About Us
We're the Taylors, Kersti, Dwayne, and our three kids, and we've called Fairfield, Lower Hutt home for the last ten years.
Kersti spent years working for New Zealand's immigration service, helping employers and regional agencies attract skilled migrants, and helping make sure new arrivals had the support they needed to settle in and stay. That experience taught her how much people give up to start again somewhere new, and how much of a difference genuine support and welcome can make. That's why we go above and beyond for families moving to New Zealand, offering advice before they even leave home, welcoming them with open arms, and being there to answer their questions as they navigate their new life in Aotearoa. They arrive as guests and leave as friends.
Ten years on, we've hosted families relocating from all over the world, Kiwi families visiting for reunions and special occasions, workers, students and interns settling in for a few weeks while on placements, and travellers making their way around New Zealand. Many have become lifelong friends.
Long before Airbnb existed, we were choosing hosted accommodation over hotels throughout New Zealand and all over the world. We love staying with people who welcome us into their lives, even briefly, and always dreamed of doing the same for others one day. We never expected to find that opportunity here in Lower Hutt. But when we found our solid, practical 1970s home, with its very dated two bedroom apartment tucked underneath, big enough for a family, we saw straight away what it could become.
We homeschooled our children for a decade, and travel has always been part of how we've raised them, including a year backpacking around the world, ten weeks cycling 2600km around the South Island, as well as trekking in Nepal twice. We wanted our kids to grow up with open hearts, curious about the world and the people in it, and hosting has been a huge part of that.
You'll be staying with a busy, sociable family, not an empty rental. These days floorball is our passion with everyone involved, and our younger daughter playing for the New Zealand under 19 women's squad. Our son plays violin with the Wellington Youth Orchestra, and our eldest daughter is a dedicated Scout leader. We're also building a cookie business from home together as a family. We're a sociable bunch with plenty on, but no matter how full our week gets we always make time for a chat, a cup of tea, or pointing you towards our favourite spots in Wellington.