Profile information
Host rating
100 %
Last replied
9 Sep 2025
Reply rate
100.0 %
Usually responds within 1 day
Feedback
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Details
Description
Hi there. We are Charlie and Mo and we live on the beautiful Waiheke Island (30mins ferry from Auckland) with our two girls who are now 13 and 12 years old (they are both a little taller now than in our profile pic which is now about 5 years old now).
Waiheke is a very special place - it has many wonderful beaches and bush walks as well as a very relaxed but connected community. It also has a number of world-class vineyards, however we tend to leave those for the tourists but happy to recommend the must-sees and dos while you are here. We live in a spacious home on an acre section with a beautiful outlook back to Auckland city but with a big property and an old house, there are always lots of jobs to be done!
In 2024, Charlie's 80 year old parents moved into a small, self-contained cottage on the property so we can help with their care. Carol (Mum) has dementia and Frank (Dad) is trying to stay fiercely independent. You will not be expected to help them (or the kids) in anyway, but important to understand the family dynamic before you commit to staying here, it can be a bit of a circus at times with cat and dog in tow!
We have had some great experiences with Workaway over the past (nearly) 10 years with people helping us achieve things we just didn't have the time to do ourselves as Mo works full-time in town and Charlie works part-time on the island when she is not running around after kids & parents (usually 3 days). This year we have embarked on one too many projects and we are now looking for help in completing those jobs and giving our property a much-needed spring clean before extended family arrive for Xmas celebrations and summer vacations!
Jobs we need assistance with will include (but not limited to) gardening/landscaping, water-blasting, spring-cleaning (inside and out!) and if you feel confident doing so, maybe some house painting too. The list always seems to grow and our plans can sometimes get side-tracked and lead to something else but there is never any shortage of jobs we would love your assistance with.
So if you are keen, motivated, friendly and a hard worker please do contact us.
Ideally we would like:
- help late Sept, Oct, Nov & early Dec 2025
- people who are physically fit (we live on a steep property and at times the landscaping can be challenging)
- 25+ years old (this is for insurance for our car which you may be asked to drive from time to time to complete jobs)
- people who are looking to stay 4-7 days
- people who are keen to explore the island during their time off and/or are happy to be in their own space (our living area can be a little hectic between school and dinner time so we do encourage our guests to steer clear at this time)
What we have to offer:
- well traveled, easy going, fun, professional family (2 mums, 2 girls) with two grandparents now too. It is important to note we are not quite the party-people we were 5-10 years ago like our feedback may suggest, but we are social and do enjoy family meals together in the evening HOWEVER we are usually all tucked up by 9pm these days!
- a small double bed our caravan (suitable for single or couple only)
- Wifi
- collection and drop off to the ferry terminal on Waiheke
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
As mentioned, we do have a cat and a dog so if you have allergies please do bring your antihistamines!
We look forward to hearing from you.
Charlie & Mo
Types of help and learning opportunities
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Help around the house
General Maintenance
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
Staying with our family will provide an opportunity to live with a fun and relaxed kiwi family who are both passionate about traveling and knowledgeable about our country. We have now had 12+ Workaway couples/individuals come thru our place and we like to think we have sent them all off with a good understanding of NZ culture & armed with a list of must-see places for their travels.
Projects involving children
This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.
Help
General help outside the property includes gardening, water-blasting, possibly chopping & stacking firewood, painting. On rainy/wet days we may ask you to help with some spring-cleaning including windows, walls/skirting boards, dusting etc.
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Maori: Beginner
Accommodation
Your accomodation will be in our small caravan which has a super comfy (but small) double bed. We will provide full board including evening meal together with our family. It is anticipated you will help yourself to breakfast and lunch as we both work and may not be at home during the day.
What else ...
There are plenty of activities to do and sites to be seen on Waiheke Island. We have numerous vineyards, wonderful walks and some of the best white-sand beaches in the world. Waiheke is a very multi-cultural and artistic community and there seems to be something here for everyone. You are welcome to use our kayaks, bikes (a little rusty), pool/spa etc when you are not working.
We love our home and like to think we have created a little piece of paradise for the kids and adults alike. During the week we work long hours but our weekends are mainly spent at home and often shared with friends. We look forward to welcoming you into our home.
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Space for parking camper vans
We can possibly arrange off-street area for your camper van by moving our old caravan... please, let's chat!
How many Workawayers can stay?
Two
My animals / pets
Shadow
Shadow is also a rescued pet and like many black cats, rather elusive during the day and appears for cuddles with the family at night. She tends to hang out sunbathing in the bedrooms and in all the places Tui, our dog, isn't. You are unlikely to even see her, but appreciate she has fur which can cause issues for any one allergic.
Tui, our 4 year old rescue love, full of love!
This guy is one big softie and given the hard start he had in life, he has a lot of love to give. He greets everyone with a bark, then a sniff/nudge, and then will relentlessly ask for pats... and food.
Chat with Workawayers who've visited this host
Feedback (18)
Actually, we just wanted to stay with them for a few days. Unfortunately, our plans had changed a bit. They were so… read more
The family lives in a beautiful house on Waiheke and I had the chance to stay in a cozy little caravan next to the house. The work I have done… read more
Photos
Chat with Workawayers who've visited this host
Feedback
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Accuracy of profile:
(5.0)
Cultural exchange:
(5.0)
Communication:
(5.0)
Actually, we just wanted to stay with them for a few days. Unfortunately, our plans had changed a bit. They were so… read more
The family lives in a beautiful house on Waiheke and I had the chance to stay in a cozy little caravan next to the house. The work I have done… read more
I had an amazing time and enjoyed my stay very much! This family is so lovely, polite and kind, from the first moment I felt very welcomed.
I had my own space in the cute caravan but it is near the house and I was involved in family activities.
I helped them with gardening, sawing and… read more
We would… read more
They made everything for us easy: picked us up from the ferry when we arrived and leave us there when we finished our stay. Moreover, they lend us whenever we wanted their car (they offered us the kayak as well several… read more
They are a very sociable family and we loved sharing a beer with them in… read more
We never work more than four hours , doing painting, gardening and cleaning.
The food was delicious (thank you for the steaks and sausages ) but the most important thing was that we felt at home as we were friends since they… read more
Charlie and Mo are two really kind and lovely people and it was a pleasure to meet them. It was my first Workaway experience and I'm glad I made this experience by such a lovely family. It just couldn't have been better! The work mainly included outdoor work which was… read more
We can't recommend Charlie and Mo highly enough. It was our first experience with workaway and we loved it. We just arrived in NZ and stayed for 3 nights with these lovely and cool persons. Charlie gave us a lift from the ferry to their home and our first job was taking a… read more
