What Past Wwoofers have said about Wwoofing at AsleepingDragon...
From Patrick and Christina - Germany
"Wonderful Place with wonderful people/animals :-)" Thank you very much for everything Donna and David! We stayed at the beautiful Asleeping Dragon for 7 weeks and time passed so quickly because we had such a great time here. The house and garden are a little paradise (not really little.. in fact it's huge ;-) ) with many cool places to discover, most of them build and designed form other wwoofers (soon also with our mosaic project). During our time here we had the chance to visit the Matariki (new year celebration of the Maori), an organic farm and many other cool places, it was very interesting and touching sometimes ;-). The food was delicious and we enjoyed the cooking together in the evening with fresh products form the farmers market. We will miss you and your lovely animals, hopefully we will meet again some time! Dankeschön :-)
From In Hey - South Korea
Even though my English skill is lacking, she welcomed me and she helped shy me to adapt. So I'm extremely grateful to her. Thanks to her who is interested in maori, I could experience maori culture and hear maori history from maori native. While I was staying here, everything was good. making a fire, mosaic, gardening, cooking together, shopping together and so on. I love Donna, David, pet, asleeping dragon and Waihi beach. I hope to meet again
From Mehdi - France
"Amazing wwoofing place!!" First of all I would like to say thank you to David and Dona for welcoming me as a member of their family. Asleeping dragon is comfortable and beautiful place. I learned a lot thanks to my exchange with David and Dona about life in NZ but also Maori culture. They are both really funny and interesting about who you are. I really enjoy my four weeks in Waihi beach and if you have the opportunity to go there Dona's stories are hilarious!!! Hope see you soon. Blessing gorse ;)
From Quentin - New Caledonia
"A place where you can grow" I spent nearly a month with the Gardner family. It was my very first wwoofing experience and it probably couldn't have been better. Because of my lack of confidence and inexperience I have to say that it was not easy the first few days, but human relationship are like pieces of cloth, you weave it relentlessly and patiently and try your best to get a beautiful result. My personal highlights are the morning meeting which helped me improving myself, communication is really a great asset Donna has. The fur family was another highlight, they bring so much joy and life to this place. ( I hope Franky gets better) Donna shared her passion for the show Avatar and it brought back many childhood memories I had forgotten. David is one of the kindest person I ever met. Basically I miss you guys :)
From Jessica - Canada
Kia Ora Donna and David! My 3 weeks at the Asleeping Dragon were some of the most wonderful of my trip yet! Donna and her family are unbelievably kind and generous. I learned so much about NZ politics and culture, Maori mythology and the natural history of the area! Sufficient to say, Donna is an amazing source of knowledge and I am so grateful to have had the ability to spend so much time in her home. Thank you Donna for the important life lessons, for helping me rediscover creativity, and for informing me that being a naturlist in NZ is in fact not the same in Canada as being interested in native plant species. I am eternally grateful to you for that one! I will certainly miss the home I became a part of at the dragon!
From Sarah - (USA)
"Soul Food"
The time spent at Donna and David's beautiful home will forever be a fond beginning to my New Zealand adventure, and I urge all those interested in learning more about the local bush, culture, and themselves to devote some time to the Asleeping Dragon. The Gardner family provided a very comfortable, nurturing environment during my four week stay, and I learned new things everyday! Donna opened my eyes to the excitement of crafting, minions, and central vac :) She fed my soul with stories, and I very much enjoyed our time in the kitchen where I experienced many firsts: homemade pasta, passion fruit, etc. The amazing view from the Dragon, as well as its opportunities, are indescribable and best appreciated firsthand. I am so grateful to Donna and David for allowing me into heart and home x
From Marvin - Germany
"a new family :) "
Without a doubt, staying at the sleeping dragon with Donna and David was one of the best experiences in my life! I will miss every single day with you guys, your dogs and cats and of course - the amazing view. All I can say is that I have found my second family there :). I will come back some day, thats for sure. Thanks for every single talk we had, for every meal we prepared, for every song we listened to, for the tattoo I have now, for the art skills you roused in me and for sooooo much more. THANK YOU :)
From Benjamin - Switzerland
"Not just a wwoofinghost but a second family!"
Words are not enough. My month FLEW by and I was so sad to have to leave. Where do I even begin. The land is beautiful and the location is like something out of a fairytale. The work is so engaging and comes with a sense of meaning that will make it not feel like work at all. Donna and David are truly remarkable people. Generous and kind beyond comparison and very welcoming. Donna is not just a host and mentor of sorts, but a dear friend. The discussions we had around the dinnertable were rewarding and a lot of laughs were had. The dogs Jessie and Frankie are so cute and I'll miss them, as well as the Gardners and Marvin, my co wwoofer. This place is amazing and well worth visiting even if you weren't planning on going to the NZ east coast.