Network with down to earth philosophy

Penny Wardle visits an orchard that shares organic-farming values with visitors of all ages and all nations.

Willing workers from overseas add an international flavour to organic olive oil and wine produced by Renwick growers Jacqui Harris and Paul Irwin.

The couple host Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF) volunteers who help out on their 10.5 hectare Antipode vineyard and olive orchard for about four hours a day in exchange for food, board and learning organic growing skills.

They are also expected to join the family in preparing meals.

The volunteers, from school leavers to retired university professors, came from all over the world, said Ms Harris. Stays ranged from two days to seven weeks.

The demand for WWOOF positions was far greater than the number of jobs available. She opened two to 10 email requests a day in the busy summer season and places had been filled through to the end of February.

Strong demand meant the couple could pick and choose who they hosted, favouring people wanting to learn about organics and get to know New Zealanders.

The day The Marlborough Express called at Antipode, 19-year·old American Ben Tolles of New Jersey and 25-year-old Sara Samuelsson of Gothenburg in Sweden were mulching grape vines then placing cardboard around them to keep out weeds and boost soil nutrients.

Ms Harris admitted Mr Tolles secured his position through persistence and Miss Samuelsson appealed because she enjoyed baking.

Both visitors applied to work at Antipode, where they would spend about a week, after seeing good comments on the WWOOF website from previous volunteers. They were both travelling around New Zealand for 10 weeks, combining working on organic farms with sightseeing.

WWOOF had been "a different kind of college", said Mr Tolles, who is taking a year off study between school and university where he will major in agricultural science.

He especially enjoyed volunteering on a King Country sheep and beef farm but had one bad experience on an orchard where WWOOFers worked at tedious jobs for long hours and there was no effort to teach them skills.

A lack of good references for this position should have warned them against this job, he said.

"WWOOF has opened my mind in a lot of ways," said Ms Samuelsson, who will study to be an art teacher when she returns to Sweden in January. A highlight was planting native trees at Glenorchy near Queenstown.

At Antipode, the two volunteers especially enjoyed the restaurant quality food cooked by Mr Irwin and stimulating discussions around the dinner table with their hosts including 14-year·old William and 11-year-old Apollo.

Ms Harris and Mr Irwin, who have lived on their land for about 11 years, joined WWOOF about 20 months ago when building a family home freed up their cottage for volunteers.

Ms Harris stresses that WWOOFers are not free labour.

The time and effort involved in providing accommodation, food, training and a quality experience meant it would probably be cheaper to hire workers at the minimum wage.

'The value we get is the opportunity to share our vegetarian and organic values and learn more about the world. The young volunteers we have met give us confidence the Earth is in good hands," she said.

MARLBOROUGH CONNECTION

Forty one Marlborough hosts are listed on the Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF) New Zealand website.

Hosts must follow organic growing methods and be prepared to share their knowledge.

To find out more go to wwoof.co.nz