Mulch and mountain views with our family in Taranaki, NZ

Infos

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  Description

  Kia ora! We're Lou and Ben.
  
  We live 25 minutes south of New Plymouth, 10mins south of Oakura, with beautiful views of the mountain, the ocean, and the Pouakai and Kaitake ranges. Nearby there's Pukeiti gardens, many hiking trails, a few great cafes/pubs, and the famous Surf Highway 45.
  
  Lou is a freelance copywriter and Ben is a firefighter, so our working hours are a bit more flexible compared to the average Mon-Fri/9-5.
  
  We’d love some help with a few projects around our property — planting trees, building a new chicken run, mulching, and other hands-on jobs. You don’t need experience (we’re learning too!), just a good attitude and willingness to work alongside us for a few hours each day.
  
  In return, we provide three hearty meals a day. Lou loves to cook and there’s always good food in the house. We have free-range eggs and sometimes hunted meat (venison, goat, fish), but we’re mostly plant-based and appreciate guests who are happy with that.
  
  You’ll love it here if you’re into surfing, hiking, animals, listening to records, and meeting new people. We often host potlucks and head to local events — live music, exhibitions, films, walks — and you’re always welcome to join in.
  
  Our home is clean and thoughtfully decorated with art, plants, and books. It's an old house with plenty of character, and while there are still parts we haven’t renovated yet, we’re slowly making it beautiful.
  
  We share our space with Grace, our very smoochy cat, and eight very tame Orpington chickens — including one delightful (and punctual) rooster who announces breakfast around 7am.
  
  Our place would suit a couple, friends travelling together, or a solo adventurer. We’ve previously hosted travellers from Japan and Germany and love learning about different cultures and perspectives.
  
  We’d love to play a small part in your Aotearoa experience 💛

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  Types d'aide et opportunités d'apprendre

  Aide avec des éco-projets

  Jardinage

  Bricolage et construction

  S’occuper des animaux
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  Centres d’intérêt

  

  Technologie

  

  Culture

  

  Événements/vie sociale

  

  Végétarien ou végan

  

  Dev. durable

  

  Animaux de compagnie

  

  Mode et beauté

  

  Vie en van

  

  Musique

  

  Histoire

  

  Livres

  

  Photographie

  

  Langues

  

  Jardinage

  

  Cuisine et alimentation

  

  Architecture

  

  Écriture

  

  Animaux

  

  Activités en plein air

  

  Yoga / bien-être

  

  Camping

  

  Nature

  

  Fitness

  

  Montagne

  

  Danse

  

  Plage

  

  Randonnée
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  Echange culturel et opportunités d'apprendre

  We love sharing what we know about this part of Aotearoa - from native trees and local plant life to bits of local and national history.
  
  We’re pretty connected in our community. We regularly host potlucks at our place and often head out to local events eg. gigs, exhibitions, film nights, markets, beach walks, and op-shopping. You’d always be welcome to join in. If you have your own interests, we’re happy to help connect you with people locally.
  
  We also genuinely love learning from the people who stay with us.

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  Aide

  We’re at the beginning of our journey with this property. When we arrived, the garden hadn’t been properly tended for over 10 years, so we’ve already done a lot of the big clearing and heavy groundwork.
  
  Now we’re moving into the exciting phase — planting native trees, establishing veggie gardens, cleaning the chicken house, fencing the new chicken run, mulching, improving soil, and setting up better compost systems.
  
  The work is mostly practical and hands-on. It’s not highly skilled, but it does require a reasonable level of fitness and a willingness to get stuck in. You don’t need prior experience — we’re learning as we go too.
  
  We’ll be working alongside you rather than leaving you to do tasks alone. We like to put some music on, make a plan for the day, and enjoy the process. It’s important to us that it feels collaborative and that we’re sharing skills and learning together.
  
  We ask for around 3 hours of help per day, and we’re flexible with how that’s structured. On some days you might do a little more so you can take full days off to explore.

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  Langues

  Langues parlées
  Anglais: Courant
  Espagnol: Débutant
  Irish: Débutant

  Cet hôte propose un échange linguistique
  Lou has started learning Irish but very early on the journey. Both Lou and Ben have some Spanish and can get by with conversations - always up for brushing up our skills. We're used to making friends with people who aren't confident speaking English, it doesn't phase us. We've loved hosting people learning English and, while we're not teachers, we'd love to help you :)
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  Hébergement

  We can provide a clean, private and secure place for you to sleep. You’ll have a spacious bedroom in the house with a comfortable bed, all bedding provided, bedside tables, and a wardrobe for your things. We can also provide a heater or fan depending on the season.
  
  If you’re travelling in a van, you’re very welcome to park up on our property and use the house facilities.
  
  We’re on tank water (rainwater and stream-fed), and we’re careful with it, but there’s plenty for everyday use. The bathroom and toilet are fully functional — the shower has great pressure — but they are on the older side and haven’t been renovated yet (that’s on our list for next year). Everything is clean and well maintained, just not modern.
  
  We have a washing machine and dryer available for you to use.
  
  Food-wise, we’re happy to provide three meals a day. We usually cook and eat together, and there’s always good, hearty food in the house. If you’d like to cook a meal for everyone one night, we love that too — it’s a great way to share cultures. If you prefer to cook some of your own meals, that’s absolutely fine as well — you’re welcome to grab your own groceries and we can make space for you in the pantry and fridge. Our kitchen is generous and well set up for sharing.

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  Autres infos...

  Time off:
  - Surf beaches, river swimming holes, Pukeiti gardens, Kaitake & Pouakai hikes
  - Climb the mountain if you’re experienced and prepared
  - 25 mins to New Plymouth (Coastal Walkway, galleries, markets, gigs, op shops)
  
  Getting around:
  - Having your own vehicle is strongly preferred (public transport is limited)
  - We can offer lifts or potentially lend the car for the odd trip
  - No bikes available
  
  House vibe:
  
  - Early-ish mornings
  - Relaxed but tidy, respectful and communicative
  - We’re social and sometimes host gatherings
  - On tank water
  - Smoking outside is fine

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  Informations complémentaires

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    Accès Internet

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    Accès Internet limité

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    Nous avons des animaux

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    Nous sommes fumeurs

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    Familles bienvenues

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  Possibilité d’accueillir les digital nomads

  Cet hôte a indiqué qu’il aimait accueillir les digital nomads.

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  Espace pour garer des vans

  Cet hôte a de la place pour les vans.

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  Combien de volontaires pouvez-vous accueillir ?

  Plus de 2

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  Mes animaux

  

  The Girls

  Handraised Orpingtons. Very friendly, hilarious personalities. They've been free ranging for the past few years, but we're excited to have a large but enclosed run for them so we can actually make progress with our garden.

  

  Roody

  King of the compost. Our alarm clock. Responds well to adoration.
  
  (Actually very friendly and a lovely boy).

  

  Grace

  Shy at first, but very smoochy. A little bit chunky. Your garden and lounge companion.

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