Yaay, so here I am in Takaka - or rather Paynes ford, the rock climbing area - where I am camping in a climbers only camp ground due to high demand. So I am surrounded by climbers and really cool people, all into doing the same things as me - climbing and not much else!
Saying that there are options to do tramps in the 2 close National Parks, the Abel Tasman and the Kahurangi as well as mountain biking in the surrounding hills and swimming in the river that runs at the bottom of the lime stone crags we climb on.
All in all with the temperatures in the late 20's and me basking in the sun whilst doing outdoor pursuits I'm going to wish you a Merry Christmas, and I hope the weather does something proper like snow!
x
Tuesday 22 December 2009
Wednesday 9 December 2009
Hanmer Summer - to Takaka and beyond
An apology to start with, I have been very remiss about posting, but my life has rather busied up since coming to hanmer.
I am just wrapping up 9 weeks of full time work with an activity centre where I have been training on a 3 days paid, 2 days voluntary basis. The activities I have been running are orienteering, a series of team building activities, mountain biking and tree climbing (although I'm shadowed on that as I don't have the necessary quals). So i have been learning the art of leadership, flanked by some really awesome instructors, and great bosses. I suppose it isn't a run of the mill job as every day is totally different, from the students and teachers, to the weather to the time. We work with school groups from year 5 though to year 13, so one session you'll have extremely competent 17 y olds from an all girls school, followed by a bunch of lovely but needy 8 - 9 year olds from a city school. On top of this start times for work range from 7am to 11 am, and finish between 4.30 and 7.30 pm, so one can never fall in to a proper routine, which can be hard, especially as I find routine useful. On the up side, it never really gets boring!.... Its a perfect level for me to learn at.
So the job has been very stimulating and challenging, my people skills have developed considerably and my confidence with groups is hugely better. The first couple of weeks of instructing on my own were scary, and I got nervous leading up to them, but now I'm much more relaxed and I'm able to concentrate on the quality of my delivery and making sure the client gets the most from the sessions and the sessions are appropriate for the age and ability.
Not only is the job really cool, the area around Hanmer Springs is beautiful, surrounded by mountains with huge areas of forest, many mountain bike tracks and tramps, places to camp and fish, swim and kayak, plus there are hardly any people here!
Sadly after the summer holidays (the company follows the school holidays as we work mainly with school groups) Activity Hanmer are only able to offer me 3 days a week. I decided to take it anyway as it isn't for too long a time (from early Feb to easter), plus it gives me the opportunity to work 2 to 3 days a week at the hot pools and gain an internationally recognised life guarding qualification.
In the mean time I have about 6 weeks of free time! Which I am going to spend rock climbing and mountain biking and chilling and sitting on beaches and sleeping under the stars and swimming in rivers and drumming and going to concerts and festivals, and probably not working that much in Takaka - Golden Bay. Its going to be awfully good. At the moment my only issue is getting up there as I will probably have to hitch with quite a bit of stuff and a bike.... hmmm.
Possibilities for the winter season are - doing a ski instructors course, try and get into mountaineering, or working more in a cafe or outdoor shop... so i need to do more endless research and make more decisions. Following the winter season my plans become even more vague, with Canada becoming a possibility in September where I would ideally train in wilderness survival and bushcraft instruction. Otherwise I would follow up on the ski instructors course and instruct at a ski resort in the northern winter. Following THAT I'm hoping to go to the US to work at a camp america in North Carolina on which a few of my current colleagues have been, and bring awesome feedback on. Next, who knows....
So that is my plan. But at the moment I'm munching on some short bread i have just baked, whilst waiting for my climbing gear to drop through in to the letter box from america, and considering wether I should get into aggressive inline skating if I go back to Wanaka.
Love x
Tuesday 29 September 2009
To Hanmer
My ski season wrapped up with a couple of telemarking lessons - a form of skiing where the heel of the boot is free from the ski, so it allows the skier to ascend slopes aswell, as you can do a walking motion, which gives a telemarker access to backcountry and alpine touring. I left my ski gear at a friends house for another season and hitched 560km north to Hanmer Springs.
I had previously done a lot of research into activity centres as I knew I wanted to spend the next part of my time here training to be a leader - it is the best place in the world to do it! So fortunatly for me 'Activity Hanmer' responded to my e-mail very positivly, and invited me to join them for the year as a trainee instructor.
I have just spent my first week up here, and managed to stay in a beautiful modern straw bale house with my colleges whilst I found more perminant accomodation. The week has been awesome, ive really enjoyed doing the work - climbing and mountain biking, and my colleges are a similar age and really in to the same things.
As the activity centre (http://www.activityhanmer.co.nz/) works with secondry schools, the work periods and holidays conincide with the schools, so im actually now on 2 weeks holiday. I've allready spent one night camping on bank of the Clarence river, over in the next valley, and im just planning a 5 day tramp on the St James walkway, so trying to keep busy.
Im considering doing a mountaineering course over summer, but Im wieghting that up agains having a job (which would be really useful), or rock climbing and kayaking and tramping (which would be alot more fun and would help towards qualifications).
I will update again when I have got a bit more stuck in to work and have some more responcabilities.
I hope your well.
x
I had previously done a lot of research into activity centres as I knew I wanted to spend the next part of my time here training to be a leader - it is the best place in the world to do it! So fortunatly for me 'Activity Hanmer' responded to my e-mail very positivly, and invited me to join them for the year as a trainee instructor.
I have just spent my first week up here, and managed to stay in a beautiful modern straw bale house with my colleges whilst I found more perminant accomodation. The week has been awesome, ive really enjoyed doing the work - climbing and mountain biking, and my colleges are a similar age and really in to the same things.
As the activity centre (http://www.activityhanmer.co.nz/) works with secondry schools, the work periods and holidays conincide with the schools, so im actually now on 2 weeks holiday. I've allready spent one night camping on bank of the Clarence river, over in the next valley, and im just planning a 5 day tramp on the St James walkway, so trying to keep busy.
