Richard & Leslie

New Zealand
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Profile information

Travel information
We are currently
At home
Activities we are interested in:
Connecting with Workaway people who are traveling in New Zealand. Happy to offer local knowledge and host you for a day on Waiheke Island or Downtown Auckland.
Our next destination:
Japan - from Apr 2025 until Jun 2025
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Description
We have arrived home and are already planning our travel for August - November, 2025. We love contributing to English Language Immersion programmes, language/cultural exchanges, companionship opportunities, gardening projects, household chores and housesitting. If you would like us to help you, please contact us. Thanks!

We are life partners who moved to New Zealand from the United States. We raised twin children and enjoyed our careers. Now, we're ready to have new experiences.

We can help you with gardening, odd-jobs, household tasks, house-sitting and improving your English language skills. We are also interested in supporting sustainability projects.

We both have gardening experience from taking care of our own gardens. Richard nurtures the fruit, avocado, olive and macadamia nut trees in our backyard as well as the shrubs and grounds. Leslie volunteers at the local community garden, growing vegetables and herbs. In the last 3 years, we have volunteered on two organic vineyards, two lifestyle properties and an organic farm.

As homeowners of many years, we have experience managing the upkeep of our house. We have done indoor painting, outdoor oiling and staining, minor furniture repairs, decorating, organising and deep cleaning. We are happy to help with your home as it if was our own.

We are both native English speakers and have been teachers so we can help others learn or practice English.

Leslie is also happy to share her professional coaching, training and programme evaluation skills.

We are very willing to help, happy to share and open to learn. We look forward to meeting new people, understanding different cultures, developing new skills and making new friends.

Richard: I am a calm, quiet, self-sufficient, thorough and dependable person. I love books and wine. taught education and psychology, at universities in the United States, Malaysia and New Zealand. It was there that I developed effective organisational and collaborative skills as well as my barista skills. I'm known for getting things organised, seeing what needs to be done and making it happen.

Leslie: I am an optimistic, fun-loving, curious, reliable person. I am known for being excellent at cleaning, organising and downsizing. As a business and life coach, I help people communicate, work better with others and solve problems. I endeavour to incorporate these skills in my own behaviour. (https://www.linkedin.com/in/lesliehamiltonfuturescape/)

We both enjoy being in nature to hike, camp, kayak and cycle (our new hobby). We also enjoy going to museums, concerts, theatre and festivals.
Interests
Cycling
Writing
Pets
Animals
Languages
Plant care
Self development
Politics / Social justice
Photography
History
Events & social
Charity work
Sustainability
Outdoor activities
Nature
Movies & TV
Hiking
Gardening
Culture
Camping
Books
Languages
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Sign language (American): Beginner
French: Beginner
More details about my language interests
Happy to teach English, School Subjects, Life Skills
Find a language buddy
Skills and knowledge we'd like to share or learn
We're interested in:
General Maintenance
Hospitality/Tourism
Charity Work
Being an elderly companion
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Life at a Farmstay
Some knowledge of:
Helping around the house
Gardening
Eco Projects
Able to teach about:
Teaching
Languages
More details about your skills
In addition to the skills identified in our overall description:
Richard: - I have knowledge and interest in gardening and cooking and am always interested in enhancing my skills in these areas. I am a good listener and a good team player.

Leslie: - I am very good at problem-solving, customer service, providing a helping hand to assist others and getting a job done. I have knowledge and would love to learn more about gardening, preparing plants and food as medicine, arts and crafts, cooking and computers.
Age
72 & 74
What else ...
Richard: I enjoy jigsaw puzzles, board and card games, and have a keen interest in books and reading - particularly science fiction. I know a bit about wine and am happy to learn more.

Leslie: I enjoy socialising, board games, dancing, festivals, arts and crafts, gardening and learning new skills.
Some more information
- Smoker
- Driver's licence
- Allergies
  No allergies known
- Special dietary requirements
  No

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10 Dec 2024

Left by host (Small family homestead farm ...) for Workawayer ()

Thank you so much, Richard and Leslie, for your wonderful feedback! It was truly a pleasure having you both stay with us. Your positive energy, life experience and willingness to help were such a gift to us!

