Profile information
Host rating
80 %
Last replied
24 Feb 2026
Reply rate
58.8 %
Usually responds within 3 days
Feedback
17
Email verified
Badges (3)
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Details
Description
Experience a bit of the country lifestyle... we have a 10 acre lifestyle block in Waitoki, Auckland, NZ, approx. a 40min drive from Auckland City . We are a 15-20 min drive to lots of locations, such as a lovely beaches, shops, movie theatres, supermarkets etc.
We are a social couple looking to welcome people into our home to help with all the commitments that come with owning 10 acres, 2 cats, sheep, cows, an orchard, flower garden, a barn, two ponds, lots of fences, even more weeds and a never ending procession of 'good ideas'
Sam & Tess are your hosts, their 25yr old son Brook, plus Tess's Dad Craig lives here. We are looking for helpers 24yrs + who are interested in physical tasks around the property, lots of gardening to do, although we always have projects on the go, and occasionally cooking us your traditional cuisine!
We enjoy our food, Sam is a great cook, and cannot accommodate vegetarian diets.
Please let us know what dates you are available and how long a stay you are looking for so we can see if we have availability.
Types of help and learning opportunities
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Help around the house
General Maintenance
Interests
Beach
Events & social
Pets
Culture
Movies & TV
Self development
Farming
Plant care
DIY & crafts
Books
Gardening
Animals
Nature
Yoga / Wellness
Help
We are looking for helpers to assist in maintenance around the property, such as: weeding, mulching, digging, building projects, fencing, inside house cleaning, cooking meals, gardening... depending on weather and what needs doing!
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Accommodation
We offer your own self contained private flat to stay in whilst you are with us, that is next to our house.
What else ...
You will need a car to get around as we are rural, so no bus stops.
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
How many Workawayers can stay?
Two
My animals / pets
Host ref number: 725734983512
Chat with Workawayers who've visited this host
+2
Feedback (8)
7 Jan 2026
Left by Workawayer (Alba & Maxence) for host
Sam and Tess are an exceptional couple! Sam is a great cook and has a fantastic sense of humour, and Tess is incredibly helpful with all the tasks she suggests and is very kind and sweet. We spent two amazing weeks with them! They taught us how to play a very interesting card game that we played together every night, and we also learned a lot… read more
17 Dec 2025
Left by host for Workawayer (Alba & Maxence)
Max and Alba stayed with us for a couple of weeks and quickly felt like part of the household. They both speak good English (Alba’s is especially strong) and were good company. They helped with garden work including lots of weeding and mulching. Alba treated us to some cooking and baking. We enjoyed hanging out with them in the evening playing… read more
(Excellent
)
26 Nov 2024
Left by Workawayer (Camille) for host
I was incredibly fortunate to spend three weeks with Sam and Tess, and I can confidently say it was an unforgettable experience. Sam and Tess are truly remarkable individuals—warm, kind-hearted, and fundamentally generous. From the very first day, they made me feel like a full member of their family, creating an atmosphere of trust and genuine… read more
26 Nov 2024
Left by host for Workawayer (Camille)
Camille stayed with us for three weeks, and we feel incredibly fortunate to have had her as part of our home during that time. She brought a positive energy and a warm, friendly attitude. Her English is great, which made communication easy and enjoyable, and she quickly proved to be both mature and responsible. She tackled all the tasks we gave… read more
(Excellent
)
9 Nov 2024
Left by Workawayer (Maciej) for host
I had a fantastic experience staying with the family at their little farmlet. It's a beautiful, peaceful place, surrounded by trees, flowers and green hills. Most of the work involved helping Sam and Tess with gardening and some maintenance work around the property. The whole family is fun, easygoing and flexible. They made me feel very welcome… read more
5 Nov 2024
Left by host for Workawayer (Maciej)
Maciej stayed with us for a week on our lifestyle block. His English is excellent, making communication a breeze, and his sense of humour brought lots of laughs to our home. Not only was he a hard worker, but he also fit right in with our family and made everyone feel at ease. As a parting gift, he treated us to a delicious Polish meal—a… read more
(Excellent
)
Photos
Chat with Workawayers who've visited this host
+2
Feedback
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)
7 Jan 2026
Left by Workawayer (Alba & Maxence) for host
Sam and Tess are an exceptional couple! Sam is a great cook and has a fantastic sense of humour, and Tess is incredibly helpful with all the tasks she suggests and is very kind and sweet. We spent two amazing weeks with them! They taught us how to play a very interesting card game that we played together every night, and we also learned a lot… read more
17 Dec 2025
Left by host for Workawayer (Alba & Maxence)
Max and Alba stayed with us for a couple of weeks and quickly felt like part of the household. They both speak good English (Alba’s is especially strong) and were good company. They helped with garden work including lots of weeding and mulching. Alba treated us to some cooking and baking. We enjoyed hanging out with them in the evening playing… read more
(Excellent)
26 Nov 2024
Left by Workawayer (Camille) for host
I was incredibly fortunate to spend three weeks with Sam and Tess, and I can confidently say it was an unforgettable experience. Sam and Tess are truly remarkable individuals—warm, kind-hearted, and fundamentally generous. From the very first day, they made me feel like a full member of their family, creating an atmosphere of trust and genuine… read more
26 Nov 2024
Left by host for Workawayer (Camille)
