Profile information
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Host rating
85 %
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Last replied
19 Sep 2026
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Reply rate
100.0 %
Usually responds within 5 days
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Feedback
1
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ID verified
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Email verified
Badges (3)
Find your perfect host
Min stay requested: at least a week
Details
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Description
Where I am Located: Welcome to Dargaville! My home is a beautiful kauri cottage right on the riverfront, just a 5-minute walk to local shops.
If you love nature, I am just a 12-minute drive from New Zealand's longest drivable beach, and 45 minutes from our stunning ancient Kauri forests and lakes.
About Me & The Exchange:
Hi! My name is Mandy Wood. I am a Christian lady, counsellor, and artist. I love hosting and have been welcoming WWOOFers and volunteers into my home for years (especially from Germany!)
.As a thank you for your help, I will happily teach you stained glass jewellery and sea glass jewellery skills, and you'll get to make a beautiful piece to take home with you!
Your Accommodation:You will stay in my cosy kauri cottage with me. Your bedroom is freshly decorated with a comfortable double bed (check out the photos!). We share the household chores, so we will cook and clean up together as a team.
We have Wi-Fi available for your everyday needs like emails, messaging, and YouTube (we just ask to avoid massive file downloads).
I also have two goofy, lovable poodles who can’t wait to meet you!
The Fun Projects (How You Can Help):I am looking for responsible, energetic, and social people to help me artistically "funk up" my community arts barn therapy gallery space and herb gardens.
It is a non-profit space free for the public, and it’s just too much work for me to do alone!I would love your help with: Creative Art: Painting fun, simple, large designs on the fence (think Van Gogh, Monet, or fun animal graffiti style!) or cutting out and painting big tin animals.
Gallery Setup: Helping me dust, mop, and prep the art barn (usually takes about a day), and then arranging the furniture, tables, and art equipment
.Basic Tech Support: Helping me take some nice photos of the space and setting up a simple, basic 2-page website (one page for photos, one page for the address/info).
Transport & Logistics: Dargaville has a weekday bus service to and from Whangarei (Monday to Friday). There are also connecting buses from Auckland to Whangarei. On some days, I drive out to Whangarei myself and may be able to pick you up directly!
Please note: For everyone’s peace of mind and safety, I host a drug-free, sober household, and I kindly ask to see a passport ID upon arrival.
As this is a volunteer exchange for a community non-profit gallery, please note that no financial payment is provided or charged for your stay and lessons. -
Types of help and learning opportunities
Art Projects
Teaching
Light gardening
Creative DIY projects
Animal Care
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Help around the house
Light maintenance
Help with Computers/ Internet
House & pet sitting
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Interests
Movies & TV
Videography
Technology
Events & social
Pets
Self development
Culture
Charity work
Drawing & painting
Gardening
DIY & crafts
Art & design
Animals
Yoga / Wellness
Nature
Beach -
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
Enjoy my home and poodles. Learn how to create some sea glass and stained glass jewellery souvenirs to take with you. See the local area - wild west coast, kauri forest and lakes.
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Help
HELP REQUIRED: artistically funky up my huge barn/art therapy gallery space. Do you have some ideas or skills and are keen to do a big space clean-up and gallery set-up job and freshen it up, and easy painting & garden in tiny garden and pots - then you are right for this home stay place.
Share in cooking and cleaning.
INTERNET skills- help needed! Help me understand professional internet pages for counselling therapy and arts to reach locals.
DOGS: Take my 2 goofy poodles on walks. They are house dogs, non-allergenic and non-shedding and love human visitors - if you don't like dogs, don't come as they hang around you all day. -
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
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Accommodation
Staying in my home, a Kauri cottage in a newly decorated double bedroom. Shared cooking/cleaning.
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What else ...
Enjoy my home and poodles. Learn how to create some sea glass and stained glass jewellery to take with you. Exchange some art and craft knowledge. See the local area - wild west coast, kauri forest and lakes.
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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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Can host digital nomads
I have enjoyed hosting digital nomads for 15+ years (German bank internet page writers, traders, blog writers, and business marketing professionals). I have ok wifi, big downloads are not possible but emails and YouTube work fine. I'm happy for people to work away on their computers in their own time.
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Space for parking camper vans
You can park your car or small van like a Toyota hiace in my house carpark. Long campers or wide box vans will not fit.
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How many Workawayers can stay?
Two
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My animals / pets
poodles
2 x poodles
Photos
Feedback
Good understanding of English and always making sure they understand an instruction. When corrected, it is not a problem, just a learning situation.
Explain what they need to do and leave them to it.
Very mature, responsible, and aim to please.
Not fussy eaters. They cook and clean for … read more
