Profile information
Host rating
100 %
Last replied
12 Dec 2025
Reply rate
100.0 %
Usually responds within 31 days
Feedback
40
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Details
Description
Richard and Carolyn live in sunny Nelson at the top of the South Island. They have the best of both worlds... walking distance to town and the great outdoors on their doorstep. Richard works part time in mental health and Carolyn runs a small Bed & Breakfast, and also looks after her mother Lorna who has been living in the house next door since 2017. Lorna is a very cheerful 99 year old who ran a dairy farm with her husband for 42 years. She has been an artist and written poetry throughout her life and her paintings adorn the walls of her cottage. She is a big animal lover and was a keen horse rider right up into her 80s . Unfortunately Lorna's Golden retriever Mandy passed away a few years ago and a few months ago Carolyn and Richard lost their beautiful little dog Mia, who was a great companion for them all.
Lorna has home help mornings and evenings from support workers and Carolyn is there as a back up. Lorna's needs are simple....help with things she can no longer physically do such as gardening, making and tending to the fire in Winter, clothes washing , cooking and house cleaning. She uses a walker to mobilise around her house but her arthritis prevents her from going for walks of any length. She still enjoys outings, family gatherings and attending her monthly poetry group.
Richard and Carolyn are both active and enjoy hiking and cycling. Carolyn grew up on her parent's farm and like her mother, was a keen horse rider. They are both passionate about cooking and coffee and love growing things in the garden. Carolyn loves games of any sort...card games, board games and outdoor games. She also practises Qigong and enjoys swimming. She has retired from her Graphic Design business but enjoys art projects when she can fit them in. Richard enjoys fishing when he gets the chance and also practices meditation. They have travelled and lived overseas and enjoy meeting people of all cultures and backgrounds. Their diet is pescatarian eat ( vegetarian and seafood).
Nelson is well known for it's lovely climate, wealth of outdoor activities, incredible arts community and a very positive upbeat atmosphere. It is close to the sea, the bush, the mountains and four beautiful National Parks, the most famous being Abel Tasman National Park. Cycle trails and hiking tracks are everywhere.
Half of their house is a dedicated Bed and Breakfast suite where they host one group (of up to 3 guests) at a time.
Types of help and learning opportunities
Language practice
Elderly Companionship
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Help around the house
General Maintenance
Interests
Vegetarian or vegan
Sustainability
Self development
Movies & TV
Culture
Pets
Politics / Social justice
Languages
Photography
Plant care
Music
Books
Art & design
Drawing & painting
Gardening
Cooking & food
Animals
Yoga / Wellness
Nature
Fitness
Beach
Outdoor activities
Hiking
Cycling
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
Both Carolyn and Richard are happy to share their knowledge and experience. Carolyn works from home so will be on hand if there is anything you want help or advice with. She is happy to provide language practice for those travellers wanting to improve their English and she is interested in learning other languages too.
Help
We would like help with gardening, cooking and house tasks especially when the B & B is busy. We are pescatarian ( eat vegetarian and seafood) so if you are into cooking those sorts of meals then we are happy to give you the run of the kitchen. We welcome people with DIY skills, as we often have other types of tasks on offer such as painting, simple building projects and general maintenance.
We are looking for mature, independent people who show initiative. We welcome people who are able to help unsupervised, once they have been shown what is required. Outside of help time we hope you will enjoy exploring our beautiful region.
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Accommodation
Our workawayer guests stay at my mothers house next door as it is nice for her to have company and she has a large spare room with a Queensize bed. There is a separate bathroom for workawayers to use. Meals and project tasks are shared between our two homes.
What else ...
There is no shortage of things to do in our region and Carolyn and Richard are happy to assist you with planning trips and outings when you want to explore further afield. There is a local bus service as well as tourist bus operators connecting Nelson with Abel Tasman National Park and other local attractions.
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Space for parking camper vans
A campervan that can fit in a park on the street, but no large motorhomes as the street is quite narrow.
How many Workawayers can stay?
Two
My animals / pets
Chat with Workawayers who've visited this host
Feedback (20)
During my stay, I did some gardening and helped Lorna when she needed. Lorna was sooo lovely. It was great to be part of their daily… 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)
During my stay, I did some gardening and helped Lorna when she needed. Lorna was sooo lovely. It was great to be part of their daily… read more
Every morning we had amazing coffee with Carolyn, and Richard on the weekends. We had lunch and dinner all together (very tasty!!), that was very nice too.
Our tasks were various : in the garden,… read more
I felt welcomed from the first moment.
My room was in Lorna’s house, Carolyn’s mum. She is a lovely, super impressive 97 years old lady. Next to her house are living Carolyn & Richard with their cute dog Mia. I helped with cleaning in both households and Carolyn with the B&B and cooking.… read more
Carolyn and Richard are amazing people, super friendly and lovely to chat with. They shared our love for good food and coffee and we've been spoiled with both. We had our bedroom and Lornas house and she was the best company we could have asked for,… read more
Accommodation was great, with… read more
I enjoyed every minute I could spent with Carolyn, Richard and Lorna. All of them are incredibly thoughtful and encouraging.
The workaway project was very well organised. Even before I arrived we had a good and clear communication and during the work I always knew what to… read more
This was my first workaway and it was an absolute amazing experience! From the warm welcome at the airport to the drop-off at the end of my stay, Carolyn, Richard and Carolyn's mum went out of their way to make sure that I have a great week in Nelson.
They took me on walks, gave advice on things to do and let me borrow one… read more
I can only recommend to stay with them and would come back anytime!… read more
