an environment where everyone feels appreciated.
  
  Workawayers who join us will find a friendly home base, plenty of variety in daily gardening and maintenance tasks, and the chance to be part of something special growing here at the retreat.
  
  We love watching the seasons change here, next to native bush in a a private valley 2 minutes from the beach, hearing the native birds around us, and seeing wedding and rental guests relax on arrival.

• 

  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Help with Eco Projects

  Gardening

  DIY and building projects

  Animal Care

  Creating/ Cooking family meals

  Help around the house

  General Maintenance

  Help with Computers/ Internet
• 

  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  It’s all about sharing skills, stories, and cultures. Help out with gardening, events, or property tasks — and in return, teach us about your culture, cook your favourite meals, or share local traditions. Every day is a chance to learn, laugh, and make lasting friendships in a beautiful New Zealand setting.

• 

  Host offers payment in line with the minimum wage

  This host offers accommodation and payment.

• 

  Help

  Weeding, planting, mulching, pruning, watering, mowing, or helping us care for the trees, flowerbeds or alpacas that make it such a beautiful space for weddings. Sometimes we’ll be preparing new areas of the property, tidying paths, or creating little corners for guests to enjoy.
  
  Other tasks might include helping set up or pack down after weddings, cleaning and arranging furniture, painting or light DIY projects, or general property maintenance. For those who enjoy creative work, there are sometimes opportunities to help with styling, décor, or even social media content.
  Every day is a little different — which keeps things interesting!

• 

  Languages

  Languages spoken
  English: Fluent

  This host offers a language exchange
  This host has indicated that they are interested in sharing their own language or learning a new language.
  You can contact them directly for more information.
• 

  Accommodation

  Sleepout - insulated, double glazed, ceiling fan and Wifi (approx. 10 metres from the cottage).
  • 2 x single beds (can be pushed together if requested)
  • Linens, towels
  • Sleeps 2
  • Shared use of the cottage for tidy and respectful food preparation and relaxation
  • We will pay $25ph for work done in business-related areas, and if you are here working in our home gardens or paddocks, we will give you breakfast, lunch and dinner in lieu of payment.

• 

  What else ...

  There are so many things to do around here.
  
  While alcohol and smoking are permitted, drunkenness and smoking will not be accepted in or near the venue.

• 

  A little more information

  • 

    Internet access

  • 

    Limited internet access

  • 

    We have pets

  • 

    We are smokers

  • 

    Can host families

• 

  Can host digital nomads

  Happy for you to work from here and to share your skills!

• 

  Space for parking camper vans

  We have private power, water and hard parking surface, away from the cottage

• 

  Can possibly accept pets

  Dog welcome if child-friendly, and you clean up after it

• 

  How many Workawayers can stay?

  Two

• 

  My animals / pets

Website Safety

Chat with Workawayers who've visited this host

Feedback (1)