In retrospect, sadly, I am glad not to be with the last WWOOF hosts. They were complex and challenging, and I was becoming exhausted, ending with me really doing my back in, at which point, anyway, I was traded with their friends WWOOFer for a few days. They were easier to be around, and didn't expect any huge amount of physical work. They were very generous to take me for 3 days whilst a lay on the floor recuperating. Fortunately I had some younger company for entertainment too (not that all you old folk are boring, just I need my fix of youth!)
I really wanted to see some of the night life and socials in Queenstown, so I stayed in one of many backpackers for 2 nights, and had a most relaxing time soaking in the (free) hot tub whilst it rained for the 3rd day in a row and I splashing about in my new sandals. The evenings were entertaining, as a group of Americans in my dorm were very funny and game for laughs, despite there being limited resources in town.
The last 2 days have been used to travel the 700km to Nelson where I am now staying with family friends for Christmas. I already have kayaking, fishing, golf, barbeques, cycling and cricket in the itinerary for the next few days!
I hope you have a very merry Christmas, and I will be thinking of you all as I have fresh tuna steak with Mediterranean veg for Christmas Dinner roasted on a barbeque on the beach.
Monday 22 December 2008
Saturday 6 December 2008
2rd/ 3rd WWOOF
I have just spent over 3 weeks with my last host, which is a real reflection on how wonderful they were, I had a really amazing time, and I had some great experiences in and out of the garden. They took me in and I really felt like part of the family. They even gave me a beautiful present when I left.
It is funny, I said in my last post I was feeling as though it was time to move on. I got over this over then next couple of days, I think it was just convenience why I stayed but I'm thinking I may get the moving on feeling on the border of when I stop having one kind of relationship with a place/ person and start having a deeper one. I am very glad I stayed on to make a stronger connection with them.
Finally the time did come around for me to make the next step, I caught a lift with Ben on a wet Thursday morning to Queenstown where he was running a couple of composting courses for the local council. I met up with my next hosts in the town after buying a New Zealand SIM card so calls are cheaper (my new number is: +0064 210599778). The hosts live on a large area of land that hides and appears in disjointed places around the hillside, on entry it is plucked from 50 years back with pieces of machinery serenading the drive including utes, upturned cars, an excavator or two and some large scale gold mining equipment. The house front is splayed with rusting tools and you currently have to walk under the excavator arm to get to the front door.
I’m even more in heaven as I have got to remove the tracks of the excavator, and do welding and grinding to re-attach the top rollers. Also its the kind of place where we jump in the back of the pick-up or on the trailer if we are going somewhere on their land.
x
It is funny, I said in my last post I was feeling as though it was time to move on. I got over this over then next couple of days, I think it was just convenience why I stayed but I'm thinking I may get the moving on feeling on the border of when I stop having one kind of relationship with a place/ person and start having a deeper one. I am very glad I stayed on to make a stronger connection with them.
Finally the time did come around for me to make the next step, I caught a lift with Ben on a wet Thursday morning to Queenstown where he was running a couple of composting courses for the local council. I met up with my next hosts in the town after buying a New Zealand SIM card so calls are cheaper (my new number is: +0064 210599778). The hosts live on a large area of land that hides and appears in disjointed places around the hillside, on entry it is plucked from 50 years back with pieces of machinery serenading the drive including utes, upturned cars, an excavator or two and some large scale gold mining equipment. The house front is splayed with rusting tools and you currently have to walk under the excavator arm to get to the front door.
I’m even more in heaven as I have got to remove the tracks of the excavator, and do welding and grinding to re-attach the top rollers. Also its the kind of place where we jump in the back of the pick-up or on the trailer if we are going somewhere on their land.
x
Monday 17 November 2008
2nd WWOOF
I spent a week with friends just out of Wanaka for a week, which was a time for me to explore the surroundings. I hitched to the start of a walk one early day, up the side of a valley to about 1300m, started by a river crossing, which i attempted to hop across as i couldn't be bother to take off my other boot. Not a good idea. The walk took me very nearly to the snow line, although I did find patches lurking behind shrubs which I crammed in to my mouth just for the novelty value. As I climbed I distinctly passed though a series of vegetation changes where at the top dull stunted grass grew punctured by occasional yellow thorny reeds. I did not share my mountain with another person. The view was completely my own.
I moved on on the Saturday to stay at the Purple Cow whilst I waited for a reply from my next WWOOF contact.
I got to them the next day by hitching and walking. Their place is gorgeous, they have a lot of established trees and beds around, so the place is lush and interesting. They also have 4 horses and 2 children, who are all beautiful. The work is quite varied as there is a lot going on. My accommodation is in a small purpose built shed with a mezzanine floor with the bed on it. Its really cosy.
I had the travelers urge to move on soon, today, so i may be heading down to queenstown soon, unless Ben gets the ride-on mower he has been talking about soon!
x
I moved on on the Saturday to stay at the Purple Cow whilst I waited for a reply from my next WWOOF contact.
I got to them the next day by hitching and walking. Their place is gorgeous, they have a lot of established trees and beds around, so the place is lush and interesting. They also have 4 horses and 2 children, who are all beautiful. The work is quite varied as there is a lot going on. My accommodation is in a small purpose built shed with a mezzanine floor with the bed on it. Its really cosy.
I had the travelers urge to move on soon, today, so i may be heading down to queenstown soon, unless Ben gets the ride-on mower he has been talking about soon!
x
Saturday 25 October 2008
1st WWOOF
It is about a miles drive on dust tracks and another miles on road to the nearest village, which is on the shores of a 20 mile long lake lapping at the base of snowcapped mountains which sit, panoramic, on my horizon, hazed by distance and the sun cutting down on plateau. The house is beautifully designed, based on an octagon - using the view to decorate it. The first adverse weather I have had here has left a fresh scattering of snow on the hill tops, and has given me some time to write this and sort out ******* online banking.