We’re thrilled you enjoyed your time here. Dora sends her love and tail wags. It was such a joy sharing our culture, food, and home-grown… read more

(Excellent )

25 Oct 2024

Left by Workawayer () for host (Small family homestead farm ...)

We really enjoyed working away with Andis and Lelde. They are kind, fun and interesting hosts. They offered us work that matched our skills and met their needs. The accommodation was comfortable and private. We really appreciated the time and effort they took to introduce us to their culture, food and drink. And, we really appreciated the fresh… read more

(Excellent )

25 Oct 2024

Left by Workawayer () for host (Help with gardening in ...)

We had a wonderful time with Ilona at her beautiful country property. Ilona is a lovely, interesting, and generous person and we had lots of great sharing conversations about our lives and experiences. Working for 3 hours a day allowed us the flexibility to explore the area (we had rented a car). In addition, Ilona took us on adventures visiting… read more

(Excellent )

27 Jun 2024

Left by host (Help with our goats and learn ...) for Workawayer ()

We totally forgot to leave feedback so doing it now with almost a year delay, sorry.

First of all, we admire Leslie & Richard for their adventurous attitude, we would love to be that active when their age. Although they only stayed for a few days, they were a great company and help. They built our elevated beds, we found them to be skilled,… read more

(Excellent )

16 Nov 2023

Left by Workawayer () for host (Help with our goats and learn ...)

We really enjoyed staying with Daniela and Tomas at their goat farm. Both Daniela and Tomas are inspiring people and it was lovely to get to know them as well as work for/with them. They are friendly, generous and patient people who are creating their dream lifestyle. It was a privilege to be part of their lives for a week.

Our main project was… read more

(Excellent )

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10 Dec 2024

Left by host (Small family homestead farm ...) for Workawayer ()

(Excellent)

25 Oct 2024

Left by Workawayer () for host (Small family homestead farm ...)

(Excellent)

25 Oct 2024

Left by Workawayer () for host (Help with gardening in ...)

(Excellent)

27 Jun 2024

Left by host (Help with our goats and learn ...) for Workawayer ()

(Excellent)

16 Nov 2023

Left by Workawayer () for host (Help with our goats and learn ...)

(Excellent)

26 Jul 2023

Left by host for Workawayer ()

Leslie and Richard stayed with me for for days and it was a great pleasure to have them with me. Leslie and Richard are very uncomplicated, active and self organised. They are very interesting people who are very interested in the people and culture of the country. We talked about everything and laughed a lot . They helped me in the house with… read more

(Excellent)

14 Jun 2023

Left by Workawayer () for host (Teach me about your culture ...)

We stayed with Andrea for four days and had a delightful time and highly recommend this work-away opportunity. A quick summary of our stay: we talked, laughed, cooked together, ate, drank, and toured the local area.

Andrea made us feel very welcome to her home and life. She has a lovely house that was comfortable for us to stay in. She invited… read more

(Excellent)

12 Jun 2023

Left by Workawayer () for host (Welcoming those interested in ...)

This workaway was a most memorable adventure and we are so grateful that Bjarni chose us to be part of it.

Bjarni is a kind, knowledgeable, generous, gracious and adventurous host. He is passionate about Iceland. Because he is such a great storyteller, we learned much about the country and many other topics that come up in conversations during… read more

(Excellent)

21 Sep 2022

Left by Workawayer () for host (Join us on our permaculture ...)

We really enjoyed staying with Robin and experiencing the lifestyle on his farm. He is a very experienced host and made us feel very welcomed. He has a positive attitude and is very patient. He gave us clear expectations of the tasks he wanted completed and was very good at delegating responsibilities. We planted seeds, weeded the garden, picked… read more

(Excellent)

21 Sep 2022

Left by host (Join us on our permaculture ...) for Workawayer ()

I am very happy to have met Leslie and Richard. They were very pleasant, hardworking, self-initiative and persistent. Besides, we also laughed a lot. Richard did every job well, he was especially persistent when picking pears. Leslie prepared the seedlings very nicely and was also very meticulous about keeping the house clean. We also picked… read more

(Excellent)

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