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A humorous take on house sitting in New Zealand by the wonderful Wanderlusters….

 


 

The geographic isolation of New Zealand means that a large proportion of the native flora and fauna can not be found anywhere else in the world. The most iconic on this list of unique species is the curious little kiwi bird. Unlike many of his feathered friends he spends his nights alone, foraging for worms, spiders, bugs, grubs and fruit. Unable to fly he makes his home in a cosy little burrow in the ground. To the distress of all Kiwis their origin has been traced back to the Australian mainland. Long before the separation of the two land masses they were part of a larger super continent Gondwana. As the landscape evolved the kiwi bird made his home on the islands of New Zealand and here he has happily remained for the last seventy million years.

For British badgers such as ourselves the burrow of a curious kiwi bird has an exotic allure. Having spent much of our lives in the damp and overcrowded warrens of the UK we often dreamt of experiencing life in a Kiwi nest. The warm climate, relaxed lifestyle and striking landscape all aid in enticing foreigners half way across the globe, however we were unsure if a British badger would be welcomed into the kiwi bird’s burrow.

 

Lesson One: Kiwi Behaviour

Prior to our arrival in New Zealand we spent eleven months touring Australia in a motorhome and during our trip had taken the opportunity to gather as much information as we could regarding the curious Kiwi. His friendly neighbour the Wallaby had informed us that we were likely to succeed in our search for an empty burrow as the Kiwi regularly made the trip across the water in search of new opportunities. This was our first insight into the migratory behaviours of the adventurous kiwi bird.

The second came when we spoke to a born and bred Kiwi. During our conversation he divulged that not only did his kind leave their burrow for exploratory trips overseas, they also utilised public holidays to frequent an alternate burrow known as a ‘Bach’ thus escaping from the grind of daily life.

This was most interesting to hear.

 

Lesson Two: Recognising the Curious Kiwi

The easiest way to discover if there are Kiwis in the area is to listen for them. They are known to talk enthusiastically about outdoor pursuits, extreme adrenaline inducing sports and zorbing. When walking through one of the countries many natural reserves you can spot them running, cycling and generally being far too active for the warm temperature and time of day.

If none of the above character traits are clearly visible you can always spot a Kiwi by initiating conversation and listening intently to the grammatical structure of their reply. If they finish their sentence with an interrogative ‘eh’ you have found yourself a purebred Kiwi.

 

Lesson Three: Locating a Burrow to Borrow

So now that you understand the Kiwis a little better we can tell you how you can experience life in a Kiwi community.

We are fortunate enough to have been welcomed into communities all over the world but nowhere have we felt quite as at home as here in New Zealand. Despite our jovial portrayal of New Zealanders we have quickly learnt that they are a people proud of their heritage and the rich land they inhabit. The most forgiving of souls they smile as we butcher the Maori names given to many of the towns and cities across the country with our terribly British pronunciation. For this we are most grateful.

If you’ve the urge to leave your own nest and try out another for size, house sitting could provide the opportunity to do just that. Having looked after eleven homes since leaving the UK a little under two years ago house sitting has provided us with the chance to submerse ourselves in a wealth of different cultures during our travels.

Arriving in New Zealand at the beginning of December 2012 we hop footed it up to Tutakaka in Northland for a weekend of scuba diving at the Poor Knights Islands. Just before we left Australia we’d successfully arranged to borrow our first Kiwi burrow and were keen to explore a little before caring for the home over Christmas and New Year.

We’ve both been overwhelmed by the generosity of the Kiwi families we have house sat for. Familiar only with the sound of our voice and the images we’ve attached to our house sitting profile they have all greeted us as they would close family and we were immediately made to feel at home.

Caring for a house in an unfamiliar area gives us the opportunity to explore new environments, cultures and communities. Each assignment is unique however they have all benefited our experience of travel in much the same way.

Living as a local enables you to join in with community life and meet the neighbours and friends of the home owners. You will often find yourself with invites to Thanksgiving, birthdays and festive celebrations, experiencing local life as a resident not a hotel hopping tourist.

 

Lesson Four: Becoming a House Sitter

Before leaving the UK we signed up with a house sitting service that unites home owners in need of property and pet care with those interested in temporarily living in a new environment.

Signing up online is very simple. Register, create a comprehensive profile and apply for the assignments that appeal to you. We use a brilliant website called TrustedHousesitters.com with whom we’ve secured assignments in Costa Rica, Canada, USA, Australia and here in New Zealand.

House sitting provides us with the opportunity for respite from our nomadic existence, it enables us to keep within our monthly budget and gives us chance to catch up on our freelance projects. However it can be utilised for finding holiday accommodation, hotel alternatives and inspiration for travel to locations off the beaten track.

Our Kiwi adventure has so far taken us to two house sitting assignments and we have just committed to another. Although we’ve only been in the country for a few months we already feel as though we’ve acquired an extended Kiwi family. This just about sums up the nature of the curious little Kiwi bird. He may not be able to fly but he’ll spread his wings and welcome you into his burrow.

 

In 2010 Charli & Ben made the decision to live a life less ordinary and six months later embarked on an undefined period of travel. Enforcing no restrictions on their itinerary they have chosen to travel at a slow pace and incorporate house sitting assignments in each country they visit. With no time limit on their adventure they are content to continue exploring the world as digital nomads. From backpacking through Central America to road tripping around Australia they embrace each and every opportunity for adventure. They run their own travel website Wanderlusters and you can also find them on Facebook and Twitter.

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Showing 6 comments
  • Wanderlusters
    Reply

    Thank you for inviting us to share our Kiwi adventures. We’re excited to begin our third house sitting assignment here in New Zealand at the weekend. I thought I’d let you know we’ve just arrived at Otama Beach and are having our first Bach experience!! There is a beautiful sunset over the water so we’ve off out onto the deck to make the most of it.

    Safe and Happy Travels.

  • Rachel Martin
    Reply

    What a wonderful account of house sitting in New Zealand. As one of the Director’s of Trustedhousesitters.com we got to meet a few of the furry Kiwi’s on our travels to promote the website and see if we could entice the Kiwi’s to lend their burrow’s to others while they migrated – which many do!

    In all seriousness we are delighted to hear of your house sitting adventures and wish you luck for the new one you’re about to start. The life of a house sitter is always an interesting one!

    Thanks for sharing, Rachel

    • Wanderlusters
      Reply

      Thank you for your kind comment Rachel it’s lovely to hear from you. We’ve had great success with your website and hope it will continue to benefit our experience of travel.

  • Annie Andre
    Reply

    Great account of house sitting in new zealand. I’m planning on trying house sitting soon only with the 3 kids in tow. I wonder how hard it will be here in Europe to do it but it will be fun trying. ..

    • Wanderlusters
      Reply

      Annie, we wish you all the best for your European adventures. We’d love to know how you find house sitting with children. We’ve met quite a few families who utilize house sitting and find it works brilliantly for them. Children may soon be on our horizon so we’re all ears and would love to know how you get on!

      • Annie André
        Reply

        Me too. I am setting up our housesitting account next weekend and we are going to give it a try. We are tied to a school system so we do have limitations. plus, we have 2 teenagers and a five year old. Who will take us except a farm or someone who has a lot of cats that need feeding? I digress. anywho, i’ll write about it once we have a few experiences under our belt.

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