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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
Monday, 22 December 2008
Queenstown - Nelson
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.
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.
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
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