Im considering doing a mountaineering course over summer, but Im wieghting that up agains having a job (which would be really useful), or rock climbing and kayaking and tramping (which would be alot more fun and would help towards qualifications).
I will update again when I have got a bit more stuck in to work and have some more responcabilities.
I hope your well.
x
Thursday 27 August 2009
Ode to the Snow
THERE is now a time when meadow, mountain, and stream,
The earth, and every common sight,
To me seems
Apparell'd in snowy light,
The glory and the freshness of a dream. 5
Projected on the flanks of the hills great;—
Turn wheresoe'er I may,
By night or day,
The flashes which I have dreamt, to see'th no more I wait.
Ricky Wordsworth: Intimations of Immortality from Recollections of Late Childhood, 1770 - 2009
Given that I couldn't possibly write a legible original ode ill now stick to my usual format.
Well skiing is incredible, I absolutely love it! it is so exhilarating and exciting and fast and the best thing is you don't necessarily die when you fall down a cliff. What better sport for learning how to do cool things?...
So given that I bought a season pass for one of the ski fields I have been skiing whenever I can, 2-3 out of every 4 days, interspersed with: recovering (from skiing and evenings out); some casual labour; lots of cooking and learning to bake; kayak polo (water polo but in kayaks - awesome fun, a very full on and exciting game, and it quickly gets your confidence up with going under water!); a bit of wood carving; badminton; labouring around on my single speed bike; occasional adventures in to the hills; helping at music concerts and volunteering at ski competitions.... so I have been keeping busy!
The renting has turned out OK, my flatmates are amazing, but the house is cold and dark, so not very inviting, not a place I could ever call 'home', albeit it is a roof over my head.
A couple of the most memorable times I have had have been the tramps I have done. One up to Mt Roy for the sunrise (allready said about) and the other up the Copland Track, which starts on the West Coast and cuts striaght inland towards Mt Cook. The track follows the valley, climbing only maybe 100m in its 17km, so an easy walk through bush, towering valleys and along the stunning river. But that is not the good bit....
When you get to the hut at the end of the track there are 3 natural hot pools lined with the most gloriously soft mud and the perfect temperature. And you wallow and sooth your muscles in the turquose water under the full moon and look at the snowy mountains surrounding you before dragging yourself out 4 hours later in to the chill air, and run back to your bed. Not bad.
Another rather wonderful highlight has been my parents coming over, sadly Alex had to stay at home due to a rather vicious bit of Glandular Fever, but it was a really wonderful time when I could totally relax and be pampered! We had a great time, starting off in Christchurch for a couple of days looking around the city, before coming down to Wanaka where we stayed for 5 days, where M+D skied for their first time ever too, and did rather amazingly! Also in Wanaka we did a couple of day tramps up hills, and inevitably back down again in beautiful scenery and in beautiful weather.
Following that we popped down to Doubtful Sound, the most extensive inlet in New Zealand’s Fjordland where we spent the night before departing on a two part cruise, first by boat over lake Manopouri, then by coach on totally isolated road across a neck of land to the sound, where we jumped on another rather luxurious cruise boat and spent the next 3 hours pottering around the damp and mist fjords that rose imposingly on all sides and disappeared into the cloud before we could even catch a gimps of the tops. Trees and bushed clung to every crevice and where one fell a swath of plants below it were wiped off their precarious perches. Tree avalanches aren't that common on Dartmoor... Nor is the sound of a real avalanche, something else introduced to me by the mountains of New Zealand - if your wondering it sounds exactly like a very short burst of thunder, a deep, powerful, rolling grumble.
Back on track we headed up north past Wanaka again for two nights before the long haul up the west coast, notorious for its rain, with figures of up to 10m a year! But fortunately that comes hand in hand with funnily enough, glaciers, blow holes and stunning temperate rainforest. We were able to explore some forest on a couple of occasions going for one walk to the foot or one glacier, and another day to where a river came out of a cliff. One big difference between native bush and English forest is that NZ has only a couple of native deciduous species so in winter the trees are as green as ever. As well as that there are a few species of palm trees which are all rather beautiful.
Continuing up the west coast we crossed over, inland, to Motueka, to meet up with family friends, from there we walked part way up Mt Arthur, way above the snowline at times trudging through over a foot of snow. That was so pretty. We diverted for one night over Takaka Hill in to the Golden bay area and made our way to the northern most point of the south island, Farewell Spit. The 26km long sand spit is decidedly long and sandy, and that’s pretty much it, apart from sad occasions when a school of wales become stranded there. This is particularly poignant in NZ as whales hold special spiritual significance to the Maoris.
I’m going to stop there for the moment and start again when I don’t have fudge, a necklace and dinner to make before going out to a talk by an English mountaineer [the first British guy to climb Everest without Oxygen…].
x
The earth, and every common sight,
To me seems
Apparell'd in snowy light,
The glory and the freshness of a dream. 5
Projected on the flanks of the hills great;—
Turn wheresoe'er I may,
By night or day,
The flashes which I have dreamt, to see'th no more I wait.
Ricky Wordsworth: Intimations of Immortality from Recollections of Late Childhood, 1770 - 2009
Given that I couldn't possibly write a legible original ode ill now stick to my usual format.
Well skiing is incredible, I absolutely love it! it is so exhilarating and exciting and fast and the best thing is you don't necessarily die when you fall down a cliff. What better sport for learning how to do cool things?...
So given that I bought a season pass for one of the ski fields I have been skiing whenever I can, 2-3 out of every 4 days, interspersed with: recovering (from skiing and evenings out); some casual labour; lots of cooking and learning to bake; kayak polo (water polo but in kayaks - awesome fun, a very full on and exciting game, and it quickly gets your confidence up with going under water!); a bit of wood carving; badminton; labouring around on my single speed bike; occasional adventures in to the hills; helping at music concerts and volunteering at ski competitions.... so I have been keeping busy!
