In late 2024, a Singapore content creator left for New Zealand, feeling done with her education job. She planned to stay six months to explore permaculture but ended up staying for 1.5 years.
It Started With an Airbnb
During her time in New Zealand, she travelled extensively and became good at finding interesting Airbnb stays.
That was how she came across a listing by James and Sarah, a couple living on a farm. After booking a few nights, she made an unusual offer to help with gardening.
They’d never had a guest offer to help with gardening before, so they were curious. Once they heard she was into permaculture, they showed her around the farm, and she kept coming back to help with weeding and other garden chores.
As she kept visiting, the relationship gradually turned into a friendship.
The couple would often send her home with produce from their land, including eggs, potatoes, sweet potatoes, fish and meat from animals they had raised themselves.
They also showed her their huge shed, which she described as being like a warehouse filled with farming equipment, RVs, fishing rods and equipment for preparing and preserving meat.
Their self-sufficient lifestyle fascinated her.
A Chance Introduction Led To Free Land
Through the couple, she was eventually introduced to a woman in her 80s who owned a huge piece of land. The property was so large that the creator compared it to the size of Toa Payoh.
The elderly landowner dreamed of building a community where people could grow their own food and live more independently. She then made the traveller an unexpected offer: She could put a tiny house on the property and live there for free.
The arrangement would have allowed her to experience farm life without having to buy land.
There was also a couple with farming experience who were willing to teach city dwellers how to grow their own food.
The Community Was Already Growing
The idea was already beginning to take shape.
The group had bought cows at auctions and brought chickens onto the property. They had also started collecting eggs. For the content creator, it could have been a chance to live on a farm while learning directly from people with years of experience.
However, she eventually decided not to take up the offer.
She remains in contact with the community and said she still has a great deal of admiration and respect for them. Looking back, she said the entire experience began with a small decision: booking an Airbnb and offering to help with gardening.
The story has since attracted attention online, with commenters asking about how she managed to stay in New Zealand. She explained that she initially applied for a longer-stay tourist visa before later converting to a partner’s visa.
Others were more interested in the farm itself, with one commenter joking that the couple’s massive shed could cost around $100,000 to build today.
For her, one small step ended up opening an unexpected door.
See the video here:
@risewithaster Going on adventures is in my blood. But if I am honest, oftentimes the biggest stumbling block is ME 🥹🤍 I have had to question myself, change direction and let go of old patterns many times to get here. I know how challenging, and sometimes impossible, that can feel. Having been through it myself, I want to support others as they make changes that feel true to them. P.S. Here’s how I can help: I offer personalised blends using The First Light Flower Essences of New Zealand® for those who feel stuck and want to experience gentle yet powerful shifts. 🌿✨ Go to my website risewithaster.com if you’d like to work with me #NewZealand #Permaculture #PersonalGrowth #floweressences #healing
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