Enjoy the natural beauty of New Zealand and help me do-up my property on the rural West Coast

New Zealand

Favourited 46 times

Host rating
Feedback
18
Last activity
16/08/2019
Reply rate
100.0 %
Average reply time:
within 1 day
Badges

Map

Availability

2019

Min stay requested: No minimum

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

What's this?

Details

Description
Looking for motivated people to help me do-up my rural West Coast property! I own a 15 acre plot of land on the West Coast of the South Island in New Zealand, and I’m looking for people to help me get the place in order. A little bit about me: I’m the mother of three beautiful children who have all now left home. I work full time, as well as studying health psychology via correspondence, so for the past few years haven’t been able to focus on my property myself. The work itself will be varied, depending on your individual skills/the weather or time of year etc. A few things for example:
Painting (interior/exterior)
Fencing
Clearing land
Pruning trees
Collecting firewood
Planting/organising gardens
Roofing
Repairing the chicken coop
General maintenance/cleaning
I would expect around 3-5h of work a day, 5 days a week in exchange for a bed and some food (I can provide breakfast food and occasional dinners). I live 12km from the small nearby town which can be reached via the intercity bus (or car if you have your own) from all over New Zealand, or by plane from Wellington city. I also work in the town, so would be able to drive you in/out on your days off if desired. There is (for the most part) cellphone reception at my home, although currently no wifi (I may get wifi installed at a later date), so bear this in mind. There are beaches within a 10minute drive away (famous for surfing!), lots of mountains and rivers too! I also have 2 bikes available. Let me know if you’re interested in coming to enjoy the tranquility of the Wild West Coast!
Type of help
Gardening
Building
General Maintenance
Other
Animal care
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
The property I live on and the surrounding area is an extremely authentic look at the rural, untouched/unspoiled natural beauty of New Zealand. There are many natural attractions nearby such as the seal colony, the charming creek walk, the famous pancake rocks and much more. I can teach you about rural living, keeping chickens and share general knowledge with you. I have lived on the west coast the majority of municipal life so know many local-only places that you will be able to see and enjoy for yourself. I would love to learn more about different cultures- perhaps recipes or pieces of another language :)
Help
Painting (interior/exterior)
Fencing
Clearing land
Pruning trees
Collecting firewood
Planting/organising gardens
Roofing
Repairing the chicken coop
General maintenance/cleaning
Languages spoken
English
Accommodation
I have two large spare rooms in my home, and also a garage that I hope to convert into accommodation too.
What else ...
I’d like to stress that I do live rurally, so our water is collected from a rainwater tank (or sometimes the river itself) so we have to be mindful of our individual water consumption :-)
A little more information
- Internet access
- Limited internet access
- We have pets
- We are smokers
How many Workawayers can stay?
More than two
Hours expected
Maximum 4-5 hours a day, 5 days a week

Photos

Feedback left by and about host (18)

These are extra optional ratings when members leave feedback. The average rating left for each option is displayed.

Accuracy of profile:
(5.0)

Cultural exchange:
(5.0)

Communication:
(5.0)

13/08/2019

Left by Workawayer (David & Yvonne) for host

Our stay with Donna was enriching in many ways. She is an outgoing and intelligent person who loves to converse about many things and she made us feel very welcome in her home which was built around 1910. We tended the chickens, worked the garden and did improvements for her around the house and she was so grateful it made it all worthwhile. She… read more

(Excellent )

07/07/2019

Left by host for Workawayer (Helen)

Helen and I got on like a house on fire, lol she is warm, laidback, easygoing, fantastic conversationalist and incredibly wonderful in general to share your space with. Helen was super efficient at any job you set her and was totally reliable to be left to work independently. Helen's cleaning skills were amazing, you most certainly could tell she… read more

(Excellent )

07/07/2019

Left by host for Workawayer (Zoé)

Zoe was truly lovely, calm, quiet, respectful and just absolutely a gem to have around. She had amazing strength, endurance and supreme work ethic, honestly I couldn't fault the amount of work she plowed through to a very high standard of quality and efficiency level. Zoe was incredibly independent and resilient, easy going and friendly. Zoe is… read more

(Excellent )

07/07/2019

Left by host for Workawayer (Frieda)

Frieda was a lovely young woman, she was a fantastic worker, incredibly independent, reliable and capable of achieving any task you left for her to do. Frieda was a hard worker very capable of moving from digging and weeding in the garden to mowing the lawns to cooking and cleaning in the house. Nothing fazed her and she did everything wonderfully… read more

(Excellent )

07/07/2019

Left by host for Workawayer (Maya)

Maya was absolutely lovely, she has a warm and calm energy about her that is nice to be around. Maya only stayed a few days as she was running out of time to see a few more places in NZ before leaving our beautiful country. In the time Maya was here she applied herself to her jobs with a wonderful attitude to fulfilling whatever task you set for… read more

(Excellent )

07/07/2019

Left by Workawayer (Maya) for host

I had such a lovely stay at Donna's house. I worked during the days organizing wood piles, mowing the lawn, and cleaning the house on the day that it rained. Donna was home in the evenings and cooked delicious vegan meals for me. We had some really nice chats by the fire and she was so welcoming and hospitable. I would highly recommend staying… read more

(Excellent )

21/06/2019

Left by Workawayer (Mathieu) for host

We had a very short, but pleasant stay with Donna. We chopped and stacked heaps of wood.
She gave us really great food and it was fun to talk to her.
Thank you!