The renting has turned out OK, my flatmates are amazing, but the house is cold and dark, so not very inviting, not a place I could ever call 'home', albeit it is a roof over my head.
A couple of the most memorable times I have had have been the tramps I have done. One up to Mt Roy for the sunrise (allready said about) and the other up the Copland Track, which starts on the West Coast and cuts striaght inland towards Mt Cook. The track follows the valley, climbing only maybe 100m in its 17km, so an easy walk through bush, towering valleys and along the stunning river. But that is not the good bit....
When you get to the hut at the end of the track there are 3 natural hot pools lined with the most gloriously soft mud and the perfect temperature. And you wallow and sooth your muscles in the turquose water under the full moon and look at the snowy mountains surrounding you before dragging yourself out 4 hours later in to the chill air, and run back to your bed. Not bad.
Another rather wonderful highlight has been my parents coming over, sadly Alex had to stay at home due to a rather vicious bit of Glandular Fever, but it was a really wonderful time when I could totally relax and be pampered! We had a great time, starting off in Christchurch for a couple of days looking around the city, before coming down to Wanaka where we stayed for 5 days, where M+D skied for their first time ever too, and did rather amazingly! Also in Wanaka we did a couple of day tramps up hills, and inevitably back down again in beautiful scenery and in beautiful weather.
Following that we popped down to Doubtful Sound, the most extensive inlet in New Zealand’s Fjordland where we spent the night before departing on a two part cruise, first by boat over lake Manopouri, then by coach on totally isolated road across a neck of land to the sound, where we jumped on another rather luxurious cruise boat and spent the next 3 hours pottering around the damp and mist fjords that rose imposingly on all sides and disappeared into the cloud before we could even catch a gimps of the tops. Trees and bushed clung to every crevice and where one fell a swath of plants below it were wiped off their precarious perches. Tree avalanches aren't that common on Dartmoor... Nor is the sound of a real avalanche, something else introduced to me by the mountains of New Zealand - if your wondering it sounds exactly like a very short burst of thunder, a deep, powerful, rolling grumble.
Back on track we headed up north past Wanaka again for two nights before the long haul up the west coast, notorious for its rain, with figures of up to 10m a year! But fortunately that comes hand in hand with funnily enough, glaciers, blow holes and stunning temperate rainforest. We were able to explore some forest on a couple of occasions going for one walk to the foot or one glacier, and another day to where a river came out of a cliff. One big difference between native bush and English forest is that NZ has only a couple of native deciduous species so in winter the trees are as green as ever. As well as that there are a few species of palm trees which are all rather beautiful.
Continuing up the west coast we crossed over, inland, to Motueka, to meet up with family friends, from there we walked part way up Mt Arthur, way above the snowline at times trudging through over a foot of snow. That was so pretty. We diverted for one night over Takaka Hill in to the Golden bay area and made our way to the northern most point of the south island, Farewell Spit. The 26km long sand spit is decidedly long and sandy, and that’s pretty much it, apart from sad occasions when a school of wales become stranded there. This is particularly poignant in NZ as whales hold special spiritual significance to the Maoris.
I’m going to stop there for the moment and start again when I don’t have fudge, a necklace and dinner to make before going out to a talk by an English mountaineer [the first British guy to climb Everest without Oxygen…].
x
Tuesday 14 July 2009
Friday 26 June 2009
Here comes the snow
Life is so much more enjoyable with friends! A few days ago I was hitching to the recycle center (after my bike had been nicked) to try and find a new one, and was picked up by 3 English girls, also around for the winter season. I joined them later that day at the spa pools, the next day to do some mountain biking in 'Sticky Forest', a wicked mountain biking area locally, with loads of trails, and then to top it, at 4 o'clock the next morning to walk up a mountain in the pitch black to catch sunrise at 8. It was so beautiful, 1st the experience of walking up a rough track in the dark, then coming through the cloud layer to see all the stars, then seeing the sky lighten gradually from a faint blue to a gorgeous full blown orange across a whole swath of the horizon, with pink reflected on the snowy mountains all around us. We got to the top, trudging through snow, and munched on biscuits and drank warm tea (a god-send given the -8 it must have been) for 30 min as the sky became animated, changing every second, before we needed to start moving again to warm up.
And today the Ski field open!! but I'm nackered after the last few days, and going out last night, plus my skis wont be ready until tomorrow. But tomorrow it will be, my 1st ever excursion in to the realms of skiing. Its rather daunting, as is anything unknown, but we shall soon find out!
I hope to let you know soon!
x
And today the Ski field open!! but I'm nackered after the last few days, and going out last night, plus my skis wont be ready until tomorrow. But tomorrow it will be, my 1st ever excursion in to the realms of skiing. Its rather daunting, as is anything unknown, but we shall soon find out!
I hope to let you know soon!
x
Sunday 21 June 2009
Wanaka - to stay
Wow I have had a full last few weeks. I managed to get from Christchurch to Wanaka perfectly, and stayed with a previous wwoof host for 3 weeks. They are based 15km from the main town, but i was able to go in for a couple of days to get about 30 CVs around to restaurants, shops, pubs, hostels - everywhere really. At the vast majority of places the answer was no, or at least not yet. This is the first time in my life I have had to really look for a job properly, and the most i have ever been rejected, so it has been challenging to deal with the brick wall. Despite that, more recently I have been following up some of the shops, popping back every week, with a vague possibility with a few, so there is light yet. As well as looking for work, I was able to very easily find suitable accommodation, as there are a number of places where all the adverts for that kind of thing are posted. Also in the three weeks with my host I was able to get all my ski gear, including some very good clothing very cheep from a recycling/ 2nd hand center.
