Ahunui

We have a small, beautiful farmlet nestled in a bend of the picturesque Ruakokoputuna River Valley near the wine growing village of Martinborough (15 minutes away). Martinborough is in the Wairarapa province - we are 1.5 hours from Wellington. We work from home with Melissa involved with the horses and equestrian activities and Burton as a writer, publisher and inventor. We have 4 grown up children and several grandchildren.
Our horses are spirited sports horses or young horses - so if you want to ride then you need to have a very good level of riding experience and be 70kgs or less. Of course there are lots of jobs to do with them that are not about riding them and they are all interesting characters.

We have both travelled and have had interesting careers - writing, inventing, journalism and equestrian sports. We are parents of adult children and enjoy communicating with all sorts of people. We love New Zealand and like to share our knowledge of this special country. We have set up our place from scratch and so have considerable knowledge about small farming and growing your own food. For those interested in horses both Melissa and Francesca have a lot of experience which they can share with you if you are keen to help and learn. We have been hosting volunteers for over 20 years, we are new here but if you want to read reviews from previous volunteers over the years, We will love to share it with you, just ask for it.


Reviews

5.0
(5 reviews)5

Staff & Host

5.0

Hours & Tasks

5.0

Hostel

5.0

Learning & Fun

5.0

Canada

5

A beautiful warm and welcoming home with amazing hosts, Melissa and Burton are fun to be around and have excellent stories. Tasks were not difficult and you felt like you were really contributing to the overall shape of the farm! Meals are fantastic and the reading selection is too! You genuinely won't want to leave. Thank you Melissa and Burton for a great farm stay.

about 2 months ago

United Kingdom

5

I had a lovely time staying with Melissa and Burton! I stayed two weeks in which they integrated me fully into their lives, were very welcoming and shared a lot of knowledge and experiences with me. I loved feeding the cute chickens in the morning and helping brush the horses, and I also enjoyed working in the beautiful gardens. I felt very relaxed and connected with nature during my stay, and it brought back happy childhood memories of helping my grandmother with her horses. I recommend staying with them to anyone wanting to connect more with nature and learn about their local way of life!

6 months ago

United States

5

I learned so much from Melissa and Burton during my stay! They are generous and welcoming hosts, and taught me a lot about farm life, animal care and gardening. They also have many wonderful stories and local recommendations to share!

7 months ago


Melissa replied

Fiona was a really lovely volunteer for us. She was very caring and helpful and calm. She took responsibility well and was great at checking back in if she thought anything was amiss which was very reassuring.
Many thanks for your assistance and best wishes.

United Kingdom

5

I had a great time at Melissa’s and Burtons! I really enjoyed being surrounded by nature and animals. I mainly had to look after the chickens and horses and help maintain the gardens and veg patches. It was a great way to connect to nature and live a farmhouse lifestyle. I felt very welcomed and enjoyed all the stories they had to tell! The cooking was delicious and everyone contributed. Another volunteer happened to be there at the same time as me, which was great fun, otherwise a lot of the work would be done solo if that’s what you’re looking for.

8 months ago


Melissa replied

Fionna was a great help for us during a difficult time. She was enthusiastic and fun to be around. She was happy to help out with whatever jobs needed doing and had a great attitude. Best wishes for the future.

Australia

5

Melissa and Burton were absolutely wonderful! I was immediately welcomed and felt so comfortable with them. They have a beautiful home and property with the sweetest animals

8 months ago


Melissa replied

Alanah was thrown in the deep end when she arrived as our adult daughter was very ill and I had to be away from home to look after her and their newborn baby. So Alanah had to take over looking after the animals and working in the garden with my husband. She was extremely caring and really wanted to help us during this hard time. We had two newly broken in young mares and she was excellent at continuing their training which was a great bonus for us and enjoyable for Alanah too.
Nothing was too hard for her and she was very adaptable to changing circumstances. We highly recommend her


Perfect for you if you're looking for

Contact with nature

Rural

Contact with animals

Mountain

Wilderness

Family