Profile information
Host rating
100 %
Last replied
14 Jun 2025
Reply rate
96.2 %
Usually responds within 9 days
Feedback
14
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Details
Description
Aloha, we are a family of three living on a lovely homestead in the Puna district of Hawai'i island.
After living for 10 years closer to the ocean we chose quiet, space, the sound of birds and the wind through the Ohia trees as the place to call home. Our property has a variety of fruit trees and small garden spaces that we maintain and wish to increase to provide more food for ourselves over time.
Gig works from home doing a variety of IT and media work, while Martha works at the ʻImiloa Center at the University of Hilo supporting informal STEM education programming and Hawaiian medium programming and capacity building. Our daughter attends Hawaiian medium schooling.
When messaging us, please include:
1. The dates you want to be hosted at our homestead
2. Acknowledge that you have read our complete profile and are comfortable with what we are offering.
3. Detail your abilities and what you are most interested in offering. We have a variety of projects and can often accommodate what you like to do.... though there is always a heavy focus on land maintenance.
4. Do you have a drivers license? and a phone so we can contact you during your stay? Are you planning on renting a car?
5. Are you 21+ years old? eW know there are amazing people doing great work who are under 21 but we feel more comfortable hosting those over 21 years of age.
We are looking for two friends or a couple (we are a bit remote and its nice to have someone to travel with on your off time, also we are currently asking that guests keep social circles small to prevent illnesses). You will need to feel comfortable in a rural environment and will need to rent a car (we can give you a list of more affordable options).
We love our animal friends, three dogs, two cats and 15+ chickens.
We have a 2 week minimum and a two-month maximum. We will pick up and drop you off at the HILO airport or bus station as long as we can coordinate it with our schedules.
We are conscious omnivores, and are able to accommodate most dietary needs. We eat mostly locally sourced whole foods, plus some bulk grains from off-island. You are invited to join us for dinners when we are eating at home and there will be some dry goods available to you for other meals.
Mahalo
Types of help and learning opportunities
Help with Eco Projects
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Animal Care
Farmstay help
Help around the house
General Maintenance
Interests
Technology
Events & social
Politics / Social justice
Sustainability
Pets
Culture
Self development
Farming
History
Music
Plant care
DIY & crafts
Art & design
Books
Cooking & food
Gardening
Languages
Photography
Drawing & painting
Animals
Yoga / Wellness
Nature
Fitness
Camping
Dancing
Beach
Outdoor activities
Hiking
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
When we asked our daughter the one thing she wanted from the workaway experience, she said “ they should speak Hawaiian” :-) While we know that you probably donʻt we invite you to learn with us as we focus on learning the Hawaiian language and engaging with the island in a meaningful way. We invite you to learn with us and participate in giving back to the island through caring for the land.
Projects involving children
This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.
Help
If you volunteer at our home, we ask for 20 hours a week helping with general household support and tasks best suited to your skills. This could include weeding, home maintenance, housekeeping, gardening, yard maintenance, fruit picking or helping with a larger project if we have one under way. Workdays would typically be Monday to Friday, but we are flexible with those who prefer to help 3 longer days and have four full days off each week.
We have found a good flow to be starting in the mornings and having afternoons and weekends to yourselves to explore island. We invite you join us for dinner (please do the dishes if you join us :)
Our current project and ongoing tasks we would like help with are;
- Weed whacking, weeding, mowing, general yard maintenance, harvesting (this is primary)
- Construction projects / painting / house maintenance
- Housekeeping
- Daily animal care
- House sitting (occasional weekends when we go camping)
Languages
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Spanish: Intermediate
Hawaiian: BeginnerThis host offers a language exchange
We are studying Hawaiian as a family with our 9 year old daughter who attends a Hawaiian medium school. We look forward to sharing with you as we learn and we encourage you to teach us all your native language as we believe this will increase our families capacity for learning.
Accommodation
Accommodation is in our home. You will have the guest room on the ground floor to yourself (full bed, linens, towels and separate garden entrance if desired). You will have access to a full bath (we will use it rarely but do have some storage in the closet), plus there is a fantastic outdoor shower (all we ever use) which you are welcome to use. The ground floor also has an office we work from. Upstairs are our bedrooms, a large lanai (porch), and open floor plan kitchen and living area. You would have full access to the upstairs kitchen and living areas.
If you are two friends traveling together you will share the room but we do have an extra fold-out mattress if desired.
You are welcome to join us for dinner whenever we are eating at home (please plan to do the dishes if you join us :), and you will provide your own breakfast and lunch foods, minus what you are gather from the land and some dry goods you can access. Our night time routine starts right after dinner and our daughter is in bed at 8pm, please plan on quiet evenings unless we all make plans together (for a game or such) which we do enjoy from time to time, or a semi-regular weekly dart night.
What else ...
We live rurally: about 10 - 15 minutes driving from the ocean (cliffs and tide pools), 30 + minutes to swimmable beaches, 30 minutes from Volcano National Park, 35 minutes from Hilo and 20 minutes from Pahoa and Keaʻau towns.
We are very friendly and enjoy company and visitors. We love to have friends visit to play cards, games, make music and share stories, though since we both work from home and have a young child we would ask that you do not have many visitors during the week. We love to share dinner together and with others; you would be welcome to join us whenever you are here.
The Puna district is stunningly beautiful and often frequented by artists, musicians, yogis, adventurers, and those looking to get off the beaten path. The volcano offers breathtaking hikes, while the ocean is fiercely beautiful and full of raw energy (but don't come to Puna expecting white sand beaches and Mai Tais); please do your research to ensure this is the Hawai'i you want to experience.
We love where we live and hope you will enjoy it as well.
We may be able to show you around from time to time, but are quite busy and need guests who are highly independent. Renting a car is necessary as public transportation is not a practical option and you will want to explore the island. We can talk about affordable option when we speak before confirming your trip.
Please do your research!
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Can host digital nomads
We have fiber optic internet and experience few downtimes or issues with upload or download speeds. Gig works from home most days on his computer. There are multiple spaces available besides your room where you can use the internet. Please let us know if you will be balancing work with trade, as we will want to make sure everyone's expectations align.
Space for parking camper vans
A passenger size van would be the largest we could accomidate as the turn around space can get muddy.
How many Workawayers can stay?
Two
My animals / pets
Feedback (10)
First of all, Martha's family is very charming and welcomed us with open arms.
Martha is a very warm person, with good advice and an excellent cook. She always had ideas for chores we could do (mostly outside as the garden is lush… read more
Photos
Feedback
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Accuracy of profile:
(5.0)
Cultural exchange:
(5.0)
Communication:
(5.0)
First of all, Martha's family is very charming and welcomed us with open arms.
Martha is a very warm person, with good advice and an excellent cook. She always had ideas for chores we could do (mostly outside as the garden is lush… read more
The accommodation they provide you is astounding and so incredibly reasonable for the workload and… read more
The… read more
Gig and Martha lead a healthy, happy lifestyle. They consistently… read more
Since the first day I came, they made me feel very welcomed. I was supposed to babysit their daughter time to time and to take care of the house and animals when they went for a weekend trip. Makena is cute… read more
