Description
My name is Api and me and my family are building our very own earth home! I am a Filmaker by trade and have always wanted to build an earth home. For 13 years (since 2009) me and my family lived in Australia in the busy fast paced life. When my dad became sick in New Zealand we decided to come back in 2022 and help him on our family land and at the same time build our own home. Living back here is a stark contrast to Australia. The pace is slow, peaceful and truly rewarding.

We are based in the beautiful Bay of Plenty in a small town called Waimana. The Bay of Plenty is known for its sunshine and beaches. If you like bush walks, rivers and beaches, then you’ll be in a sweet spot as we are close to them all. We stay in a gorgeous valley with a river running through where you can wash, swim and relax. We have over 52hectares of native bush land with many native birds and wild horses who roam the valley.

We are also Maori and native to this land, so you will learn a lot about our culture on your stay. We have a local Marae or tribal house with Maori carvings which is traditionally built. And if the timing is right you may get a chance to make a hangi which is a traditional method of cooking in the ground. We will definitely do our best to answer your questions and teach you about the rich local history of our culture and people.

The views are breathtaking from our elevated home site. We have already started the build with the framing up. Our home will be a round house with a reciprocal roof and strawbale walls with earthen plasters and floors. Most materials have been sourced locally and from the land. The idea behind our building concept was to help inspire other local families to build more affordable, healthier homes, building in communities. This home is about bringing people together, it is a blue print to inspire locals to think outside the box and that you don’t need lots of money to build a home!

Thank you for your time and me and my family look forward to meeting you.
Types d'aide et opportunités d'apprendre
Aide avec des éco-projets
Enseignement
Jardinage
Bricolage et construction
Cuisine/repas pour la famille
Echange culturel et opportunités d'apprendre
As mentioned we are traditional custodians of our land. There is a rich history to be learnt and be shown. What better place to learn about Maori people but with Maori people. If timing is right you will also learn how to make a traditional maori hangi, which is how we cook our food in the ground. We also live close to many beautiful sites like Rotorua, Tauranga and many of the east coast beaches. If you enjoy fishing, the bay of plenty has much to offer. We have horses which freely roam our valley, some of which can be ridden. The are many bush walks and rivers nearby which you can also explore.
Projets impliquant des enfants
Ce projet peut impliquer des enfants. Pour en savoir plus, consultez nos directives et conseils ici.
Aide
If you have any experience building Earthhomes this would be a big bonus but not entirely necessary. This would include, mixing cob, straw bale walls, earthen plasters, bottle walls or anything along the lines of earth building. Some traditional building knowledge of any sort would be ideal but also not necessary. We generally just need extra hands to help. A lot of the work is physical so lots of lifting, pulling, moving, cutting materials, but most of all just problem solving. If you have a partner who does not enjoy the physical aspects but maybe able to help by making meals this would also be a great help. Any gardening and permaculture minds would also be helpful to share and teach their knowledge.
Langues
Langues parlées
Anglais: Courant
Cet hôte propose un échange linguistique
Cet hôte a indiqué qu’il souhaitait faire partager sa propre langue ou en apprendre une nouvelle.
Contactez-le pour en savoir plus.
Hébergement
We have plenty of space to park up a camper van or pitch up a tent. We also have a small cabin that can be used for accommodating guests. Sometimes this accomodation is already occupied, but we will let you know if it’s available. There are compost toilets and showers can be had either by solar showers (bring your own) or in our river. We has be plenty of water which comes from the mountains and down our creek which we collect. It is some of the best in the world! If we are working, lunch will be provided and depending on how long we work dinner as well. But we can discuss work/food and what works best for our stays. We are meat eaters so we are not normally making just vegetarian meals. Not impossible, but we can make arrangements.
Autres infos...
We have dogs. Once they get to know you it should be fine.
Informations complémentaires
- Accès Internet
- Accès Internet limité
- Nous avons des animaux
- Nous sommes fumeurs
- Familles bienvenues
Possibilité d’accueillir les digital nomads
Cet hôte a indiqué qu’il aimait accueillir les digital nomads.
Espace pour garer des vans
Plenty of room for campervans!
Combien de volontaires pouvez-vous accueillir ?
Plus de 2
Nombre d'heures attendues
Maximum 4-5 hours a day, 5 days a week