(Excellent )

22/05/2019

Left by host for Workawayer (Christoph)

Christoph was an amazing worker, he chopped up rounds of wood for me and broke up and stacked manuka wood for winter warmth. Christoph was efficient and worked very hard. I wish I could of had him stay longer but due to personal circumstances we only had about 5 days together but in that time Christoph was respectful, capable, responsible and easy… read more

(Excellent )

22/05/2019

Left by host for Workawayer (Ludwig & Marlene)

Ludwig and Marlene were lovely souls, very considerate, kind and capable. They stayed with me for nearly 3 weeks and were independent, reliable, capable workers. They were awesome at everything they did, from cleaning and making homemade jam and helping cooking the evening meal, through to working outdoors breaking up wood for winter warmth. They… read more

(Excellent )

22/05/2019

Left by Workawayer (Ludwig & Marlene) for host

We spend almost 3 weeks at Donna’s place and had a lot of fun. She’s a beautiful and lovely person. We enjoyed to socialize with her and the really good food she offered. We worked outside when the weather was nice and the work was not to hard. She gave us the opportunity to help her with stuff we like to do. So it hadn’t really felt like work at… read more

(Excellent )

01/04/2019

Left by Workawayer (Leonie & Alina) for host

We are sorry that this comes so late as we stayed at donna in january already! But we just wanted to thank you again for this wonderful cultural experience! You are a lovely person Donna (and so is your cute dog Molly) and you are so interested in many things- our conversations were always fun! And we have to add that you were the best cook we met… read more

(Excellent )

07/02/2019

Left by host for Workawayer (Leonie & Alina)

Alina and Leonie were lovely girls, hard working and very capable of working independently. They were considerate, thoughtful, respectful and easy to have around. Happy to converse and were interested in learning about the Westcoast. Incredibly impressed with their weeding skills, lol. Highly recommend the girls as they are fantastic workers and… read more

(Excellent )

10/02/2019

Left by Workawayer (Camille & Anaïs) for host

We spent one week with Donna and it was a very nice meeting ! She let us working with confidence and she is a very good cooker ! 🤩 We shared a lot of funny moments, we exchanged about our different cultures and about lots of differents subjects. She is so kind and she is a lovely host !
Thank you to welcomed us in your house and it was nice to… read more

(Excellent )

07/02/2019

Left by host for Workawayer (Camille & Anaïs)

Camille and Anais were immaculate workers, there skills in cleaning up an area were amazing. They mainly tidied up after scrubbaring, so piling up cut manuka/gorse. The girls were capable of working independently and just got on with the job. Take care in your future journey in life girls.

(Excellent )

07/02/2019

Left by host for Workawayer (Kristy)

Kristy was amazing, such a lovely person, laidback, easy going, great conversationalist and extremely quiet and considerate. Kristy helped with all my cleaning, tidying and organising for my impending Xmas guests, she was incredibly capable, efficient and well organised, independent worker, working extremely hard even whilst she was sick, showing… read more

(Excellent )

24/12/2018

Left by Workawayer (Kristy) for host

Donna was gracious enough to take me in for several days right before the holidays. I helped her to organize, clean and set up sleeping areas for her (entire) family to stay with her over Christmas. Donna is lovely, I enjoyed our talks and sharing the delicious meals she prepared! I had a great time helping out and getting a taste of the real West… read more

(Excellent )

07/02/2019

Left by host for Workawayer (Joost)

Yoost was my first Workawayer and he was absolutely amazing, honestly I can't speak highly enough about him. He was considerate, kind, open, friendly, relaxed and an amazing worker. Yoost was easy to have around, great conversationalist, open minded and easy going, he worked beyond my expectations with the highest of quality of work ethic and… read more

(Excellent )

06/12/2018

Left by Workawayer (Joost) for host

I was with Donna for more than a week and it turned out I be a perfect match! Great rural (solitary) spot and decent physical work that I liked to do. Loved and lived it to the fullest! 💪🏿😇
Donna is a lovely person who cares, smiles and made delicious dishes! We had amazing deep conversations and shared good times together!
Really loved to be… read more

(Excellent )

Please log in and visit this profile to leave your feedback.

Host ref number: 681915398131

Homestays, Volunteering & Working Holidays in New Zealand Homestays, Volunteering & Working Holidays in Oceania Homestays, Volunteering & Working Holidays in West Coast Individual New Zealand Last minute Homestays, Volunteering & Working Holidays in New Zealand

To contact a host, please login with your username and password or register with workaway.info.

My host list0