We're Jason & Katrina.
Good Hands began with a simple longing: to grow our own food and eat straight from the land. So we left the city behind, found a gentle patch of the Wairarapa, and put our hands in the soil.
We planted yuzu before many here had even heard its name — drawn to a fruit the Japanese have cherished for centuries. Beyond its bright, uplifting fragrance, the whole plant is a quiet gift: the peel, the leaves, the oils, each holding something nourishing. We're now slowly, carefully developing a hand cream made from the whole yuzu — nothing wasted, nothing hurried. Watch this space.
And none of it has been done alone. WWOOFers and friends from all corners of the world have shared this land with us — planting, pruning, harvesting, gathering around the table to cook and eat together. Every pair of hands has left something behind. They're the good hands this place is named for.
The good hands this place is named for.
Good Hands has never been just the two of us. WWOOFers and friends have travelled from all over the world to stay on this land, planting, pruning, weeding, poo-picking, harvesting and cooking alongside us. Every one of them is part of the story. Many have returned.
Thibe 🇹🇼
Thibe was fabulous at digging out doc that had taken over our back paddocks, we are very grateful. Doc weeds take over.
Nikita & Antoine 🇱🇺
Our International rugby player, great at poo picking. "During our stay, we helped put chicken wire around the young yuzu trees to protect them from rabbits, replanted small yuzus into pots so they could grow better."
Harry & Anya 🏴 🇺🇸
Only country they could come to be together. We loved having them share our homestead, they did lots of weeding around the olives.
Aki 🇮🇹
Planted half the yuzu block and made unforgettable meals.
Tayla 🇩🇪
Planted half the yuzu block and made unforgettable pasta.
Shirley 🇩🇪
Shirley was great, we loved that she jumped in and cooked some meals for us. She was fabulous with the horses, and she came back twice! We hope she returns again. x
Yong 🇸🇬
"My first woofing experience was nothing short of an enjoyable one. I spent around a week with Katrina, Jason and Oscar, and they were a really fun and generous family to be around - Katrina was very caring, friendly and energetic while Jason was very warm, humorous and calm. Oscar was also very friendly and welcoming as well."
Leonie 🇩🇪
Leonie rearranged the cupboards with labels, but they are now in German and we don't know what anything is. She was meant to stay for a week, but stayed for a few months. We miss her. x
Juni 🇯🇵
Beautiful creative Juni. Currently making a documentary of our 'off the track' thoroughbreds now used for therapy. Waiting for her return trip. x
Danni 🇯🇵
"Katrina not only taught me how to swim and basic horseback riding, but also introduced me to a lot of knowledge about horse racing and all kinds of plants in their garden. We learned English and Chinese from each other, it was really great!"
Elodie & Manon 🇫🇷
"We learned a lot about horses & Yuzu culture, it was very interesting. I also really loved sharing meals with the whole family. The work was quite diverse, one day it was cutting grass around Yuzu trees, and the other cleaning horses’s poo from the paddock."
Clara & Alban 🇫🇷
"We came for 3 days and stayed a week. Work was nice, a lot of gardening, Katrina has new idea each day for tasks so the task were changing. We felt really welcome, we had the opportunity to learn more about bees, horses, and life in a farm in New Zealand." We were excited when Clara & Alban came back to visit. x
Txomin & Edgar 🇫🇷
"The work was weeding and poo-picking, and we had a lot of flexibility with our working hours. We highly recommend WWOOFing with Katrina and Jason." There is always a home for you here. x
Stayed with us and not on the wall yet? Say hello — we'd love to add you.
A year in good hands.
