Sunday, May 30, 2010
jenn, gaston and barbara - waikato river
after work last thursday suzie took gaston, barbara and me down to the waikato river with the osmond kayaks and dropped us half way between cambridge and hamilton. we packed a picnic and ate lunch on the shore just outside of hamilton before suzie picked us up outside of the hamilton gardens. the water was super clear and we saw lots of fish and ducks and other birds. it was chilly out but not too cold - no swimming this time, though.
the osmond farm
gaston in the osmond living room... alistair swore up and down he shot that zebra on safari in africa but we later learned from his brother murray that murray BOUGHT the skin for alistair at a garage sale... sheesh.
farmer jenn
farmer jenn, clad in work pants and gum boots, standing in the osmond cow pasture (one of them). the clothes are still clean-ish because we wear work jumpers for everything.
mark and joy
this is mark and joy (joy is all black). joy is preggers and likes to be mean to all the other cows (except for mark). sadly, mark met his end at the butcher's knife this last wednesday... he was very sweet and easy-going but as he was a steer, his fate was sealed early on. i have photos of the end if anyone is interested (not for weak stomachs but VERY interesting (at least to me) nonetheless).
my friends the cows
i love the cows... i talk to them every day even when i don't really have to work with them. i think they are adorable and they all have very distinct personalities that i find very cute. from left to right we have lucy, apricot, roger, angie, and amber. lucy is the leader of the youngin's and likes to push the others around and be first at everything, apricot is very calm and laid back, roger is very inquisitive but shy, amber is another bully and generally does her own thing (is always the last one to follow directions) and angie is adventurous and likes get into trouble.
feijoa on the tree = not ripe, feijoa on the ground = ripe
this is a feijoa... about the size of a large kiwi fruit, hairless, and the consistency of a pear with the flavor of a peary-kiwi fruit... although they taste different to everyone you ask.
the WWOOF shower
in case anyone was interested... here is the wwoofer shower. yes it is outside but at least it is HOT!
the brownies
the laying chooks (the adults) are separated from the babies for now... the laying chooks are all the classic brown with red comb hens and seem to be the dumber of the chooks that the osmonds have. they are constantly getting stuck on one side of the fence where the grass is and then can't remember how they got over there when it is time for feeding (there is a opening on one end of the fence that they get through but can never seem to make it back over on their own without some serious coaching).
my friends, the chooks
so, there are about 24 chooks on the osmond farm and these are two of the three i have named... the three make up the turner sisters as i believe their head feathers resemble that of the very famous tina turner... they must be related. these three are also sort of the pen bullies as they chase and peck the others around quite a bit. they are also evasive as they are the hardest of all of them to actually catch.
no sand on the beach - only shells
the beach at mt. maunganui... no sand, only shells as far as the eye can see.
jenn and gaston and barbara at mt. maunganui
this is me with my two favorite argentinians, gaston and barbara!!! i was very lucky to have them as co-wwoofers in cambridge as we got along very well and will (and already have been) keep in touch. they had been in new zealand for about 5 weeks prior to wwoofing with the osmonds and during those 5 weeks they were living in papamoa, just south on the coromandel peninsula. barbara had been working in the kiwi fruit pack house to make some money before they discovered wwoofing. on thursday night of my first week in cambridge they invited me to go back to papamoa and the mt. maunganui area for dinner and to visit their packhouse friends. we drove the hour and twenty minutes north to mt. maunganui where we walked around the beach that was full of shells (there was no sand) and we trekked along the base of the volcano which is home to sheep and rabbits and one heck of a beautiful sunset! once the sun was down we found ourselves a lovely cafe where we indulged in coffees and newspapers and some magazines for fun. the dinner in papamoa was at the flat of a group of other argentinians and included the three of us, 8 other argentinians and one german fellow (also from the packhouse). the dinner was lively, loud and included a lot of sign language, some spanish, some english, a little german and some italian for fun.
jenn and sir alistair osmond
here i am at the osmond farm enjoying the daily morning tea with alistair - the host... he has quite the sense of humor and it is often very difficult to pick out what stories he tells are true or have any truth to them. here he is seen in his farming uniform; minus his gum boots.
