Hobby farm on 1 acre of botanical garden, with orchard, vegetable garden, greenhouses, and apiary
Hawaii
We are currently looking for WWOOFers interested in longer visits. Being on our farm for less than a month is not enough time to learn our routine. Due to cancellations, we are open for women Wwoofers for the rest of the year. Sorry gentlemen, we have only women booked at the moment and only one room.
If you're looking for a full summer of learning about agroforestry, greenhouse work, and hydroponics, this is the right place for you!
My husband, Ray and I live on an acre of botanical garden with 2/5's devoted to an orchard, vegetable garden, greenhouses, and apiaries. We recently cleared the area and are chipping, chain sawing, weeding, and planting organic perennial vegetables and fruit trees. We raise chickens, rabbits, and the ocassional lamb for meat. We use hydroponics to grow lettuce and cucumbers in our greenhouses and have several small plots where we grow tomatoes, okra, greens, and other vegetables. Our goal is to become 90% self-sustainable within the next few years.
We continue double digging garden beds to remove rocks and prepare the soil, and have planted a small cacao orchard.
If you are interested in what it takes to begin the process of creating an organic and sustainable garden from the ground up, this is the perfect place and time.
Where we are located on the island, we rarely have to water, the temperature is warm, yet not too hot for working outdoors. The evenings are cool and refreshing after a day of work.
I am a Master Gardener and volunteer at the Komohana Research and Extension Center in Hilo once a week. The Master Gardeners welcome WWOOFers. We have a demo garden in which we raise perennial vegetables, fruits, and herbs. I am also in the process of creating a pollinator garden and apiary at the research center. It's a great learning experience.
I love to teach about gardening and have three granddaughters who learned their love of gardening from me. I worked as a professional landscaper for over six years and am eager to pass on my knowledge to others.
In exchange for our knowledge, we ask for honest, hard work with our ongoing projects, including: tending gardens, mulching, chipping, weeding, tending small livestock, weeding, building projects, greenhouse upkeep, and did I mention weeding?
Work is done solo and together. We ask that you be able to take on tasks without the need to be watched over or asked to help. Self starters are always welcome.
We have an extensive gardening library, including some specific to Hawaiian plants and pests that are readily available to our guests.
I teach how to ferment and preserve foods, including coconut kefir, cultured vegetables, sourdough, and kombucha.
We live in the mountains on the Hilo side of the island, where it's nice and cool most days and nights. The neighborhood is quiet and remote, but within 10 miles of the nearest town. We have two dogs and a cat-so let us know if you have allergies.
Nearby are green-sand beaches, an active volcano, and black-sand beaches where you can surf, sunbathe, paddle, snorkel, and swim with turtles.
Hilo is a half hour drive and has farmer's markets, old time shops, and restaurants.
We have a private, spare bedroom that can sleep up to four, but prefer one person or a couple, although at times we may have two Wwoofers. There are two large beds and a room divider.
We garden for up to 5-6 hours a day, or until we tire, or it begins to rain, whichever comes first. A normal gardening week would be 8-3 Monday through Friday, with Saturday and Sunday off, though rainy days may be made up on off days.
In exchange for 30 hours of labor a week, we provide:
A place to sleep in our home
Access to our garden to create your own meals
Meat from our farm including rabbit, chicken, and occasionally lamb
Access to our extensive gardening library
Access to our outdoor bathroom
Access to our kitchen for preparing your meals
Movie nights
Friendship and camaraderie
Meal preparation and clean-up are shared duties, and you are expected to clean up after yourself and not waste food. Vegan and vegetarian are not options here. We raise our own meat and process on site, so you need to be okay with that. Ray is a great cook and loves to feed our guests, so you may not have to cook too often. ;-)
Please contact us only if you are serious about working hard, learning about sustainable farming, getting your hands dirty, have a good work ethic, and a positive attitude.
Mahalo!
Organic methods: Composting. Vermiculture. No spray or pesticides.
Certifications: Food grown is for home use.
Current projects:
-Spreading chips for mulch. Pulling weeds in botanical garden.
-We raise meat rabbits and chickens for eggs and meat.
-We have 2/5's of an acre that needs planting and landscaping.
-We are starting from the ground up, literally.
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Learning opportunities
Vegetable farming
Fruit or nut farming
Poultry farming
Pig farming
Sheep or goat farming
Raising of other farm animals
Beekeeping
Seed saving or production
Meat processing
Vegetable or fruit preservation
Methods or systems
Biological pest control
Hydroponics
No-till farming
Permaculture
Mentoring opportunities
Woman-operated
BIPOC-operated
Host type
Self-sufficiency property
0.4
Hectares
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1
Acres
CJ
Member since 2021
Languages spoken:
English
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Response rate: 96%
Response time: typically within 2 days
Hawaii
Hilo (ITO)
Reviews
Annie
United States
•
November 2025
My stay with Cj was wonderful! Cj is so knowledgeable and fun for work with and she is a very hard worker as well. I feel very lucky to have gotten to learn from and work with Cj. Cj and Ray are so welcoming and make you feel at home. You will never be bored here, there are alwase many projects going on at once, Cj is a great artist willing to share her skills with you. Great food and great people, great experience. Thank you Cj and Ray!!
