The image shows a selfie of a woman and man standing close together, smiling at the camera, in front of a dark wall with a white and black patterned design.
The image depicts a serene bedroom with a large window, featuring a bed adorned with white linens and patterned pillows, and a vibrant curtain adding a pop of color to the room.
The image depicts a serene bedroom with a large window offering a scenic view of a body of water and lush greenery, exuding a sense of calmness and tranquility.
The image depicts a serene coastal scene, featuring a tranquil body of water, lush greenery, and a small town, with a few buildings and trees scattered throughout the area.
The image depicts a modern bathroom with white tiles, a sink, toilet, and shower, featuring a cowhide rug and a window with frosted glass.
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Experience Coastal living north of Auckland, New Zealand

Availability

  2025 

 Min stay requested: No minimum

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Details

  • Description

    Description

    Kia ora / Greetings,

    Our names are Mike and Karena and we are in our early 60''s. We live in an architecturally recognized house in Opahi Bay which is in beautiful Mahurangi West, a northern coastal rural area in greater Auckland (approximately 1 hour north of Auckland City centre). Our bay is adjacent to the Mahurangi Regional Park which offers a variety of swimming beaches and short hikes/walking opportunities. Our property is covered with NZ native trees and has lots of native bird life.

    Mike is retired, and I am an artist. Two of my older sisters live in houses next door to ours and all of us have extensive bush gardens surrounding a shared tennis court which is available for our guests to use. Mike is also a keen fisherman and depending on tide and weather, there may be an opportunity for us to take you out on the water in our small boat to explore some of the islands in the Hauraki Gulf or do a spot of fishing. There is a kayak and life-jacket you can borrow if you want to go for a paddle on your own during your stay with us. You will need your own transport as there is no public transport in our area. Things of interest within an easy driving distance from us include the vineyards, art galleries, art-deco movie theatre and markets of Matakana, historic pubs, and many other local regional and marine parks to explore.

    Mahurangi West is a good location for those who are beginning their travels to Northland, New Zealand or returning to Auckland from the north. If you enjoy a bit of solitude, flora and fauna, time in or on the water, bush walks then you will enjoy your stay here.

  • Types of help and learning opportunities

    Types of help and learning opportunities

    Gardening
    Help around the house
    General Maintenance
  • Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

    Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

    Happy to share our knowledge on a variety of topics and experience and help those new to New Zealand with NZ English and Maori pronunciation and terminology and NZ etiquette/cultural practices.

  • Help

    Help

    We prefer hosting a couple or 2 friends who are keen gardeners to help with garden maintenance of our bush garden property. We also have a couple of hard-landscaping projects involving path construction and maintenance. Medial work could also include window cleaning and other house cleaning tasks. Ideally, we would like people who are able to work with minimal supervision, who take pride in their work and want to do a job well, who are self-motivated, have initiative and don’t mind getting their hands dirty.

    Happy to negotiate hours of work to allow for a full day off to explore. Otherwise looking for guests up to 5-7 days stay for 4-5 hours work per day.

    • Gardening, e.g. weeding, pruning, planting on a hilly site
    • Building garden paths, e.g. digging, wheelbarrowing metal, retaining walls/building edging
    • Window Cleaning - involves heights, working off a ladder
    • Housework – spring cleaning tasks

  • Languages spoken

    English: Fluent

  • Accommodation

    Accommodation

    We can provide two downstairs guest rooms in our home, each with a Queen size bed with a shared guest bathroom (see photos) which would suit a couple or 2 friends. Our guest rooms have views of the sea and access to a deck that gets the morning sun. As we are a coastal rural home, we are not connected to town water supply or sewage systems and are self-sufficient in this area.

    Both Mike and I are quite social people, so we look forward to having dinner together with you, although you will need to be prepared to make your own breakfast and lunch. There is lots of food options in the refrigerator for you to choose from however, if you have any special dietary needs you will have to be responsible for that yourself as we are not vegetarians, vegans, gluten, nut or diary free etc. If you like to cook, please feel free to offer, we are happy to try your favourite dishes from home and we hope you are happy to try some New Zealand favourite dishes as well. You will be welcome to join in any local social events or activities that occur at the time in the neighbourhood.

  • What else ...

    What else ...

    Unfortunately, there is no public transport nearby, so you will really need to have your own transport. We live about 25 minutes’ drive away from the nearest shops (Orewa & Silverdale townships to the south or Warkworth township to the north). Cell-phone coverage is poor due to the coastal rural environment, but we do have wi-fi internet access.

  • A little more information

    A little more information

    • Internet access

    • Limited internet access

      Limited internet access

    • We have pets

    • We are smokers

    • Can host families

  • Can host digital nomads

    Can host digital nomads

    Our home has fibre optic internet cable so is stable but not superfast but has reasonable download and upload speeds.

  • How many Workawayers can stay?

    How many Workawayers can stay?

    Two

Host ref number: 739163566497

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Photos

The image depicts a serene bedroom with a large window, featuring a bed adorned with white linens and patterned pillows, and a vibrant curtain adding a pop of color to the room.
The image depicts a serene bedroom with a large window offering a scenic view of a body of water and lush greenery, exuding a sense of calmness and tranquility.
The image depicts a serene coastal scene, featuring a tranquil body of water, lush greenery, and a small town, with a few buildings and trees scattered throughout the area.
The image depicts a modern bathroom with white tiles, a sink, toilet, and shower, featuring a cowhide rug and a window with frosted glass.
The image shows a selfie of a woman and man standing close together, smiling at the camera, in front of a dark wall with a white and black patterned design.

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