I moved in to my 1st renter accommodation ever on the 29th May, which I share with a local 37yr old girl. Although i could have moved in with 8 other 20yr olds, it didn't take my fancy as much, as i enjoy my space, plus I'm veggie, which is awkward if there is group shopping, including meat (bonus as my flat mate is veggie too). I have now been in my accommodation just over 3 weeks, in which time i have managed to get out a lot more as I'm 5 minutes cycle from town, meet like minded people, and sort endless bank troubles, get on to the case of possible employers, buy all my food, cook interesting things in all my spare time, do lots of e-mails, make lots of contacts and experience a whole different area of life.
Tomorrow I'm returning to the shop which has got the most likelihood of employment, so I'm really really hoping I get something out of that. I have also just won an online auction for some ski boots, so I'm pretty much totally ready to ski when the fields open in 5 days. Very exciting, and also rather daunting.
I'm going to be celebrating Christmas in 5 days too, as there are so many English here, and its of course winter, we feel we really need to have Christmas, or life just wouldn't be complete. So I'm heading over to friends for the day, not sure whats in store but it will be wicked fun whatever.
I will up-date you on the job front soon, and I hope its positive or other wise I don't think I will be staying around :(
x
I moved in to my 1st renter accommodation ever on the 29th May, which I share with a local 37yr old girl. Although i could have moved in with 8 other 20yr olds, it didn't take my fancy as much, as i enjoy my space, plus I'm veggie, which is awkward if there is group shopping, including meat (bonus as my flat mate is veggie too). I have now been in my accommodation just over 3 weeks, in which time i have managed to get out a lot more as I'm 5 minutes cycle from town, meet like minded people, and sort endless bank troubles, get on to the case of possible employers, buy all my food, cook interesting things in all my spare time, do lots of e-mails, make lots of contacts and experience a whole different area of life.
Tomorrow I'm returning to the shop which has got the most likelihood of employment, so I'm really really hoping I get something out of that. I have also just won an online auction for some ski boots, so I'm pretty much totally ready to ski when the fields open in 5 days. Very exciting, and also rather daunting.
I'm going to be celebrating Christmas in 5 days too, as there are so many English here, and its of course winter, we feel we really need to have Christmas, or life just wouldn't be complete. So I'm heading over to friends for the day, not sure whats in store but it will be wicked fun whatever.
I will up-date you on the job front soon, and I hope its positive or other wise I don't think I will be staying around :(
x
Sunday 3 May 2009
Marlborough
wow, I'm so far behind! Sorry.
Finishing on the amazing shelter I stayed in on my walk in the Kahurangi National Park. It consisted of a absolutely huge boulder sticking out from the hillside under which a couple of wooden beds had been made, one 2 meters off the ground in a crevice in the rock. So it was open on 3 sides to the forest on a hillside, with the sound of a stream not 15 meters away and a fire lit by my side heating my evening meal.
I sat by the stream savoring the comforting warmth of the food while dusk fell. I intended to sleep in but the chill air and the empty fire circle got me moving, plus I had to hitch back to my hosts, which I managed to do with an old deer hunter, returning from his day with out a carcass.
To my delight it was suggested that my hosts drop me in to Nelson the following day, which was ideal as I really wanted to move on, plus I wasn't totally comfortable with them either.
Nelson allowed me to sort out a back account and nearly get an elusive tax number necessary for the Ski Field Job and the following day I hitched on to Picton, the town in the heart of the Marlborough sound, from where I hoped to wwoof with a family out on Arapawa Island, an hours boat ride out in to the sounds. Sadly after waiting 2 days to hear from the host, it fell through, but I was able to pick up someone else, not so far out, which was easier and I could get picked up the following morning, prefect!
This landed me at Sherrington Grange [http://www.sherringtongrange.co.nz/] a family farm that makes high grade Manuka honey and beautiful handmade cow and goats milk cheese, quite an amazing enterprise, the house beautifully set 20 meters from the shore, and from the end of the jetty you could see right down the sound (where the photos were taken that were posted in the last post).
The cheese maker had just lost her goat milk provider, and so had just bought 50 goats, so it was my job to 'goat proof' the paddock they inhabited, which other than building a 3 meter wall is near impossible. But I spent quite a number of day’s tying meshing to the pre existing fence. Ok for the first few days, but it was slightly mind numbing after that. But it had to be done! Sherrington Grange was also a farm stay so they had guests on a number of days, plus they specialized in catering to abnormal intolerances, so the food was always very good, as it has been at all the places I have stayed. One evening me had mussels picked from their beach not half an hour before :)
I ended up with them for 2 1/2 weeks, which was grate but i needed to move on after that, which I did to another host in the Marlborough Sound who is in the long and slow process of setting up a wonderful Nature Reserve on a peninsular, an hours boat ride north in to the Sounds. They shop once a month, spending a night in town before heading back the next day where I journeyed with them to feed their re establishing rare Marlborough Green Geckos and Red Crowned Kakarikis (parakeets) after the 15 minute drive in 2 4x4s up the rough track to their home at 200m with views occasionally of the North Island and in to the sounds. They are a beautiful family of 5, the parents Dutch, making the inspirational decision to live in an amazing isolated environment, making such a commitment to the stunning wildlife and putting every penny they can back in to the project. Their 12 and 14 y/o son and daughter are given their own responsibilities with the animals they are breeding for re-introduction and the up keep of the 41 hectare property.
My week with them was varied and good fun, they were all great to be with and really interesting, the day started at 8.00 and I worked my 4 hours, often with Brian, until midday, but from then I wondered how to entertain myself, so I decided to do a carving. I managing to obtain a perfect piece of Totara, a NZ hardwood used by the Maoris in their carving, to make a Gecko. The piece of wood was a meter long, 40cm wide and 20 thick, a truly beautiful piece of wood that I am honored to get hold of and work with (I hope there is an images attached of the Gecko). So I spent my spare time and, to the end of the week, my wwoofing time carving this thing, and I believe it is hanging now on the Gecko enclosure. Quite proud of that piece actually.