Camille stayed with us for three weeks, and we feel incredibly fortunate to have had her as part of our home during that time. She brought a positive energy and a warm, friendly attitude. Her English is great, which made communication easy and enjoyable, and she quickly proved to be both mature and responsible. She tackled all the tasks we gave… read more
(Excellent)
9 Nov 2024
Left by Workawayer (Maciej) for host
I had a fantastic experience staying with the family at their little farmlet. It's a beautiful, peaceful place, surrounded by trees, flowers and green hills. Most of the work involved helping Sam and Tess with gardening and some maintenance work around the property. The whole family is fun, easygoing and flexible. They made me feel very welcome… read more
5 Nov 2024
Left by host for Workawayer (Maciej)
Maciej stayed with us for a week on our lifestyle block. His English is excellent, making communication a breeze, and his sense of humour brought lots of laughs to our home. Not only was he a hard worker, but he also fit right in with our family and made everyone feel at ease. As a parting gift, he treated us to a delicious Polish meal—a… read more
(Excellent)
6 Aug 2020
Left by Workawayer (Andries & Sinead) for host
We stayed at Sam & Tess' place for 2 weeks and we absolutely loved it! They made us feel like a part of the family from the second we walked in. We worked hard but got so much in return. They are an awesome, fun family with a beautiful property and a lot of animals to keep you company during your time off. One of our best workaway experiences in… read more
5 Aug 2020
Left by host for Workawayer (Andries & Sinead)
Andries & Sinead stayed with us for a couple of weeks and they fitted right in! They have excellent English and are hard workers, they chip in and help out at dinner time, and were great fun company. They helped out with lots of physical garden work, strimming, weeding, mulching, lifting pavers, shoveling sand, plus some cooking and baking us… read more
(Excellent)
6 Dec 2019
Left by Workawayer (Jesper & Stine) for host
Sam & Tess was our first workaway experience, and they did not disappoint! We couldn't have asked for more. Great company, great variaty of work and Sam makes dericious (aka delicious) food! ;-)
They are a heartwarming, fun, open, honest and a caring family that gives you so much to enjoy.
They also helped us in great times of need and we would… read more
They are a heartwarming, fun, open, honest and a caring family that gives you so much to enjoy.
They also helped us in great times of need and we would… read more
6 Dec 2019
Left by host for Workawayer (Jesper & Stine)
Jesper and Stina are a lovely couple with excellent English. They were great company and awesome helpers. They stayed for 2 weeks and helped us with all sorts of jobs, I would definately recommend them.
(Excellent)
6 Nov 2019
Left by host for Workawayer (Arielle & Juri)
Arielle & Juri are fantastic guests to have working with you. They are fun company, interesting and mature. They speak excellent English, which means they can be left with instructions and nothing gets lost in translation. They were keen to help out with any task given, and were great with all the differing jobs. They did weeding & strimming,… read more
(Excellent)
2 Nov 2019
Left by Workawayer (Arielle & Juri) for host
What a first experience with Workaway! The bar has been set quite high...
Sam, Tess and their family were very welcoming from day 1! They made us feel like we were part of their family and were very keen to share their Kiwi lifestyle with us. They were happy to take us out to explore events in the area and made the point to invite us to any social… read more
Sam, Tess and their family were very welcoming from day 1! They made us feel like we were part of their family and were very keen to share their Kiwi lifestyle with us. They were happy to take us out to explore events in the area and made the point to invite us to any social… read more
30 Sep 2019
Left by host for Workawayer (Quentin & Lorène)
Quentin & Lorène were excellent workaways, lovely to have staying with us, easy company, respectful and interesting. They were happy to do the jobs we needed doing, lots of physical garden maintenance work, helping with the animals, plus they made us a lovely dinner. They stayed for 10 days and we got lots of jobs ticked off the list!
(Excellent)
29 Sep 2019
Left by Workawayer (Quentin & Lorène) for host
How we can imagine a better stay?
The food was DELICIOUS and if you'r lucky, Grace can bake you a wonderful dessert 🍰😉 The accommodation is brand new and really cosy. Sam, Tess and all the family know how to make you feel at home.
The work is really fair and interesting at the same time.
Thanks you for the amazing week. That was one of the… read more
The food was DELICIOUS and if you'r lucky, Grace can bake you a wonderful dessert 🍰😉 The accommodation is brand new and really cosy. Sam, Tess and all the family know how to make you feel at home.
The work is really fair and interesting at the same time.
Thanks you for the amazing week. That was one of the… read more
21 Mar 2019
Left by Workawayer (Ingrid) for host
Sam and Tess were beautiful host's. We were 2 weeks with them and the kids and we felt like a part of the family, we even cooked two times for everyone. In the time we worked for Sam and Tess we sold our Van on the first day and Sam and Tess were so helpful. They gave us a ride and picked us up many times. We were by them while both were not… read more
16 Mar 2019
Left by host for Workawayer (Ingrid)
Ingrid and Kosta were a pleasure to have stay with us for two weeks. They are kind, caring, interesting and hard working. We did a range of tasks around the property (painting, gardening, weeding, building garden beds) and they were happy to give anything a go, and like to take pride in the finished result. Kosta also is very skilled with… read more
(Excellent)
9 Mar 2019
Left by host for Workawayer (Julie & Frederik)
Julie & Frederik are fabulous to have stay, they have great english, lovely manners, work hard and are awesome company. The stayed with us for approx 3 weeks, and we got so much work done around the property. Would definately reccommend them.
(Excellent)
