Retired, animal loving, New Zealand couple looking for new travel experiences

About this sitter

I (Cindy) am 63 and my husband (Lindsay) is 67. We are both very healthy, fit and are non-smokers. We have both just retired, prior to retirement we were both Environmental Health Officers in New Zealand and England.

We live on the North Island of New Zealand on a lifestyle block of 1.25 acres in a small village outside Hamilton. We are partially self-sufficient with our own produce, eggs, water and wastewater. What we grow keeps us in fruit all year and vegetables for much of the year, all grown using organic principles.

Interests/skills – Lindsay has a classic car and motorcycles which he loves driving/riding and tinkering with. He also enjoys reading, cycles every week and plays his keyboards daily, especially being keen on Pink Floyd. He is also pretty good at DIY projects and works voluntarily at a Repair Co-op once a month. He is responsible for sorting our firewood out for the year, cutting the grass with a ride on lawn mower and petrol hand mower.

Me – A lot of my time is taken up just keeping on top of everyday things. However, interests include: making my own skin care products, distilling essential oils and alcohol (legal in NZ) to make whisky, gin and fruit spirits, sorting the garden and orchard out, caring for the chickens, exercise classes, cycling, learning to sew and knit. I like to keep abreast of what’s happening in the world and other cultures. We both love travelling to Europe and around New Zealand.

What are we looking for in a house sit: A clean property in an interesting location with internet connection. A friendly, organised house owner who gives good, clear instructions. Friendly animals or timid ones are fine but definitely not aggressive ones. We have experience with a variety of animals and feel comfortable caring for them.

Why they want to house sit

House sitting is an ideal way seeing the world and meeting new people at the same time. Neither of us like being 'tourists' so stepping into someone else's life for a short period, getting to know their pets, the local people and culture etc, and living more like a local for a short period is appealing. House sitting makes this an affordable reality.

Their experience

We have owned our own properties for a number of decades and appreciate what it takes to keep a house and garden in order as well as maintaining good relations with neighbours.

We have one cat (she was a stray), three chickens and 5 sheep; we share the sheep with the neighbours to keep the grass low. We have previously owned a cow and 2 rescue goats. We both have experience with dogs as both of our daughters have them and I have house sat for a friend with a beautiful little dog recently. In the past we have completed some WWOOF assignment in remote Scotland, England and France, all of these experiences involved caring for an animal of one variety or another, including milking a goat.

What can they bring to the assignment

We are a very reliable, organised, honest couple who respect other people's property and privacy. We are animal lovers and are committed to high standards of animal welfare which is extremely important to us.

As a mature couple we come with lots of life experience, having both raised families. The profession we were employed in prior to retirement frequently involving resolving problems for members of the public, therefore we are pretty resourceful. I have gardening experience and Lindsay undertakes DIY projects at home and for some other people.

We have up to date criminal conviction checks issued by the Ministry of Justice, which we are happy to show to house owners who are willing to trust in their homes with their beloved pets.