Finishing the week with Brian and Ellen I squished in a final week in the sounds, before I headed down south to Wanaka for the ski job, at Mistletoe Bay - an eco stay, with camping and semi and fully self-contained whares (forays), placed on one of NZs Great Walks (the Queen Charlotte Track). They have a 100k water and waste recycling system that’s very efficient, in 2 years never having to be emptied, despite hundreds of people passing through. The first wonderful job I had was to empty a big festering rubbish disposal skip, yum. Despite that I did get to do quite a bit of work of their 1926 30ft wooden motor launch, which was really gorgeous and totally re kindled my love of wooden boats and again, of course, the place was beautiful, and at night you could watch the bank of bluish glow-works twinkling at you from amongst the foliage. Oooh and they had 2 piggiwiggies that were soooo cute and if you scratched one on the nose if fell asleep hehe.
On the last but one day I was e-mailed the facetious news that I hadn't got the job.................. :(
The following week my time had come to fly South despite the purpose being rather what diminished but deciding to look for work anyway, as I really need to have more people my own age around me, even though I'm having the experience of a life time, Its nothing without the right people to share it with.
So here I am in Christchurch for the 3rd time half way from the Marlborough Sounds to Wanaka, staying with a cousin once removed for a couple of night, having been completely spoilt with a wonderful meal last night in the city and tomorrow the outstretched thumb waiting for a generous passer by.
x
Finishing on the amazing shelter I stayed in on my walk in the Kahurangi National Park. It consisted of a absolutely huge boulder sticking out from the hillside under which a couple of wooden beds had been made, one 2 meters off the ground in a crevice in the rock. So it was open on 3 sides to the forest on a hillside, with the sound of a stream not 15 meters away and a fire lit by my side heating my evening meal.
I sat by the stream savoring the comforting warmth of the food while dusk fell. I intended to sleep in but the chill air and the empty fire circle got me moving, plus I had to hitch back to my hosts, which I managed to do with an old deer hunter, returning from his day with out a carcass.
To my delight it was suggested that my hosts drop me in to Nelson the following day, which was ideal as I really wanted to move on, plus I wasn't totally comfortable with them either.
Nelson allowed me to sort out a back account and nearly get an elusive tax number necessary for the Ski Field Job and the following day I hitched on to Picton, the town in the heart of the Marlborough sound, from where I hoped to wwoof with a family out on Arapawa Island, an hours boat ride out in to the sounds. Sadly after waiting 2 days to hear from the host, it fell through, but I was able to pick up someone else, not so far out, which was easier and I could get picked up the following morning, prefect!
This landed me at Sherrington Grange [http://www.sherringtongrange.co.nz/] a family farm that makes high grade Manuka honey and beautiful handmade cow and goats milk cheese, quite an amazing enterprise, the house beautifully set 20 meters from the shore, and from the end of the jetty you could see right down the sound (where the photos were taken that were posted in the last post).
The cheese maker had just lost her goat milk provider, and so had just bought 50 goats, so it was my job to 'goat proof' the paddock they inhabited, which other than building a 3 meter wall is near impossible. But I spent quite a number of day’s tying meshing to the pre existing fence. Ok for the first few days, but it was slightly mind numbing after that. But it had to be done! Sherrington Grange was also a farm stay so they had guests on a number of days, plus they specialized in catering to abnormal intolerances, so the food was always very good, as it has been at all the places I have stayed. One evening me had mussels picked from their beach not half an hour before :)
I ended up with them for 2 1/2 weeks, which was grate but i needed to move on after that, which I did to another host in the Marlborough Sound who is in the long and slow process of setting up a wonderful Nature Reserve on a peninsular, an hours boat ride north in to the Sounds. They shop once a month, spending a night in town before heading back the next day where I journeyed with them to feed their re establishing rare Marlborough Green Geckos and Red Crowned Kakarikis (parakeets) after the 15 minute drive in 2 4x4s up the rough track to their home at 200m with views occasionally of the North Island and in to the sounds. They are a beautiful family of 5, the parents Dutch, making the inspirational decision to live in an amazing isolated environment, making such a commitment to the stunning wildlife and putting every penny they can back in to the project. Their 12 and 14 y/o son and daughter are given their own responsibilities with the animals they are breeding for re-introduction and the up keep of the 41 hectare property.
My week with them was varied and good fun, they were all great to be with and really interesting, the day started at 8.00 and I worked my 4 hours, often with Brian, until midday, but from then I wondered how to entertain myself, so I decided to do a carving. I managing to obtain a perfect piece of Totara, a NZ hardwood used by the Maoris in their carving, to make a Gecko. The piece of wood was a meter long, 40cm wide and 20 thick, a truly beautiful piece of wood that I am honored to get hold of and work with (I hope there is an images attached of the Gecko). So I spent my spare time and, to the end of the week, my wwoofing time carving this thing, and I believe it is hanging now on the Gecko enclosure. Quite proud of that piece actually.
Finishing the week with Brian and Ellen I squished in a final week in the sounds, before I headed down south to Wanaka for the ski job, at Mistletoe Bay - an eco stay, with camping and semi and fully self-contained whares (forays), placed on one of NZs Great Walks (the Queen Charlotte Track). They have a 100k water and waste recycling system that’s very efficient, in 2 years never having to be emptied, despite hundreds of people passing through. The first wonderful job I had was to empty a big festering rubbish disposal skip, yum. Despite that I did get to do quite a bit of work of their 1926 30ft wooden motor launch, which was really gorgeous and totally re kindled my love of wooden boats and again, of course, the place was beautiful, and at night you could watch the bank of bluish glow-works twinkling at you from amongst the foliage. Oooh and they had 2 piggiwiggies that were soooo cute and if you scratched one on the nose if fell asleep hehe.
