Help with garden, horses, grandchildren, house and other animals

Help a sustainable project: 4 travelers confirmed that this host is actively contributing to a more sustainable future for everyone!
Higher chance of approval: This host has recently approved volunteers and is looking for more applications.
Immerse yourself in the local culture: 5 travelers recommend this host for those looking for a local cultural immersion
Connect with nature: 4 travelers recommend this experience for reconnecting with nature
Accepts couples and pairs of volunteers

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What you offer

25h

Hours per week: Help out and collaborate with your host only a few hours per week.

Gardening: Help grow plants and cultivate gardens

Animal Care: Help look after and take care of animals.

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What you get

Days off per week: Have some time off for yourself, go explore the city or rest for a while.

Private Room: You will have a bed in a private room. In other words, a room just for you.

Breakfast: You are entitled to a free breakfast, every day of your stay.

Lunch: You are entitled to a free lunch, every day of your stay.

Dinner: You are entitled to a free dinner, every day of your stay.

Basic Internet Access: Basic speed internet for you to work remotely

Use our equipped kitchen: Feel free to use our kitchen and make your own delicious food.

Free Laundry: You can use our laundry room freely.

Pick Up: We will pick you up when you arrive, and take you to our property.

Support: Get help from the Worldpackers support team in case you need it, at any point of your trip.

Verified Host: This host has been verified by our team before joining the community.

WP Safeguard: Did something not go as planned? Contact our team.; Learn more

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Availability

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Jan

Stay at least: 2 weeks

The Experience

We are in the South Wairarapa (1.5 hours from Wellington) near the wine village of Martinborough and the wild southern coast - Lake Ferry and Cape Palliser, Tararua Ranges, Castlepoint - it is a beautiful area. We need help with our garden, horses, grandchildren, managing the house, cooking, and looking after and feeding farm animals. We offer a very cosy home, great food, and a comfortable bed in your own room in return for your help.

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Requirements

Fluent English
Over 20 years old
Welcomes solo volunteers, couples, and partners of volunteers

What's not included

Flights, Travel Insurance, Internal Transportation and Visa

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Talk to those who have lived the experience

In our community, you can talk to worldpackers who have already collaborated with this host and get your questions answered directly.

You can ask things like:

a) How was your experience with this host?
b) How was your day-to-day routine?
c) How much did you spend on this trip?

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Connect with those who will also be there

Become a Verified Member and exchange ideas before your trip with other worldpackers who will be volunteering in the same place as you.

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UN Sustainable Development Goals

Join the host in pursuit of these goals and contribute to building a better and more sustainable future for all.

Good health and well-being

Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages

Responsible consumption and production

Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns.

Life on land

Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems.

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5 Reviews

5.0

Host & Team

5.0

Hours & Tasks

5.0

Farmstay

5.0

Learning & Fun

5.0

How this experience will transform you

5 Immersing in the local culture
4 Get in touch with nature
4 Meeting locals
1 Developing environmental awareness
1 Meeting international travelers
1 Learning about sustainability

This host contributes to Sustainable Development Goals

3 12. Responsible consumption and production
3 15. Life on land
2 3. Good health and well-being

Marina

Canada

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.

3 months ago

Rebecca

United Kingdom

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!

7 months ago

Fiona

United States

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!

8 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.

Fionna

United Kingdom

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.

9 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.

Alanah

Australia

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

9 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

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About the host

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Hosted by Melissa

Response Rate: This host usually answers to 70% of the messages
Response Time: This host usually writes back in 2 days

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