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We live in a beautiful, recently renovated farm homestead in the stunning Motueka River valley.
Your hosts, Jeremy (32) and Josie (32), would love to host people from anywhere in the world with an interest in the outdoors. We have recently finished our own worldwide adventures and would love to pay forward the wonderful hosts and experiences we had on our travels.
We are converting an old sheep and tobacco farm back into native forest, building and landscaping a new lodge and generally cleaning up the property (we moved here Dec 2016). We need help with many various tasks, from scrub clearing and planting trees to landscaping / weeding and helping with the animals closer to the homestead. 4 hours a day in exchange for food and accommodation, and if Josie is cooking the food will be fantastic!
The homestead has a large modern kitchen, spacious lounge, large deck and warm bedrooms. Wifi and Netflix available but we would encourage you to get out and explore this wonderful part of the world. We are on the doorstep to the Kahurangi National Park, and a short drive away from the Abel Tasman National Park. Plenty of walking / tramping in the area, we have over 10km of walking tracks on our property alone!
Awesome swimming holes close by for summer, and cosy spots by the fire with plenty of books for winter makes our piece of paradise a fantastic spot all year round.
We currently have a young dog (Nuka), pet chickens (un-named), lambs (Lambert, Romeo, Barry and Justin), pigs (Bacon, Maple and Cotton) and a teenage goat (Vincent van Goat).
– 5 days minimum, 1 week or more preferred
– own transport preferred but not necessary
Gardening
General Maintenance
Farmstay
Help with Eco project
Help in the house
Animal care
Through the help you will learn about various plant species and why we are planting them. How these plants help with soil erosion and contribute to a healthier ecosystem and healthier river-ways, as well as how we are attracting native birds and insects back to the area.
Through living with us we hope to share travel stories and connect with people from all walks of life. In renovating our homestead we have purposefully removed the TV from our living areas to encourage conversation and connections with each other. We both enjoying tramping and can recommend walks in the local area, as well as fishing, swimming and some hunting.
We need help with a lot of non-mechanical gardening tasks such as scrub removal and weeding, planting or potting trees. A typical day starts with feeding of the animals with plenty of scratches, pats and rubs, then on to whatever project we have going on. We have all required tools for the job so we will be able to make the most of whatever skill set you have. We have plenty of trees to plant so your work will be around for generations!
Jobs previous workaways have done are: scrub clearing, tree planting, tree potting / propagating, building animal shelters, building retaining walls, hard landscaping (building walls, edging, garden beds), soft landscaping (planting, weeding, tending to vegetable garden), lighting and controlling fires for burn-offs, painting, installing irrigation, cleaning the homestead and much more.
We try to vary the jobs done over the days so you won't get bored with the same job!
English
You will be staying in a 6 bedroom farm homestead of which 3 are for volunteers, so there is normally always other volunteers to get to know. Workaways will have their own room with a shared bathroom and toilet upstairs. We cook and eat together in the living area which has an awesome wood fire for winter and opens out onto a large deck for summer.
There is lots to explore in the local area, from the beaches of Abel Tasman to the mountains of Kahurangi National Park and the Mt Arthur range. We are in the middle of 3 national parks (Abel Tasman, Kahurangi and Nelson Lakes). We have a couple of kayaks you can borrow to go down the Motueka river on if conditions are suitable, and plenty of walking tracks with views around our property.
We are happy to help you plan the next part of your trip, or how best to explore the area once we get to know you and what you are in to! So we know who has read our entire profile and to weed out mass messages, please mention your favourite animal in your message!
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
More than two
4 hours per day
These are extra optional ratings when members leave feedback. The average rating left for each option is displayed.
Accuracy of profile:
(4.9)
Cultural exchange:
(4.8)
Communication:
(4.9)
We enjoyed living and working with J+J and other workawayers, as it created a really nice atmosphere, especially with sharing meals together every night. We also enjoyed the opportunity to cook for everyone – so this is a very good place for social people, on your own or as a couple. However we were also able to enjoy our own space in a very comfy room, which was appreciated after a morning's work.
Josie was also very kind in letting us borrow their kayaks, and driving us up river so we could paddle back again! We definitely recommend working for a day off to do this, and to stop on the mini beaches on the way to relax and enjoy the isolation in nature.
On the subject of work, we were surprised to arrive and find out that we were expected to work for every night that we wanted to stay (and the day we were leaving), for four hours a day. This was not an unreasonable amount of work for the generous hospitality we received, however it was not what we had signed up for. When we applied the profile stated 5 hours of work minimum expected a day, and a minimum 5 days a week. This was misleading, as we were expected to work 7 days a week, and make up hours on other days if we wanted time off.
Thank you so much for having us to stay, we had an amazing time and we thoroughly recommend Josie and Jeremy as hosts!
These folks are wonderful, kind, and generous people who invite you into their home and their lives. The hours are flexible, you'll be comfortable in the beds upstairs, you'll eat well, and maybe you'll even have an adventure or two.
Thanks for everything and I'll see you guys next August!
Thanks for all your hard work Sophie, and for your contributions around the homestead, with keeping the place tidy, looking after the animals, and… read more your translation skills! Enjoy the rest of your travels and hope to meet again.
J + J
(Excellent )
(Excellent )
They achieved everything asked of them to a high standard, and loved every minute of planting trees! They… read more were great in the kitchen and cooked us some Hungarian dishes and were happy to give us glimpses into their way of life. They are both very clean and tidy up after themselves.