On the last but one day I was e-mailed the facetious news that I hadn't got the job.................. :(
The following week my time had come to fly South despite the purpose being rather what diminished but deciding to look for work anyway, as I really need to have more people my own age around me, even though I'm having the experience of a life time, Its nothing without the right people to share it with.
So here I am in Christchurch for the 3rd time half way from the Marlborough Sounds to Wanaka, staying with a cousin once removed for a couple of night, having been completely spoilt with a wonderful meal last night in the city and tomorrow the outstretched thumb waiting for a generous passer by.
x
Thursday 9 April 2009
Kahurangi
I stayed 3 weeks with my dutch family enjoying some beautiful experiences with them, including a beautiful wedding held in a field which was made up by the couple, and a nature skills day looking at bird calls and animal movement, its great fun trying to walk like a dog, or a crocodile, try it - especially running like a dog! Although give yourself plenty of room...
As one of my tasks I got to make a hurdle (a woven fence) out of sweet chestnut as a goat barrier, which i loved doing, and to cut down 130 sweet chestnut trees with a saw. Although I got to be with the children a lot, which is always revitalising. Unfortunately my time there ended when the father (Rob) had to fly out to Holland unexpectedly to attend his ill father. So the family needed space.
So again i moved on to an acquaintance in the area, a German family, who were further up the valley - closer to the Kahurangi National Park - which i was planning to do a 3 day trek in.
The plans worked out perfectly and the following day I was able to get a lift to an entrance to the 452,002 hectare park (1,745 square miles - bigger than Cornwall). It is mountainous (in the Mt Arthur Range) with peaks coming out of the bush line up to 1800m, but the majority of the park is ancient beach forests. My 3 day walk started by climbing up Mt Arthur - 1800m - where I had lunch in the most perfect conditions, warm, sunny, no wind, perfectly clear, I could see for about 80miles in every direction, including Mt Taranaki poking out of a cloud 300 or so km away on the North Island! My day finished at a Department of Conservation (DOC) hut and I was just boiling some water when 3 Americans my age passed going back the way I had come to a different hut, and I was invited to join them as I was stuck with a bunch of old folk for the evening otherwise! So I walked back the way i had come for 2 hours to spend a really fun evening with them in a DOC shelter, well worth it (not that i really wanted to avoid the old people or anything!) They were actually really lovely people, I shan't slag them off.
The following day I popped up another mountain for luncheon at 1650m consisting of Peanut Butter and crackers and down along a ridge to the valley, and the beautiful clear cold river, which I couldn't resist a swim in. And trudged barefoot the last 20 minutes to the most amazing shelter Ever!
Which I will tell you about in my next post as I really need to go now :(
x
As one of my tasks I got to make a hurdle (a woven fence) out of sweet chestnut as a goat barrier, which i loved doing, and to cut down 130 sweet chestnut trees with a saw. Although I got to be with the children a lot, which is always revitalising. Unfortunately my time there ended when the father (Rob) had to fly out to Holland unexpectedly to attend his ill father. So the family needed space.
So again i moved on to an acquaintance in the area, a German family, who were further up the valley - closer to the Kahurangi National Park - which i was planning to do a 3 day trek in.
The plans worked out perfectly and the following day I was able to get a lift to an entrance to the 452,002 hectare park (1,745 square miles - bigger than Cornwall). It is mountainous (in the Mt Arthur Range) with peaks coming out of the bush line up to 1800m, but the majority of the park is ancient beach forests. My 3 day walk started by climbing up Mt Arthur - 1800m - where I had lunch in the most perfect conditions, warm, sunny, no wind, perfectly clear, I could see for about 80miles in every direction, including Mt Taranaki poking out of a cloud 300 or so km away on the North Island! My day finished at a Department of Conservation (DOC) hut and I was just boiling some water when 3 Americans my age passed going back the way I had come to a different hut, and I was invited to join them as I was stuck with a bunch of old folk for the evening otherwise! So I walked back the way i had come for 2 hours to spend a really fun evening with them in a DOC shelter, well worth it (not that i really wanted to avoid the old people or anything!) They were actually really lovely people, I shan't slag them off.
The following day I popped up another mountain for luncheon at 1650m consisting of Peanut Butter and crackers and down along a ridge to the valley, and the beautiful clear cold river, which I couldn't resist a swim in. And trudged barefoot the last 20 minutes to the most amazing shelter Ever!
Which I will tell you about in my next post as I really need to go now :(
x
Tuesday 3 March 2009
Still in Motueka....
I now know how to milk a goat and make a wizard/ spoon. Pretty important life skills really. The blacksmiths had a couple of goats with a kid each that they milked, which was passed to me as their wwoofer, so over the week I obtained a proficiency in goat dragging.
Along with this, I spent a few hours forging out of steel over a few days on a coal forge, something I have wanted to do for years! It was awesome fun and i ended up making a spoon with a wizards face on the handle (there will be a picture...).
Ever onwards I joined Jane, Graham, Mat and Rebecca (Mums old school friends sister) again, just down the road. They are a gorgeous family and i had a lot of interesting conversations about Buddhism, as they practice, and I am interested in meditation but have no knowledge of it. This was very insightful and I had a wonderful relaxing week when i wasn't cycling up a 20km hill. On the Monday and Tuesday I had a little adventure into the renown Abel Tasman National Park, choosing to take the inland track instead of the coastal track (which is a flat graveled walkway cut through the bush where you can get picked up and dropped off by boat from some of the idyllic beaches). I felt this was rather below the experience I was looking for so instead i walked a deserted rough path threaded through the beautiful continuously changing native bush, over trees and around rocks. I saw 3 people in the 2 days I was on that route. It was absolute bliss. It took me just over 6 hours to walk 15k up to 1060m, the views are totally breathtaking. I stayed the night on my own in a shelter at 1000m sleeping on the floorboards in temperatures not far from freezing. I don’t think I will ever forget those 2 days.