The grounds of the house stretch for acres, dropping off the plateau to give views across the valley, but the gardens hug the property, giving room for a couple of orchards, a shaded camping area, a vegetable patch, a few planted banks and a lawn.
So far I have dug a soak-away for the tool shed run off, mowed about an acre of tussocky lawn (including a hang-gliding launch pad!), moved a heap or manure, planted a couple of reed plants with about 50 more to go and played with the extensive watering system (which is necessary as it is so dry here).
Anyway, it is great fun, plus I have been on a couple of trips to the lake shore and 'blue pools' - the most perfect medetarenien blue pools from glacial melt waters.
x
The grounds of the house stretch for acres, dropping off the plateau to give views across the valley, but the gardens hug the property, giving room for a couple of orchards, a shaded camping area, a vegetable patch, a few planted banks and a lawn.
So far I have dug a soak-away for the tool shed run off, mowed about an acre of tussocky lawn (including a hang-gliding launch pad!), moved a heap or manure, planted a couple of reed plants with about 50 more to go and played with the extensive watering system (which is necessary as it is so dry here).
Anyway, it is great fun, plus I have been on a couple of trips to the lake shore and 'blue pools' - the most perfect medetarenien blue pools from glacial melt waters.
x
Tuesday 21 October 2008
WOW
The flight was pretty monotonous, but there were plenty of films to watch so it wasn't too bad plus it all went perfectly. Though it did feel as though i had been knee-capped most of the time. The accomodation in Christchurch is ideal with other people like me, and the city is very sweet, South Brent is busier. It is a lovely place though, with stunning botanical gardens close by and it is all very clean and neat.
Yesterday I went on the most beautiful walk of my life, absolutly no joke. I started early in to the Port hills (4/500m) close by to Christchurch and spent the day padding along the Crater Rim trail amoungst wooded craggy hills in the perfect sunshine accompanied all the time with beautiful birdsong and the most magical heavy scent of spring flowers. There were continual views stretching across the plains to a spine of snow capped mountains running for hundreds of miles into the distance, whilst on the other side the coast line stretched away in to the haze with the sea glinting below me. Very reminiscent of the devon coast line, although wooded with unfamiliar trees I felt like a real explorer, helped by the fact that I was completly alone, the best feeling ever.
Today im having a sorting day, and im going to check out all the bike shops! x
Yesterday I went on the most beautiful walk of my life, absolutly no joke. I started early in to the Port hills (4/500m) close by to Christchurch and spent the day padding along the Crater Rim trail amoungst wooded craggy hills in the perfect sunshine accompanied all the time with beautiful birdsong and the most magical heavy scent of spring flowers. There were continual views stretching across the plains to a spine of snow capped mountains running for hundreds of miles into the distance, whilst on the other side the coast line stretched away in to the haze with the sea glinting below me. Very reminiscent of the devon coast line, although wooded with unfamiliar trees I felt like a real explorer, helped by the fact that I was completly alone, the best feeling ever.
Today im having a sorting day, and im going to check out all the bike shops! x
Thursday 16 October 2008
The Day.
Twiddling my thumbs rather in limbo, everything’s packed and tidied away and im sat here not wanting to untidy anything again. I’ve said goodbye to various parts of the house and it seems to defeat the point if I go back there, so im confined to the last corner in my retreat.
It hasn't quite hit me yet, still, I think it is almost too big to quite comprehend, I'm just going to have to take it one step at a time. My bags too heavy to take more than that at one time anyway.
My plans have changed slightly, I'm going to stay in Christchurch for a few days before heading down to my first WWOOF farm near Wanaka, where I'm going to attempt to pick up work in the adventure sports field. If I manage to find something there then i will probably stay, if not then im hoping to wwoof my way up the south island to the Marlborough Sound where there are some stunning places and to friends for Christmas.
I will give you a post on the other side. x
It hasn't quite hit me yet, still, I think it is almost too big to quite comprehend, I'm just going to have to take it one step at a time. My bags too heavy to take more than that at one time anyway.
My plans have changed slightly, I'm going to stay in Christchurch for a few days before heading down to my first WWOOF farm near Wanaka, where I'm going to attempt to pick up work in the adventure sports field. If I manage to find something there then i will probably stay, if not then im hoping to wwoof my way up the south island to the Marlborough Sound where there are some stunning places and to friends for Christmas.
I will give you a post on the other side. x
Thursday 18 September 2008
preperation/ anticipation
Just recieved my working holiday visa today, a relief to know that i havn't been declined and deported, yet. Im going to book my outoutwards flight tomorow for the 20th October, but probabily not the return as I would loose alot of money if I wanted to change my return flight later, plus open returns and Round The Worlds only tend to last for a year anyway.
My plans at the moment are to spend a couple of days in Christchurch then hed up north to the top of the south island to stay wiht frinds there, before working my way back down WWOOFing (Willing Workers On Organic Farms) so staying on a small holding and working for them and getting food and lodging in return. It looks really amazing and some of the places you can only access by boat once a week!
I'll give more info when I know. x
My plans at the moment are to spend a couple of days in Christchurch then hed up north to the top of the south island to stay wiht frinds there, before working my way back down WWOOFing (Willing Workers On Organic Farms) so staying on a small holding and working for them and getting food and lodging in return. It looks really amazing and some of the places you can only access by boat once a week!
I'll give more info when I know. x
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