2026 - We welcome travellers who wish to work their way around New Zealand.  We offer a clean warm dry place to sleep, breakfast, lunch & evening meal plus a separate bathroom with a hot shower in exchange for 4 hours of honest physical work per day.  Up to two weeks at a time is good for us.  This is a bit of a read, but will help us all get off to a good start :-).
 
Once you have read all of this and you are keen to come, tell us if you have a birthday while you are with us, tell us if you need any help with food allergies or anything you may feel will help us to understand and assist you in our relationship.
 
We like to be absolutely clear about how things work at ours so there is no confusion or misunderstanding about what is expected.  So here is all of that information.
 
We strongly advise that you be upfront and clear about what you are comfortable and competent at doing, and what your experience is during our initial communications, i.e, before you get here. If we see that you are not able to fulfil 4hrs within the scope of help we ask for, (a fair work output), you may be asked to leave.  This has happened  :-(
Drinking water is in our house on the wall beside the fridge/freezer.
The accommodation- 
Options 1. Karearea Cottage
Our hut is also a work studio, with wool and craft equipment.  If you have an aversion to the smell of sheeps wool we may have to sort another space for you to stay.  The hut porch has a gas hob, table (also a workspace) Bathroom has a hot shower, sawdust toilet, hand basin, and mirror.  There are cups, plates, cutlery available for you to use.  The loft is up an upright ladder, with reading lights and power points.  Windows facing east and west, you are in the tree tops.
Its small but comfortable, we supply linen, duvet, pillows and have extra blankets, and great natural light.  Views of the chickens + roosters and the forest and in spring the fragrance of the white roses beside the chook house.
We would love it if you were able to return it to us having done a deep clean, leaving it lovely for the next visitor.  Take the pillowcases and sheets to our laundry, and blankets and duvets to be folded on the bed. :-)  Remember it is a small space and a healthy small space needs to have sunlight and air flow to keep it healthy, so please OPEN the curtains, the windows and doors :-)
The hut has solar power and wifi is intermittent.
 
Option 2.
Our campervan she is an older van with either two single beds or a queen in the back.  All items listed for the loft are also supplied for the van.  We ask that you do not use the gas hob, water etc in the van, instead use the facilities at the cottage.
If you stay in here, please open with windows and curtains during the day, keep the screen door shut to keep the animals out.  We would like you to give the van a deep clean before you leave if you choose this option.  Its a great way to make sure that you have all your belongings and nothing is left behind. :-)
 
The Bathroom
There is an eco bathroom at the back of the cottage with a hot shower & homemade soap and a composting toilet (sawdust) with views into the forest, only solid human waste goes into the toilet, we encourage watering into the wee wee bucket or wee wee in the forest.  The bathroom: you will need to look after this facility while you stay here, (we do not have cleaners), best to shower in the afternoons and leave the door open so that the room can dry out, wipe down the floor and any wet surfaces.  Showers, we would appreciate short showers, we know most city folk have little knowledge of water or LPG conservation :-) its an opportunity to begin a more conservative life.
We provide baking soda, vinegar and essential oils for cleaning, and we ask that you give the bathroom a good deep clean, of shower tray, walls, floor, and ceiling before you leave. 
 
Other
Both of us are very sensitive to chemicals, synthetic fragrances, body sprays & deodorants etc.  We would appreciate it if you could take a break from them while you stay with us.
You are welcome to use our washing machine, we supply laundry powder, clothes line and in the winter drying on the racks in the house.  
 
We like to mix up our meals, sometimes vegan, vegetarian or meats (chicken, fish, beef, lamb, duck). Let us know if you have any challenges with food.  We also like to have a glass of beer or a glass of wine, or gin with our evening meal, if you like to do this too we would welcome you contributing or bringing your own :-)
Mealtimes are a communal time, where we ask that you participate in the prep, setting the table, helping to cook, cook & or clean up.  This time is not considered Wwoof working time, for us, it is a part of living in community respectfully.  So let us know what you are happy to pitch in with.
 
If you have a 4X4 you are welcome to park in the lower carpark.  Otherwise, parking is in the car park halfway along the driveway.  
 
We do have Wifi, our service is dodgy to put it politely, so streaming is a luxury we only have in the house.  We ask that you respect our broadband and only use what is necessary for your email communications.  Phone reception here is terrible and the best reception is off-site on the main road.
 
We have other beings who live here as well, Andrina's mum June, you are welcome to visit June and have a chat and a cup of tea, she loves to chat and hear about how other people live.  We also have chickens, dogs, and cats. 
 
All of our tools are the result of our own hard work and effort so we ask that you respect them, by cleaning and putting them away at the end of each workday.
 
We make compost and have a worm farm, our food forest is a WIP, we work with what we have, and rarely bring soil or mulches etc from offsite, the exception is when we are propagating and potting. We grow natives, herbs, vegetables, and fruit (very small scale). We grow our own chickens for eggs and eating. 
We also have classes we run from time to time if you wish to attend any of these let's negotiate.
 
We are members of WWOOF NZ 
 
Please read the additional sections as well.