I was passed on to a friend of Jane and Graham who needed 3 days paid strimming around the electric fence border of their 12 acre property, that was ok for 2 reasons, one i got paid and two i got to use a quad bike! Something else I have wanted to years and years.
I am now wwoofing with a Dutch family I met through one of my previous hosts, who are again a really beautiful family, who I am learning a lot from.
Last night I sent off my application to Treble Cone ski field to work the winter season (late June to September) as a lift operator, I’m slightly apprehensive, but its the first time I have ever really applied for a proper job, so we will see, and I will find out in May.
x
Along with this, I spent a few hours forging out of steel over a few days on a coal forge, something I have wanted to do for years! It was awesome fun and i ended up making a spoon with a wizards face on the handle (there will be a picture...).
Ever onwards I joined Jane, Graham, Mat and Rebecca (Mums old school friends sister) again, just down the road. They are a gorgeous family and i had a lot of interesting conversations about Buddhism, as they practice, and I am interested in meditation but have no knowledge of it. This was very insightful and I had a wonderful relaxing week when i wasn't cycling up a 20km hill. On the Monday and Tuesday I had a little adventure into the renown Abel Tasman National Park, choosing to take the inland track instead of the coastal track (which is a flat graveled walkway cut through the bush where you can get picked up and dropped off by boat from some of the idyllic beaches). I felt this was rather below the experience I was looking for so instead i walked a deserted rough path threaded through the beautiful continuously changing native bush, over trees and around rocks. I saw 3 people in the 2 days I was on that route. It was absolute bliss. It took me just over 6 hours to walk 15k up to 1060m, the views are totally breathtaking. I stayed the night on my own in a shelter at 1000m sleeping on the floorboards in temperatures not far from freezing. I don’t think I will ever forget those 2 days.
I was passed on to a friend of Jane and Graham who needed 3 days paid strimming around the electric fence border of their 12 acre property, that was ok for 2 reasons, one i got paid and two i got to use a quad bike! Something else I have wanted to years and years.
I am now wwoofing with a Dutch family I met through one of my previous hosts, who are again a really beautiful family, who I am learning a lot from.
Last night I sent off my application to Treble Cone ski field to work the winter season (late June to September) as a lift operator, I’m slightly apprehensive, but its the first time I have ever really applied for a proper job, so we will see, and I will find out in May.
x
Friday 13 February 2009
Motueka wwoofs
From Kelvin and Paula’s I hitched to Motueka to stay a night in the Happy Apple back-packers before finding my way 10 km west up the Mot valley to my next host. Their drive starts at about 30m and ends after a kilometre and another 150m up (1:6 gradient), which I had to walk with my full pack. I chose this host because they are in the middle of building their own eco house, which really interests me as the works would involve construction.
I have just been under 4 weeks with them - Stephan and Natalie with Chloe (7) and Lotus (4/5 she had her birthday whilst I was there). The work was interesting and to my taste although most of the time I was there we were working on the roof in 30+ degrees. Which, satisfyingly, was finished on my last day with them after having stuck myself to every possible part of the plastic lining with litres of viscous contact adhesive.
My work involved layering the whole roof with ply board in preparation for the waterproof lining using 2000 screws - the plastic necessary as they were having a garden roof. And the roof was by no means simple, the house was interesting designed situated on about a 45 degree slope with absolutely stunning views for 50 or so miles down the valley to Motueka and across the Nelson bay to the Marlborough sound.
In amongst the 7 hours a day work were trips to a friends property on the hottest days where we played and lased in a beautiful pool and listened to jazz and ate organic home grown fruit and berries.
Despite this, life with the family was stressful at time, which was not in a health balance of positive and negative. With a relief my time there was terminated due to one of the hosts becoming ill. Fortunately I was able to move tot he host I’m with now the following day.
I had had my eye on this host as the Husband was a blacksmith, and I have always wanted to do some forging. Incidentally they are a really lovely family, who are interesting and musical and arty. The highlights have been learning to milk their goats! Which is great fun, so there is fresh un-pasteurised goats milk every day and gorgeous cheese most of the time. The food is also very good with allot of veggies coming from their garden. As well as this, Red, the blacksmith, is very open and i have now spent a few hours on the forge with him experimenting with making faces and doing a few other jobs, which has been so wonderful! I am also going to make a bushcraft knife which I have been planning for months and now have the opportunity to forge myself.
I may accompany Red and his son Angus to the Nelson market tomorow morning (6:30) depending on weather I can get up!
x
I have just been under 4 weeks with them - Stephan and Natalie with Chloe (7) and Lotus (4/5 she had her birthday whilst I was there). The work was interesting and to my taste although most of the time I was there we were working on the roof in 30+ degrees. Which, satisfyingly, was finished on my last day with them after having stuck myself to every possible part of the plastic lining with litres of viscous contact adhesive.
My work involved layering the whole roof with ply board in preparation for the waterproof lining using 2000 screws - the plastic necessary as they were having a garden roof. And the roof was by no means simple, the house was interesting designed situated on about a 45 degree slope with absolutely stunning views for 50 or so miles down the valley to Motueka and across the Nelson bay to the Marlborough sound.
In amongst the 7 hours a day work were trips to a friends property on the hottest days where we played and lased in a beautiful pool and listened to jazz and ate organic home grown fruit and berries.
Despite this, life with the family was stressful at time, which was not in a health balance of positive and negative. With a relief my time there was terminated due to one of the hosts becoming ill. Fortunately I was able to move tot he host I’m with now the following day.
