Help Exchange / Volunteer
Experience the joy of caring
Welcome to Hidden Valley Farm NZ. đ´ A haven for all Hearts!
I have written an introduction to our ideology at the HV farm, which will in turn help you decide if you are up for the challenge of volunteering here in exchange for basic accommodation, facilities & main meals on working days.
We are Jim & Terri, married for 30 years and still loving life. Peter our oldest son and Chris who are both in their 20âs and doing their own thing. We have Yob and Tilly, our dogs. Yob is a JR and loves nothing more than to run off and do a lot of scavenging. Tilly, our border collie, will follow Yob but is quite timid and takes time to accept new people, we call this a guard dog LOL! So we suggest the quiet approach or not approach at all. Zozzy is our cat, old & lazy and loves cuddles.
Our farm is situated halfway between Motueka & Takaka on Highway 6. We are classed as remote, however it's only 20 minutes drive either way and we do have a cafe around the corner. We overlook the Tasman inlet to Nelson & Marlborough Sounds. We currently run at approximately 380 acres of rough hillside grassland, native & pine bush, within this we have two small streams. There are typical Takaka Hill rock forms, Tomos (sinkholes) and caves.
Our main production is carbon credits & trees, our value to live as self sustainably as possible, so we chose to live off grid with solar power. Our water comes from the rain or river. (We advise you bring your own drinking water or boil it, if this concerns you)
Our residents; our rescued animals add up to around 70 animals & birds, from chooks to horses & cows. All need attention, itâs best we tell you more of them when you arrive or you can visit our website or facebook page, both share stories etc of these animals.
We celebrate exceptional moon and sunrises, if you care to stay awake?
Q&A:
Directions: If you are driving
What does off grid mean? Being off the grid means not being physically hooked up to utilities by wires, pipes or cables. Our home mostly relies on our own energy sources, mainly solar. Our hot water we have to build a fire and so will you when you want a shower or bath, unless you use a camp solar shower. (itâs fun, truly it is!) We do have a generator and gas bottles for back ups but using it costs money, so of course we do not encourage it.
Where do we sleep? Hidden Valley Farm has several options, which we try to match to the people offering to volunteer. We have the main house with a small shared room for up to 2 single people, The Petersville Village is an area of small buildings and camping spots, when these are not rented out for farm holidays these can offer several people a place to live. You can also stay in your own vehicle or tent.
What do we do? The farm has much to occupy us all, some jobs not too great, others lots of fun and a great feeling of achievement in pretty much all cases. Most volunteers come here because of our tame animals with our belief that we allow them to run as freely as they make it possible. These animals require daily attention of some kind. Above this we have many jobs that we try and match the people wanting to help, as our notion is, if you enjoy what you are doing, then you work hard with pride. However sometimes there are jobs that just have to be done.
How many hours do we work? We have been hosts for over 20 years and found that most people like an easy morning (We do) so hardly ever start before 8am. We also find that its much more productive for all of us if we work straight days (8ish hours) and then have a full day off, or even bulk your time out, so you can enjoy camping trips etc out in the Abel Tasman or Kahurangi National Parks, Trips into the Golden Bay etc.
What do we eat? Our attitude is that we do not encourage commercial meat and therefore either hunt in areas where wild stock is abundant or produce our own. We have a young cow being prepared to become our dairy supply, however at this stage we either get milk from a local farmer and if not bite the bullet and get it from the supermarket. If you require alternatives, this can be discussed but we normally expect you to provide any alternative needs. Those who are living in the village may be required to cook and clean in our outdoor facilities. This includes a compost toilet and solar showers.
Do you cater for special diets, personal preferences or allergies? We rarely say no to someone for these reasons but it often means we have more work and costs due to it, so you either have to manage the differences yourselves or at least discuss it with us before you arrive, so we can make a decision. We avoid politics where possible, so if it involves that, we rather you leave it at the gate. We encourage volunteers to cook bread and other foods that can be shared with us all.
We donât have transport: In this case we will pick you up and drop you off in Motueka. Anyother transport needs, either need to coincide with my other trips into town or fuel covered by you. We do occasionally do outings to the beach or river for example, when we really feel our helpers deserve a treat. There is a bus service from Nelson to Motueka.
