Profile information
Host rating
80 %
Last replied
3 Sep 2024
Feedback
44
Email verified
Badges (2)
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Description
Kia ora!
Haere mai! We are a family that loves to be outside, play, dance, read, talk, and meet new people from around the world.
Jason works in IT and loves skateboarding, snowboarding, climbing and other related pursuits. Ann works as a play consultant and spends the rest of her time gardening, doing yoga, dancing, climbing trees and riding her bike. Sydelle (20), Nova (17), and Felix (13) do the stuff that kids do, and Matilda the dog hasn't provided a report about what she does all day... Silver is the most chilled out bunny you'll ever meet.... and we also have some chickens.
Originally from the states, we have lived here for 23 years, and love this part of the world. We feel really lucky to have a beautiful home in Bayswater with views of the sea and city skyline, close to the action in Auckland but surrounded by peaceful coastline and beautiful trees.
We are trying to reduce/reuse/recycle our waste, buying local organic/free range or using produce from our own garden wherever possible. We've been vegan/vegetarian in the past but currently flexitarian!
Our guest bedroom is suitable for a single traveler, two travelers, or travelers with a smallish child.
Please get in touch, we would love to welcome you as a guest into our home, feel free to borrow our bikes, paddleboards, surfboards, skateboards, etc. to go out and explore.
Types of help and learning opportunities
Art Projects
Language practice
Teaching
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Animal Care
Babysitting and creative play
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Help around the house
General Maintenance
House sitting
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
We have immersed ourselves in Kiwi culture, and our children have all grown up here. Ann has strong interest in Te Reo and Tikanga Maaori, having volunteered within bicultural organisations for many years.
Ann advocates for children's right to play in public outdoor spaces and at school, and would welcome sharing ideas with like-minded travelers interested in forest schooling, democratic schooling, environmental education, etc.
Jason is able to share an insiders perspective on the NZ tech culture/Bitcoin/AI, and is always keen for political or philosophical debate. Our kids are also a source of cultural exchange :
Sydelle is at University studying psychology
Nova is the artist
Felix has a love of games and mathematics
We are very social and have an international group of friends that get together regularly, including NZ-born Kiwis, Brits, Guatemalans, Japanese, Germans etc.
Projects involving children
This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.
Help
Daily Help breakdown
1.5 hour cleaning
1.5 hours cooking
1-2 hours random house and garden work
We love hosting workawayers who are skilled at:
- cooking meals (vegan and vegetarian are fine as well as meat/fish)
- mixing cocktails
- cleaning
- baking
- gardening
- home maintenance
- building
- organising things
Also we would love more artwork for our house, so would be excited to have an artist stay and create something for our walls :-)
And our son is super into mathematics, computers and gaming, he would love to spend time with you if that's your thing! (Yes, we have had a workawayer here whose job consisted mostly of playing fortnite!!!!)
We prefer travelers who are able to have an intermediate conversation in English.
Languages
Languages spoken
English: FluentThis 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
Queen Bed in lovely room with sea views.
Our home is a 5 bedroom, 2.5 bathroom 1920's villa in Bayswater that was recently renovated, so the bathrooms and Kitchen are modern, and we have central heating so the house is dry and warm.
We also have a large campervan and a cabin in the garden which are occasionally are used for workaway accommodation when needed.
House has a large deck, veggie garden and fruit trees, trampoline.
What else ...
Very easy to get around here... walk 1 minute to a bus stop which takes you into Takapuna with loads of shops and cafes, or walk 20 minutes to catch the Bayswater ferry to downtown Auckland. Walk 45 min (or 15 min bike ride) to historic, artsy Devonport. Walk 30 minutes to stunning Narrowneck Beach, or just out of our backyard to beautiful seaside walks.
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Can host digital nomads
Super fast internet.
Space for parking camper vans
Small campervans fine, otherwise need to park around the corner on the street.
How many Workawayers can stay?
Two
Feedback (22)
We did work in the morning with mainly some cleaning and gardening. Whereas in the late afternoon Martina prepared dinner, while Eddy was enjoying doing the puzzle with Felix :)
We were… read more
Photos
Feedback
These are extra optional ratings when members leave feedback. The average rating left for each option is displayed.
Accuracy of profile:
(4.8)
Cultural exchange:
(4.7)
Communication:
(4.7)
We did work in the morning with mainly some cleaning and gardening. Whereas in the late afternoon Martina prepared dinner, while Eddy was enjoying doing the puzzle with Felix :)
We were… read more
They were so kind to me showing a lot of empathy and we did programs together. (Light show, garden party, cooking).
It was my very first workaway experience, so if everybody want to start the whole workaway with positive vibes please contact Ann!
I won't say "thank you" enough for… read more
The house is very fun to be in, always lots going on between the animals or the social lives of the family. Felix and his friend are so… read more
This family has welcomed me into their beautiful, warm home, regardless of the fact that I wasn’t feeling physically well. Right from the start, I felt the understanding, the kindness and the family harmony! Being a traveller means leaving the beloved ones behind; homesickness is a tough spot to be in – however, being surrounded by… read more
Cooking times and task were easy and
We were impressed by how easy was to be part of the house, yes, very good vibes.
It will hard for us to forget all of… read more
Some days were harder work than others, but nothing they asked was too much, or beyond… read more
I found the amount of work to be too much for what was offered and since you have to cook dinner the hours cant be very flexible. I recommend mostly to couples to share the tasks, so they'll have energy left for other activities and socialization.
Guys, we truly enjoyed our time with you and hope that you have a lot of amazing… read more
