The cost of living has risen sharply in recent years, and many people are searching for creative ways to make their money stretch further. One increasingly popular solution is full-time house sitting. While many people think of house sitting as a casual arrangement – helping out friends or neighbours, or taking on occasional part-time jobs…
Arriving On Time
When it comes to house sitting in New Zealand, punctuality isn’t just polite — it’s essential. Arriving on time for a house sit, or even for an interview, is one of the first and most important signals to a homeowner that you’re responsible, trustworthy, and respectful of their time and property. While house sitting may…
House Sitting In Onewhero
This is my current house sit. It’s a nice big modern home situated in rural Onewhero, which is about a ten-minute drive south of Tuakau, and a twenty-minute drive south of Pukekohe. The house is north-facing and with double-glazing so it gets heaps(!) of winter sunshine to warm up the interior. You get a really…
Where Do House Sitters Stay Between Sits?
Full-time house sitting around New Zealand offers freedom, variety, and the chance to experience new parts of the motu while keeping accommodation and utility costs down to a bare minimum. But along with this comes a particular challenge that is common to every Kiwi house sitter, whether they be newbies or professionals: where do you…
House Sitting In Mourea
My Huirangi house sit has been completed and I’m straight on to my next place. I arrived here on July 29th and I’m here until August 10th while the owners spend some time down in Christchurch. This sit finds me in a small settlement called Mourea, which is about 15 minutes north of Rotorua and…
The Ten Commandments Of House Sitting
House sitting is a privileged position of trust. When someone invites you to live in their home to take care of their property, possessions, and pets while they’re away, they’re placing a huge amount of trust in your reliability, respect, and judgment. The last thing you want to do is to let them down. When…
How You Show Up Matters
When it comes to house sitting, first impressions can count — and not just a little. Whether you’re turning up for a house sit interview or arriving to begin the sit itself, how you present yourself to the homeowners will leave a lasting impact with them. You may have glowing references and a thoughtful profile,…
Questions About The Pets
House sitting in New Zealand come with plenty of perks and interesting aspects, but (as I keep saying) they also come with a lot of responsibility. When you add pets into the mix, things get even more complicated. As a Kiwi house sitter, you will have tasks to perform each day, notes to remember, and…
House Sitting In Huirangi
My current house sit sees me back in Taranaki’s Huirangi area, and on the lifestyle block that I looked after for a couple weeks in the middle of summer. It’s located about 10 minutes west of Waitara, and it’s a 20 minute or so drive to New Plymouth. It’s my second sit here and it’s…
Lawn And Order
When most NZ house sitters think of house sitting, they probably imagine feeding a few pets, collecting the mail, keeping the house clean and tidy, watering a few pot plants, or walking the dog. But there’s another important aspect that sometimes gets forgotten – keeping the lawns mowed and the section tidy. It won’t matter…