Profile information
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Host rating
100 %
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Last replied
24 Jul 2026
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Reply rate
100.0 %
Usually responds within 3 days
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Feedback
9
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Email verified
Badges (3)
Details
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Description
My name is Orrin, and My wife Gina and I have a small acreage in the Cowichan Valley on Vancouver Island in British Columbia,Canada. We have a small hobby farm in the making and a wellness retreat. We have woodland gardens and are in the midst of making a small pasture and barn for animals to live in in the near future. We have vast flower and vegetable gardens and acres of lawn. We have lived on the property for 6 years and have been upgrading the place since we moved here . We just had 2 amazing young ladies from Germany stay with us for the month of April and it was amazing!!! We would love to again host 1 or 2 eager individuals who would like to share their love for wilderness in a zen woodlands setting. We have a fully functional apartment above our garage that would be perfect for 1 or 2 people to stay in. If there was a couple who are in this program, our place could work out great, as they would have their own private home separate from the main house to stay in . The Cowichan Valley is between Victoria and Nanaimo. We are an hour away from Port Renfrew and 1-2 hours away from vast old growth forests like the Carmanah and Whalbran Valleys . The list of amazing places you can drive to within a couple hours is endless
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Types of help and learning opportunities
Help with Eco Projects
Light gardening
Creative DIY projects
Animal Care
Farmstay help
Help around the house
Light maintenance
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Interests
Sustainability
Self development
Pets
Farming
Events & social
Culture
Charity work
Plant care
Gardening
Carpentry
Animals
Yoga / Wellness
Outdoor activities
Nature
Mountain
Hiking
Fitness -
UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve
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Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
Having a yoga studio/wellness retreat on the property has made us realize how important human connection is . We would both profit greatly by learning about each other and our cultural differences. Our place is a place of zen and woodland tranquility. Trails going to the river and to high mountain views. Many forest animals, many of which live on the property most the time .
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Help
Being midway through our latest adventure with travellers staying with us and adding to the awesomeness here on the property, we have nothing but great things to say about this program. When we moved here our intention was to transform our piece of paradise into the super zen forest retreat , but now with the help of so many amazing humans from across the globe, it’s happening faster than we could have imagined. We will be starting the build on our mini barn here in the next week or two, so we are wondering if there are any couples that have some carpentery skills and/or landscaping ability that wanna come hang out sometime after the beginning of July. We will offer some serious perks and will make it as worth it as possible for someone who can help us turn this barn and pasture into something for everyone to enjoy for years to come .
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Languages spoken
English: Fluent
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Accommodation
We have a private 1 bedroom apartment above our detached garage and would prefer to have a couple as there’s 1 bedroom with a king bed . We will supply food and a kitchen but will most likely share meals in main house occasionally.
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What else ...
We live on a main bus route that will take you to Victoria, Nanaimo or Lake Cowichan. It stops right at our driveway, 3 minutes from a private apartment you stay in. We’re near the river and can drive you there whenever you want, and there are countless atv’ing locations all around us. We are an hour away from the west coast and a couple hours aways from The Carmanah and Wahlbran Valleys with some of oldest timber on the planet.
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A little more information
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Internet access
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Limited internet access
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We have pets
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We are smokers
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Can host families
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How many Workawayers can stay?
Two
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My animals / pets
Bella
French bulldog
Bruce
French bulldog
Kali
Kane Corso
Chat with Workawayers who've visited this host
Feedback (4)
A huge thank you to Orrin and Gina for your positivity, your warm welcome, all the moments we shared, our conversations, our laughter, as well as your incredible generosity and all the thoughtful things you did for us.
We … read more
Photos
Chat with Workawayers who've visited this host
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:
(4.5)
Communication:
(5.0)
A huge thank you to Orrin and Gina for your positivity, your warm welcome, all the moments we shared, our conversations, our laughter, as well as your incredible generosity and all the thoughtful things you did for us.
We … read more
My best friend Luise and I stayed with Orrin and Gina for a month in April 2026 that stay enriched our gap year in Canada by a lot. They are exactly how you would imagine the perfect Workaway hosts: very welcoming and friendly, always open for questions and we didn't have a car so they … read more