An absolute pleasure to have them both at the homestead – thank you both for your contribution and you are welcome back anytime!
(Excellent )
She happily set herself to whatever job was set for her, and has good initiative to see what else needed to be done. Absolute… read more ace at potting plants!
Hope the rest of your travels are fantastic and the Pacific islands are fun and relaxing before heading back into whatever career to go with!
(Excellent )
Unfortunately, I only got to experience Josie’s cooking once because she was away but it was so good! If she cooks for you, you will be so lucky!!!
I know I will be back one day and maybe even stay at the lodge! Give Nuka and Vincent Van Goat a big hug for me!
P.s Whatever you do, don't start a puzzle.
Enjoy the rest of the trip around NZ, and we'll catch you in France!
(Excellent )
Hope you guys have an awesome trip around the rest of NZ, welcome back any time!
J + J
(Excellent )
Jokes aside thanks so much for your hard work and positive energy… read more about the place guys. Hope the rest of your travels go well now that the puzzle curse has been lifted.
J + J
(Excellent )
Great company in the evenings, the got along with everyone and made our place a better spot to be with their presence.
Thanks for your hard work guys, enjoy the rest of your… read more travels!
J + J
(Excellent )
Happy to lend a hand at anything and can see what needs to be done and cracks on with it. A pleasure to host, enjoy the rest of your travels!'
J + J
(Excellent )
Amongst their hard work they happily built a solid retaining wall with no previous experience. This included digging holes in hard ground, mixing concrete and cutting and measuring timber. The end result is really a… read more credit to their hard work and intelligence – not all volunteers could do this.
They were great with the animals and diligent with feeding all that needed to be fed. Great cooks and great chat in the evenings, a pleasure to have with us for the month.
Enjoy the rest of your travels guys and stop by if you are in the neighbourhood again!
J + J
(Excellent )
Enjoy the rest of your travels, pop in for a… read more cuddle with Vincent anytime.
J + J
(Excellent )
(Excellent )
Was a pleasure to meet you Matias and hope the rest of your travels go well. If you find yourself… read more back this way please pop in!
J+J
(Excellent )
You're welcome back anytime mate, and look forward to checking out your spot.
(Excellent )
All other tasks were completed to a high… read more standard, and she was proactive in helping out with other things around the homestead. She is very fun to be around and got on well with everyone.
Good luck with your family up north and hope to bump into you sometime in the future.
J+J
(Excellent )
You are welcome back anytime mate, and let… read more me know when you have set your place up, or need a hand setting it up and we will come visit!
J + J
(Excellent )
Enjoy the rest of your travels mate and we'll catch up in Belgium!
(Excellent )
Enjoy the rest of your travels guys and thanks for your help!
J + J
(Excellent )
They are always smiling and cooked delicious food. If these guys ask to volunteer with you then make sure you take… read more them up on their offer!
Enjoy the rest of your travels, you are welcome back here any time.
J + J
(Excellent )
Thanks for your amazing bread, fantastic scones and the efficient stewing and jamming of our fruit. It was great watching you make… read more connections here that you will keep for a lifetime!
(Excellent )
Marion was fun to have about the place and fit into our way of life seamlessly. Her ratatouille is amazing!
Enjoy your next stop on… read more your travels and we will see if you are in France next time we are there.
J + J
(Excellent )
They worked hard at every job we gave them, it was just a pity we didn't have jobs at the time to put their skills to better use!
Enjoy the rest of your travels guys and can't wait to come… read more stay at your treehouse! Maybe we can repay the hard work in kind?!
J+J
(Excellent )
Hope you guys enjoy the rest of your travels and we will catch you in the UK in the future!
J+J
(Excellent )
Jeremy has taken on an inspiring task in rewilding the landscape and we were thrilled to learn about the process and be a small part of the project.
We couldn’t have asked for better hosts… read more than Jeremy and Josie. Jeremy managers the work efficiently, gives clear directions and both are great company and super chilled out. Josie is an awesome cook and Jeremy also does a mean spaghetti bolognaise 😉
Our time off was spent swimming and relaxing by the river. We even joined Jeremy, Josie and Jeremy’s family on a beautiful tramp on Mt Arthur.
Would recommend this workaway to anyone with an interest in the environment and hoping to experience a taste of Kiwi life.
Thanks guys!
Thanks for your efforts,… read more entertainment and skills in the kitchen. Enjoy the rest of your travels!
J+J
(Excellent )
(No show)
Hope you guys enjoy the rest of your travels and see you in Israel!
(Excellent )
Enjoy the rest of your trip through Aotearoa and see you in Germany!
(Excellent )
The home is beautiful with nice views and a big kitchen/communal area, but I also had my own room if I needed privacy. They were very generous and flexible when it… read more comes to food – I had wonderful times with cuisine from different countries as different volunteers would cook every night for the whole team.
The work was typical farm work like weeding and replanting, but the business is done on a sustainable base, and they are very flexible on how/when you make your hours. You are around a lot of different animals, and I was lucky taking care of them was also part of the job. Nothing better than a breakfast egg you collected yourself!
There is a lot of outdoor things to do from hiking or running to swimming, and even I didn't have my own car Jeremy and Josie were very generous in giving my rides from time to time, or also letting volunteers being part in their leisure activities.
Again: the perfect experience in a beautiful area with kind people who are fun to be around!
(Excellent )
(Excellent )
(Excellent )
(Excellent )
(Excellent )
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