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Host rating
85 %
Last replied
3 Jun 2025
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100.0 %
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Details
Description
Our small home and sleep out is located in urban Hokitika on the West Coast of the South Island. There is a lot to explore in this beautiful and lush part of the country. We have bike trails and bikes you can borrow. There are great lakes for swimming and amazing sights like the Hokitika Gorge to visit. We grow as much food as we can in our garden and small green house. We have a second property nearby that we are slowly working away at in order to make more space for growing food. My partner is really inspired by the work of horticulturalist Charles Dowding and we practice his no dig and organic soil management teachings.
My partner and I have a preschooler who is the delight of our days. We prioritize time with her and each only work 2-3 days per week. Growing your own food, cooking from scratch, and eating mostly wild meat take time and energy. We are looking for willing hands to make light work.
Your space is our comfortable sleepout just meters from the main house. It has 1 queen bed and 2 single bunk beds (which require climbing a ladder to access). The bathroom/shower and kitchen are in the main house. In exchange for 4h/day of help, we will provide a hot dinner. You can join us for breakfast and lunch or cook these yourselves with the food provided. We often have family that come and visit so can only accommodate short stays.
Types of help and learning opportunities
Help with Eco Projects
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Babysitting and creative play
Help around the house
General Maintenance
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
My partner is a kiwi and I am from Canada. We both grew up around woofers and homestay students in our homes. This mutually beneficial sharing of space and culture is something that is important to us and we want our child to benefit from this as she grows up.
Our life surrounds the garden and food as we value strongly providing ourselves and our child with nutrient rich food. Sometimes we take meals outside and cook on the beach while surf casting for fish. We love how wild the west coast is and you often have the whole beach to yourself.
Projects involving children
This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.
Help
We would like help around both properties with fixing fencing, weeding, harvesting, compost, preserving and fermenting food. Occasionally there will be help with butchering. There is also some exterior painting and cleaning of down spouts we may get to.
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Spanish: Beginner
French: Beginner
Accommodation
Our comfortable sleepout is just meters from the main house. It has 1 queen bed and 2 single bunk beds (which require climbing a ladder to access). The bathroom/shower and kitchen are in the main house. In exchange for 4h/day of help, we will provide a hot dinner. We prioritize eating as a family as much as possible and would like you to join at least once per day. You can join us for breakfast and lunch or cook these yourselves with the food provided. We often have family that come and visit so can only accommodate short stays
What else ...
We have bikes available for your use. If time permits, we can drive you to local sights.
As our home is small, we all need to be considerate of time spent in the only bathroom. Hot water is available but runs out if multiple people shower one after another. The kitchen is also very snug and is best used one at a time! I expect the kitchen to be left in a clean and tidy state after use.
While we enjoy hosting, we also like some quiet time especially during our child's bedtime.
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Space for parking camper vans
Large driveway available
How many Workawayers can stay?
More than two
Feedback (1)
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