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Mac
United States
•
October 2025
This was my first WWOOFing experience. CJ & Ray were very welcoming. CJ is very knowledgable about horticulture, machinery, and has a wide range of hobbies and skills that I was able to learn from. Ray cooked delicious food and when the work days ended I was able to use the neighbor's car to see more of the Big Island. In my time there I was even able to fly to one of the other islands! With that said CJ and Ray were very accommodating! I believe it is worth mentioning that I have mixed emotions because expectations weren't often clearly communicated, divisive politics were discussed on more than one occasion, and as a meal seemingly intended to bond with me fried chicken was served. Nonetheless, I am thankful for the experience and would say the pros out weigh the cons. If you're wanting to work hard, see a new environment, and learn a skill or two this is place for you!
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Reply from CJ
I'm sorry that you didn't have a good experience with us. As far as divisive political discussions, I had no intention of talking about politics until you called someone racist for their DEI views. I only tried to explain from a different perspective. As far as 'bonding' with you over fried chicken, I take this as a personal insult. I fry chicken at least twice a month and even when you were on Oahu with the female woofer you hooked up with at our house, I fried chicken when you weren't here. I'm very sad that you would include these things in your review of our home, when you said nothing about them when you were her.
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Casey
United States
•
October 2025
I really enjoyed my time on Big Island staying with Ray and CJ. This spot offers a lot of luxuries other farms don’t- Ray and/or CJ cook delicious food each night and we generally ate dinner all together. Their neighbor was generous enough to let us borrow her car which allowed for lots of exploring and beach days. CJ is more than happy to introduce you to her many hobbies, including glass blowing and making kombucha, and you also get to participate in volunteer work that connects you with the local community (my favorite part). I really am grateful to have had access to so many fun “extras” during my time in Hawaii.
You definitely should be prepared for more than just an “employer and employee” dynamic here. Conversations topics spanned from family histories to politics. The potential struggle of such a close-knit WWOOFing experience is that Ray and CJ have high expectations for you on a very personal level, but it isn’t always clear what those expectations are. Sometimes Ray and CJ gave us differing information about what was and wasn’t “okay” (ie. taking a trip to a different island or what time work was finished), which resulted in one or both of them being upset with us. Rather than coming to me directly with their feedback, I heard them complaining about me through our shared wall, and that they spoke poorly about me to another WWOOFer once I left. I wish that communication was more clear so that any frustration could have been avoided..
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Reply from CJ
Our expectations are the same for all of our woofers-to work from 8-3 without first having to be told what to do every single day. If a chore from the day before is not finished, we expect that a woofer would know to begin at 8am to finish that task. Depending on the day, we start at different times, therefore, we end at different times. but we expect a 6 hour work day regardless. I'm sorry you heard complaining about you through the wall, you were not very approachable to speak with face to face. Our frustration was the disrespect you and the male woofer showed by hooking up with each other in our home and asking to leave early nearly every day so you could go to the beach. Saying disrespectful things to our other woofer behind our backs was another form of frustration for us and trying to weasel the car away from her was rude. You also asked if you could throw away "moldy stuff" and I agreed, thinking you were talking about in the woofer refrigerator. You threw away our toiletries, including soaps, lotions, and creams among other personal items of ours without asking, many of which were expensive or gifts.
I wish there had been clearer communication as well, and thank you for reminding me to tell our woofers that we expect common respect in our own home.
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Claire
United States
•
October 2025
This was my very first WWOOFing experience, and I couldn’t have asked for a better introduction on my short stay! CJ and Ray were incredibly kind and welcoming, making me feel comfortable right away. CJ taught me how to water and care for greenhouse plants, how to feed and tend the chickens, and how to weed around the farm. Ray cooked delicious dinners for us and kindly drove us around to/from the airport and farmers markets. I really enjoyed helping out on the farm and getting a glimpse into their way of life. In my free time, I loved exploring the Big Island and appreciated their recommendations. Overall, it was such a meaningful and memorable stay—I’d happily recommend it to others!
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Neha
Netherlands
•
September 2025
CJ and Ray were incredibly welcoming and nice! The property is beautiful and the work was gratifying - nothing too intense, and some of the work was super interesting. They were always able to help as needed or answer any questions I had, and could also give alot of details and explanations. Overall, it was a great and memorable experience, and I had an amazing time :)
Reply from CJ
Mahalo, Neha!
You are welcome back at any time!
CJ & Ray
Shoshanna
United States
•
August 2025
This was my friend and I's first time WWOOFing, and what a wonderful first experience! CJ and Ray are amazing hosts! They provided delicious meals and made us feel at home. We had a great time learning everything CJ had to teach, From Gardening, hydroponics to hibiscus propagation, Made many good memories and hope to come back again!
Reply from CJ
We loved having you both here and would love you both to come back!