I had had my eye on this host as the Husband was a blacksmith, and I have always wanted to do some forging. Incidentally they are a really lovely family, who are interesting and musical and arty. The highlights have been learning to milk their goats! Which is great fun, so there is fresh un-pasteurised goats milk every day and gorgeous cheese most of the time. The food is also very good with allot of veggies coming from their garden. As well as this, Red, the blacksmith, is very open and i have now spent a few hours on the forge with him experimenting with making faces and doing a few other jobs, which has been so wonderful! I am also going to make a bushcraft knife which I have been planning for months and now have the opportunity to forge myself.
I may accompany Red and his son Angus to the Nelson market tomorow morning (6:30) depending on weather I can get up!
x
Wednesday 21 January 2009
Saturday 17 January 2009
Nelson, Tahunanui, Kaiteriteri
I had a wonderful 2 weeks with Dorothy and Joe doing a variety of things, and Christmas was good, spending it with their family. I kayaked down the Motueka River for a couple of hours, which was just stunning, it also gave me a feel of some light white water, and I'm hooked.
I also slapped myself awake at 6am to join James (their son) at a market in which he has his rock and fossil stool.
In some of my spare time I studied a few of Raymond Brigs sketches, and made copies, its interesting working out how an artist creates an image and trying to imitate their style, although he has many, so his skills are elusive to me.
I departed from Dorothy and Joe after 2 weeks for Tahunanui, a beachfront area of Nelson where I camped at, apparently the largest holiday park in the South Hemisphere... I had previously been approached by some Christians on the beach and had a really interesting discussion with them about religion, after which they invited me to join them in their free time (there was a large group of them staying at the holiday park on an Evangelical mission). I took them up on this for a couple of days and had a lot of fun in a really happy atmosphere. Sadly there were a number of things over those days that pushed me further away from finding god, through Christianity at least, but that’s another story.
On my last night in Tahuna I decided to live more like a traveler, and I made myself a Ray Mears style bivvy under a huddle to pines skirting the beach, and just before dark I lite a beautiful fire collected from the mounds of driftwood along the beach. Later a waning moon rose from the trees casting a strong shadow, and I swum in the sea without getting cold. It was magic.
The following day I woke up picking twigs and leafs from my hair and hitched an hour up the coast to Kaiteriteri, recommended to me for its beach, and WOW! The sand is Gold, and the water is a lush clean blue. The beach also had a really cool geography, when the tide comes in it fills an inland reservoir, and as it goes out the water rushes out under a bridge, which everyone jumped off to get carried on a lazy river down the beach, where you jump out and run back to the bridge to do it again.
Opposite me on the campsite was gorgeous family that decided to take me in, and I spent a couple of days with them and their 13 and 17 yr old daughters on the beach. On the second evening when it was well dark I was taken by Robyn to see the glow worms up in the woods, where at the beginning of the trail you turn off the torches and grip a guide rope (and other people occasionally) that leads you through the eerie, dark, cool, but sublimely quite woods to specs of heavenly blue light scattered along the stream and path. You are lead to a bench where you can sit and gaze at the stars through the silhouetted canopy and wonder where they finish and the glow worms begin. So you stare at them from millimeters, but they are still as far away as the stars. I think 'if I had been on my own I would have been scared, but the presence of some one else allows this to be one of the moments I am never, ever going to forget'.
I hitched a lift with my family back to Nelson, where I am now with Dorothy and Joes other son and his wife for a couple of night’s before I’m off to my next wwoof host to build an eco village.
x
I also slapped myself awake at 6am to join James (their son) at a market in which he has his rock and fossil stool.
In some of my spare time I studied a few of Raymond Brigs sketches, and made copies, its interesting working out how an artist creates an image and trying to imitate their style, although he has many, so his skills are elusive to me.
I departed from Dorothy and Joe after 2 weeks for Tahunanui, a beachfront area of Nelson where I camped at, apparently the largest holiday park in the South Hemisphere... I had previously been approached by some Christians on the beach and had a really interesting discussion with them about religion, after which they invited me to join them in their free time (there was a large group of them staying at the holiday park on an Evangelical mission). I took them up on this for a couple of days and had a lot of fun in a really happy atmosphere. Sadly there were a number of things over those days that pushed me further away from finding god, through Christianity at least, but that’s another story.
On my last night in Tahuna I decided to live more like a traveler, and I made myself a Ray Mears style bivvy under a huddle to pines skirting the beach, and just before dark I lite a beautiful fire collected from the mounds of driftwood along the beach. Later a waning moon rose from the trees casting a strong shadow, and I swum in the sea without getting cold. It was magic.
The following day I woke up picking twigs and leafs from my hair and hitched an hour up the coast to Kaiteriteri, recommended to me for its beach, and WOW! The sand is Gold, and the water is a lush clean blue. The beach also had a really cool geography, when the tide comes in it fills an inland reservoir, and as it goes out the water rushes out under a bridge, which everyone jumped off to get carried on a lazy river down the beach, where you jump out and run back to the bridge to do it again.
Opposite me on the campsite was gorgeous family that decided to take me in, and I spent a couple of days with them and their 13 and 17 yr old daughters on the beach. On the second evening when it was well dark I was taken by Robyn to see the glow worms up in the woods, where at the beginning of the trail you turn off the torches and grip a guide rope (and other people occasionally) that leads you through the eerie, dark, cool, but sublimely quite woods to specs of heavenly blue light scattered along the stream and path. You are lead to a bench where you can sit and gaze at the stars through the silhouetted canopy and wonder where they finish and the glow worms begin. So you stare at them from millimeters, but they are still as far away as the stars. I think 'if I had been on my own I would have been scared, but the presence of some one else allows this to be one of the moments I am never, ever going to forget'.
I hitched a lift with my family back to Nelson, where I am now with Dorothy and Joes other son and his wife for a couple of night’s before I’m off to my next wwoof host to build an eco village.
x
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