What is it ? 

We can call it, quite simply, an exchange. The process is rather widespread in all Anglo-Saxon countries, less known in France (given our, sometimes, repressive laws) that exists nevertheless.
To say it simply, wwoofing involves giving his time and energy in exchange of food and accomodation. Thus for approximatively 4 hours of work, whether in gardening, housekeeping, small jobs of any kind, we sleep in a warm and cozy place and often well-fed.

How does that work ? 

To be an integral part of this community, wwoof.nz, you simply have to register on the website corresponding to the country you are interested in. It is possible to register alone or in pair exchanging a few euros per person, once the payment accepted, it is time to create his profile.

The goal of the game at this stage is to put as much details as possible into your description, your expectations and what you can bring. Add some well chosen photos that will put you nicely in value, and after validation by the admins, you can begin to search.

To find a host, it is possible to simply proceed by geolocation, or to do a search by skills, according to what you can bring and / or what you want to learn.
The hosts’ profiles are also fairly detailed and are complimented with photos and comments from other woofers, which can help you to orient your search. The next step is simply sending a message to the hosts that interest you.

Why to choose the wwoofing?

What initially motivated our choice, let’s be honest, is to be able to save money by paying neither the lodging nor the food. The wwoofing remains a very appreciate way for exchange and mutual assistance, the fact is that when you work 4 hours a day, well the rest of the day is yours to visit the surroundings. In return, your host appreciates a “free” workforce for the various tasks he can not perform by himself, so instead of spending a few money to pay for a housekeeper, gardener, painter or repairer, he welcomes you to his home and pays you in food and bedroom to carry out these tasks.
We were also, of course, seduced by this side of meeting, benevolent exchange, and then it is a great way to become accustomed to the country but also to his language when you are not really comfortable. For us this represented a real asset in addition to beautiful encounters.

Where to begin ?

To find a good wwoofing, you should first read the profiles of the hosts to know, what they expect concretely from you, the amenities they offer you and the time you can hope to stay there.
Some ads offer a mattress on the floor of a garage, a garden hose for showering and dry toilets in the hut at the back of the garden (yes, yes), others receive you as members of their own family or as distinguished guests. Honestly, it makes a difference. So take the time to read the profiles, and take note of the old woofers comments to avoid unpleasant surprises.

Also, when you have selected the geographical area you are interested in, do not hesitate to send several messages to the different hosts of the zone. On average we sent between 7 and 10 messages each time to receive 2 positive responses, so do not hesitate to copy / paste your mailings.

Our experience

The wwoofing has helped us a lot in apprehending New Zealand. We spent about 3 ½ weeks in 4 different hosts. We spent all our mornings helping them, and our free afternoons allowed us to work on the self-contained van construction.Le wwoofing nous a énormément aidé à appréhender la Nouvelle-Zélande. Thanks of our hosts generosity, we have benefited, most of the time, of their work spaces and their tools. Sometimes we cooked for them, and it is always with great pleasure that we shared moments with them.
We always felt very welcome in our hosts places, they helped us a lot with our poor English level, sometimes they took the time to correct us and to teach us new expressions. In any case we were obliged to express ourselves and that is what remains important to continue to improve. We also sometimes felt privileged, met family members or had a good times with their friends. We have also evolved in our knowledge about gardening, plants and vegetable garden.

In short, for now we only retire positive of wwoofing, and we look forward to meet our next guests, hoping to always take as much pleasure in this exchange of confidence and benevolence.

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank our hosts for all the good times spent with them, for their tremendous generosity and for their patience. If you pass around, do not hesitate to consult their profiles :

Steve & Sarah, Philippa & Noel, Jenny, Colin & Maureen, Gerry & Lorraine , Roger & Helen, Marianne & René,  ……