What about our washing; clothes & bedding & cleaning? This is our volunteers responsibility; we do not encourage small loads and no washing is possible on a cloudy day. We expect volunteers to wash their own bedding and prepare the bed for the next person. All areas must be clean on departure. This includes the compost toilets and sawdust replaced in the bins. Recycling must be washed out and put in the right order of bins supplied. Food scraps please give to us to distribute around the appropriate animals.
Is there paid work? Rarely ever. We are a non for profit farm refuge, for lifestyle block farm pets that have been displaced and have an uncertain future. We can afford this because our volunteers save us what we would have to pay others if employed. However we have on occasion had helpXchange people join us over the winter or summer, who help for free accommodation but also find work locally. This we are open to discuss.
Can I smoke or vape? No, we prefer you do not vape but we do not allow smoking at all, for several reasons (Fire Risk) Vaping must never be inside any of our buildings.
Can we drink Alcohol? Yes, but as soon as it becomes a problem in our opinion, you will be asked to leave immediately .
RULES:
All volunteers & visitors MUST follow the safety Rules of the farm, which will be given to you on your arrival.All volunteers & visitors enter Hidden Valley Farm at their own risk.Volunteers & guests belongings, to include vehicles are left here at their own risk.PARKING; must be at the designated area. No two wheel drive cars can go beyond the first shed and any 4 wheel vehicles must ask permission to go beyond the first shed.Any flames must be fully attended at all times. Fires only in allocated areas and must be put out before going to sleep or leaving them.All gates that are found shut MUST be closed behind you âALWAYS!We have high powered electric fences. Be careful! This is to keep our bull safe. We advise you to keep a wide berth.Any volunteers who wish to invite guests into the farm MUST ask permission from Terri or Jim first. Your visitors will not be allowed anywhere on the farm, without our permission and you are responsible for them. Our rules reflect on them too.DO NOT feed the animals or birds from your accommodation, unless you want to step in poop or find your fruit bowl empty.There is so much to tell you, too much really, so you will just have to visit to learn more.
I have written an introduction to our ideology at the HV farm, which will in turn help you decide if you are up for the challenge of volunteering here in exchange for basic accommodation, facilities & main meals on working days.
We are Jim & Terri, married for 30 years and still loving life. Peter our oldest son and Chris who are both in their 20âs and doing their own thing. We have Yob and Tilly, our dogs. Yob is a JR and loves nothing more than to run off and do a lot of scavenging. Tilly, our border collie, will follow Yob but is quite timid and takes time to accept new people, we call this a guard dog LOL! So we suggest the quiet approach or not approach at all. Zozzy is our cat, old & lazy and loves cuddles.
Our farm is situated halfway between Motueka & Takaka on Highway 6. We are classed as remote, however it's only 20 minutes drive either way and we do have a cafe around the corner. We overlook the Tasman inlet to Nelson & Marlborough Sounds. We currently run at approximately 380 acres of rough hillside grassland, native & pine bush, within this we have two small streams. There are typical Takaka Hill rock forms, Tomos (sinkholes) and caves.
Our main production is carbon credits & trees, our value to live as self sustainably as possible, so we chose to live off grid with solar power. Our water comes from the rain or river. (We advise you bring your own drinking water or boil it, if this concerns you)
Our residents; our rescued animals add up to around 70 animals & birds, from chooks to horses & cows. All need attention, itâs best we tell you more of them when you arrive or you can visit our website or facebook page, both share stories etc of these animals.
We celebrate exceptional moon and sunrises, if you care to stay awake?
Q&A:
Directions: If you are driving
What does off grid mean? Being off the grid means not being physically hooked up to utilities by wires, pipes or cables. Our home mostly relies on our own energy sources, mainly solar. Our hot water we have to build a fire and so will you when you want a shower or bath, unless you use a camp solar shower. (itâs fun, truly it is!) We do have a generator and gas bottles for back ups but using it costs money, so of course we do not encourage it.
