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Description
Kia ora! We're Lou and Ben.
We live 25 minutes south of New Plymouth, 10mins south of Oakura, with beautiful views of the mountain, the ocean, and the Pouakai and Kaitake ranges. Nearby there's Pukeiti gardens, many hiking trails, a few great cafes/pubs, and the famous Surf Highway 45.
Lou is a freelance copywriter and Ben is a firefighter, so our working hours are a bit more flexible compared to the average Mon-Fri/9-5.
We’d love some help with a few projects around our property — planting trees, building a new chicken run, mulching, and other hands-on jobs. You don’t need experience (we’re learning too!), just a good attitude and willingness to work alongside us for a few hours each day.
In return, we provide three hearty meals a day. Lou loves to cook and there’s always good food in the house. We have free-range eggs and sometimes hunted meat (venison, goat, fish), but we’re mostly plant-based and appreciate guests who are happy with that.
You’ll love it here if you’re into surfing, hiking, animals, listening to records, and meeting new people. We often host potlucks and head to local events — live music, exhibitions, films, walks — and you’re always welcome to join in.
Our home is clean and thoughtfully decorated with art, plants, and books. It's an old house with plenty of character, and while there are still parts we haven’t renovated yet, we’re slowly making it beautiful.
We share our space with Grace, our very smoochy cat, and eight very tame Orpington chickens — including one delightful (and punctual) rooster who announces breakfast around 7am.
Our place would suit a couple, friends travelling together, or a solo adventurer. We’ve previously hosted travellers from Japan and Germany and love learning about different cultures and perspectives.
We’d love to play a small part in your Aotearoa experience 💛
Types of help and learning opportunities
Help with Eco Projects
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Animal Care
Interests
Technology
Culture
Events & social
Vegetarian or vegan
Sustainability
Pets
Fashion or beauty
Van life
Music
History
Books
Photography
Languages
Gardening
Cooking & food
Architecture
Writing
Animals
Outdoor activities
Yoga / Wellness
Camping
Nature
Fitness
Mountain
Dancing
Beach
Hiking
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
We love sharing what we know about this part of Aotearoa - from native trees and local plant life to bits of local and national history.
We’re pretty connected in our community. We regularly host potlucks at our place and often head out to local events eg. gigs, exhibitions, film nights, markets, beach walks, and op-shopping. You’d always be welcome to join in. If you have your own interests, we’re happy to help connect you with people locally.
We also genuinely love learning from the people who stay with us.
Help
We’re at the beginning of our journey with this property. When we arrived, the garden hadn’t been properly tended for over 10 years, so we’ve already done a lot of the big clearing and heavy groundwork.
Now we’re moving into the exciting phase — planting native trees, establishing veggie gardens, cleaning the chicken house, fencing the new chicken run, mulching, improving soil, and setting up better compost systems.
The work is mostly practical and hands-on. It’s not highly skilled, but it does require a reasonable level of fitness and a willingness to get stuck in. You don’t need prior experience — we’re learning as we go too.
We’ll be working alongside you rather than leaving you to do tasks alone. We like to put some music on, make a plan for the day, and enjoy the process. It’s important to us that it feels collaborative and that we’re sharing skills and learning together.
We ask for around 3 hours of help per day, and we’re flexible with how that’s structured. On some days you might do a little more so you can take full days off to explore.
Languages
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Spanish: Beginner
Irish: BeginnerThis host offers a language exchange
Lou has started learning Irish but very early on the journey. Both Lou and Ben have some Spanish and can get by with conversations - always up for brushing up our skills. We're used to making friends with people who aren't confident speaking English, it doesn't phase us. We've loved hosting people learning English and, while we're not teachers, we'd love to help you :)
Accommodation
We can provide a clean, private and secure place for you to sleep. You’ll have a spacious bedroom in the house with a comfortable bed, all bedding provided, bedside tables, and a wardrobe for your things. We can also provide a heater or fan depending on the season.
If you’re travelling in a van, you’re very welcome to park up on our property and use the house facilities.
We’re on tank water (rainwater and stream-fed), and we’re careful with it, but there’s plenty for everyday use. The bathroom and toilet are fully functional — the shower has great pressure — but they are on the older side and haven’t been renovated yet (that’s on our list for next year). Everything is clean and well maintained, just not modern.
We have a washing machine and dryer available for you to use.
Food-wise, we’re happy to provide three meals a day. We usually cook and eat together, and there’s always good, hearty food in the house. If you’d like to cook a meal for everyone one night, we love that too — it’s a great way to share cultures. If you prefer to cook some of your own meals, that’s absolutely fine as well — you’re welcome to grab your own groceries and we can make space for you in the pantry and fridge. Our kitchen is generous and well set up for sharing.
What else ...
Time off:
- Surf beaches, river swimming holes, Pukeiti gardens, Kaitake & Pouakai hikes
- Climb the mountain if you’re experienced and prepared
- 25 mins to New Plymouth (Coastal Walkway, galleries, markets, gigs, op shops)
Getting around:
- Having your own vehicle is strongly preferred (public transport is limited)
- We can offer lifts or potentially lend the car for the odd trip
- No bikes available
House vibe:
- Early-ish mornings
- Relaxed but tidy, respectful and communicative
- We’re social and sometimes host gatherings
- On tank water
- Smoking outside is fine
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Can host digital nomads
This host has indicated that they love having digital nomads stay.
Space for parking camper vans
This host can provide space for campervans.
How many Workawayers can stay?
More than two
My animals / pets
The Girls
Handraised Orpingtons. Very friendly, hilarious personalities. They've been free ranging for the past few years, but we're excited to have a large but enclosed run for them so we can actually make progress with our garden.
Roody
King of the compost. Our alarm clock. Responds well to adoration.
(Actually very friendly and a lovely boy).
Grace
Shy at first, but very smoochy. A little bit chunky. Your garden and lounge companion.
Photos
