Help with gardening and some painting in Te Awamutu, New Zealand

Details

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  Description

  We are Jack and Hadassah Jones. We are an international couple. Jack is English, spent many years in Germany and married Hadassah who is a Kiwi. Hadassah grew up in Papua New Guinea, has an American accent but is a New Zealander. We both have travelled a lot and enjoy people from other cultures.
  
  
  Jack is 55 years old and works for a kiwi fruit business as the workshop manager.
  Hadassah is 49 years old and has her own small gardening business, tending other peoples gardens while still trying to do her own.
  We enjoy people from all walks of life, religion and cultures and hold to the importance of respect.
  We have a religious family background which has definitely impacted on our lives but we are not overly religious ourselves. We do give thanks for our meals.
  We are non-smokers and mostly non-drinkers. You are welcome to provide your own alcohol but prefer non-smokers
  The one thing we might seem a bit quirky about is that we like to have our shower squeegeed down and wiped after each shower. Just to stop water stains.
  We really enjoyed having workawayers and enjoy conversations, showing people around when we can and providing a nice place to stay.
  
  Also we have black ducks as our pets. They are very much a part of our lives. So hopefully you don't mind ducks because one of them comes inside for a visit. They can be messy but I try very hard to keep things clean. They are pretty adorable and if you stay with us, you will then forever after notice ducks everywhere. :)

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Gardening

  DIY and building projects

  Help around the house

  General Maintenance
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  It seems that when travelling if you are able to stay with local people, you gain a greater knowledge of the area, the way people live and what life is truly like for the people living there. When you are a tourist travelling through and only visiting tourist sites you don't really formulate a true picture of what that place is like.
  I think living with us will give you a picture of NZ life. What daily life looks life, what issues kiwi's are facing, how we approach life. We also have local knowledge of places to see and things to do that might not be on the typical tourist route.

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  Help

  We are looking for help with a few different things
  
  We are creating a duck pond but it isn't such a small project. (This is the ongoing, never ending project, the kind you know will be great when finished but also wonder why you even started it. LOL) This is a specialized pond that should filter the water naturally to keep it clean. We have all the materials for it now and it is quite involved. We need some muscle power to help with the creation of this pond. We have to lift large rocks into place, create a waterfall and fill in all the gaps with stones. So if you want a project you can get stuck into this could be it. We would work on this project with you as it will require team work.
  We need to clear the overgrown grass and weeds first, before we try build it up.
  
  I also have loads of jobs in the garden from very simple to more complicated. Some will take minutes and others hours. Also if you like to be a bit creative I might have some projects for you.
  
  I help out at our local primary school on a Friday's working with the children in their school garden. It is a program called 'Garden to Table'. There is an opportunity to experience some Maori culture as the classes are Maori immersion classes. They speak Maori and English and follow Maori customs. It is really special. Workawayers have helped me down in the garden. If you like interacting with children this a good opportunity. There is also loads of weeding and garden tasks that we would love help with . That would be your 4 hours helping there instead of my garden.

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  Languages spoken

  German: Fluent
  English: Fluent

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  Accommodation

  Our spare bedroom fits one person comfortably. It can fit two but will be a bit tighter. It is a comfortable bedroom, bright and cheerful.
  Our house is warm and comfortable, it isn't large but very comfortable.
  Food will be provided, non-fussy eaters are always welcome, but we will do our best to provide for peoples food restrictions and preferences within reason. We are not vegetarian and so not overly experienced in cooking vegetarian food.
  Because of where we live having your own transport would be very helpful. We are in a small town that only runs basic bus services, so if you want to really get out exploring having a car to do so would really help. We can tell you of heaps of places to visit.
  I am happy to drop you off at the bus station if that helps. I am sure you can catch a bus to Waitamo caves or Hobbiton if you want to.

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  What else ...

  We live in a small area called Kihikihi a suburb of Te Awamuta. We are very centrally placed for tourist activities. We are about 40 minute drive from Waitomo Caves. Another 40 minutes in a different direction to Hobbiton. We are about 1 hours drive from Kawhia, Raglan, Rotorua, & Mt Maunganui.
  We have a good knowledge of places to go, local hikes, rock climbing, swimming, caving activities for the area. We might even take you out ourselves if the timing works. We do love to share our local awesome spots.
  I am sure we could fill-up your time off with places to visit.

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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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  Space for parking camper vans

  We have a couple of spots for campervans to park.

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  Two

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  Hours expected

  Maximum 4 hours a day

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