Where do we sleep? Hidden Valley Farm has several options, which we try to match to the people offering to volunteer. We have the main house with a small shared room for up to 2 single people, The Petersville Village is an area of small buildings and camping spots, when these are not rented out for farm holidays these can offer several people a place to live. You can also stay in your own vehicle or tent.
What do we do? The farm has much to occupy us all, some jobs not too great, others lots of fun and a great feeling of achievement in pretty much all cases. Most volunteers come here because of our tame animals with our belief that we allow them to run as freely as they make it possible. These animals require daily attention of some kind. Above this we have many jobs that we try and match the people wanting to help, as our notion is, if you enjoy what you are doing, then you work hard with pride. However sometimes there are jobs that just have to be done.
How many hours do we work? We have been hosts for over 20 years and found that most people like an easy morning (We do) so hardly ever start before 8am. We also find that its much more productive for all of us if we work straight days (8ish hours) and then have a full day off, or even bulk your time out, so you can enjoy camping trips etc out in the Abel Tasman or Kahurangi National Parks, Trips into the Golden Bay etc.
What do we eat? Our attitude is that we do not encourage commercial meat and therefore either hunt in areas where wild stock is abundant or produce our own. We have a young cow being prepared to become our dairy supply, however at this stage we either get milk from a local farmer and if not bite the bullet and get it from the supermarket. If you require alternatives, this can be discussed but we normally expect you to provide any alternative needs. Those who are living in the village may be required to cook and clean in our outdoor facilities. This includes a compost toilet and solar showers.
Do you cater for special diets, personal preferences or allergies? We rarely say no to someone for these reasons but it often means we have more work and costs due to it, so you either have to manage the differences yourselves or at least discuss it with us before you arrive, so we can make a decision. We avoid politics where possible, so if it involves that, we rather you leave it at the gate. We encourage volunteers to cook bread and other foods that can be shared with us all.
We donât have transport: In this case we will pick you up and drop you off in Motueka. Anyother transport needs, either need to coincide with my other trips into town or fuel covered by you. We do occasionally do outings to the beach or river for example, when we really feel our helpers deserve a treat. There is a bus service from Nelson to Motueka.
What about our washing; clothes & bedding & cleaning? This is our volunteers responsibility; we do not encourage small loads and no washing is possible on a cloudy day. We expect volunteers to wash their own bedding and prepare the bed for the next person. All areas must be clean on departure. This includes the compost toilets and sawdust replaced in the bins. Recycling must be washed out and put in the right order of bins supplied. Food scraps please give to us to distribute around the appropriate animals.
Is there paid work? Rarely ever. We are a non for profit farm refuge, for lifestyle block farm pets that have been displaced and have an uncertain future. We can afford this because our volunteers save us what we would have to pay others if employed. However we have on occasion had helpXchange people join us over the winter or summer, who help for free accommodation but also find work locally. This we are open to discuss.
Can I smoke or vape? No, we prefer you do not vape but we do not allow smoking at all, for several reasons (Fire Risk) Vaping must never be inside any of our buildings.
Can we drink Alcohol? Yes, but as soon as it becomes a problem in our opinion, you will be asked to leave immediately .
RULES:
All volunteers & visitors MUST follow the safety Rules of the farm, which will be given to you on your arrival.All volunteers & visitors enter Hidden Valley Farm at their own risk.Volunteers & guests belongings, to include vehicles are left here at their own risk.PARKING; must be at the designated area. No two wheel drive cars can go beyond the first shed and any 4 wheel vehicles must ask permission to go beyond the first shed.Any flames must be fully attended at all times. Fires only in allocated areas and must be put out before going to sleep or leaving them.All gates that are found shut MUST be closed behind you âALWAYS!We have high powered electric fences. Be careful! This is to keep our bull safe. We advise you to keep a wide berth.Any volunteers who wish to invite guests into the farm MUST ask permission from Terri or Jim first. Your visitors will not be allowed anywhere on the farm, without our permission and you are responsible for them. Our rules reflect on them too.DO NOT feed the animals or birds from your accommodation, unless you want to step in poop or find your fruit bowl empty.There is so much to tell you, too much really, so you will just have to visit to learn more.
.jpg "Terri& her pecker friends")
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