Saturday, May 29, 2010
night hikers in the maungatautari bird sanctuary
(re-posting with proper sized text) barbara and gaston and i did a night trek through the maungatautari bird sanctuary on thursday - a refuge for native birds and plant life that was created by the locals, a lot of fencing, and some ambitious pest controllers. the area around this mountain was fenced off jurassic park style, all of the mammals were removed over the course of 10 years, and now they have a native bird sanctuary where people can go at all hours to view birds and trees and lots and lots of glow-worms (at night) in their native habitats. barbara and gaston had already been to the refuge during the day and noted that it was extremely crowded, so they talked to one of the docents who suggested that they return at dusk/night for less crowds and a chance to see/hear some of the nocturnal birds. we got there just after dusk and heard a few birds as we were parking the car, but once we were inside the electric fences (like jurassic park) the whole place went strangely silent (like jurassic park). for the 2 and a half hours we were trekking around in the dark (with our headlamps, of course) we heard nothing but ourselves and saw nothing but plants and loads of glow-worms (which made the trip worth it for me - i love them). luckily, it was a beautiful and clear night out so although we didn't see/hear and birds we did see more stars than i have ever seen in my life - and there was no one else around at all, which was also quite lovely.
barbara and the WWOOF house
here is the outside of the wwoof house - inside has 3 single beds, a heater, a wardrobe and desk and book case with lots of books and vhs tapes... it is quite cozy and a tiny bit like being at sleepaway camp.
the organic vege garden and the house and the feijoa dryer (trampoline)
here is the osmond family farm - main house - and vege garden... the weather has been mostly cloudy or overcast with showers but not really cold just yet!
Sunday, May 23, 2010
the osmond farm: earthstead lodge: the christmas cups (a long one in several parts)
(apologies as blogger is having its way with the formatting on this one)
farm life: i love it. here i am on the osmond family farm in lovely cambridge, new zealand. from ragland i made my way to hamilton via a hitch-hike (i am soooo happy that larissa, 28 from brazil, wanted someone to talk to on the way to class) and then from hamilton to cambridge via a cute little bus driven by a cute little man named brian.
(pictures will be posted separate because blogger is pissing me off right now)
i arrived in cambridge around 11am to the town hall/i-site center and tried to call the osmonds as they said they would pick me up... no answer. i sent suzie an email and hoped for the best. i sat on the patio of the information center and read for a while before calling the osmonds again... still no answer. mmmkay. i had an address but knew the bus didn't go there and wasn't sure if i made my way there and they weren't home what i would do. so i waited. at 4pm i called again and hark (!) there was an answer in a hearty "a-l-i-stair osmond!" within 10 minutes up drove a dark green sedan with a tall, smiley, excited kiwi with a handle-bar mustache. now, i had seen photos online so i knew it was alistair, none-the-less it is always a bit different meeting someone in person. we threw my bags in the trunk and we were off to the appliance store. alistair needed a new burner for their stove and a consult with the appliance man about the benefits of gas ranges versus electric... from there we made our way another 5 minutes down the road and pulled into the drive on cambridge road.
very quickly i had my bags in the woof house and a jumper on with my gum boots and was in the makings of the cob house being introduced to two argentinians in similar jumpers and told to get my hands in the mud and start making some bricks. i managed to make and place a few of the cob bricks on the wall, at the direction of gaston, who, with barbara, had been wwoofing here for two weeks and was quite the cob brick pro. after about an hour the end of the work day was on us (so it goes for me being tardy) and it was time to shower up for dinner. the wwoof shower is about 50 meters behind the wwoof house... outside. sorta like camping, but i was assured that the water was hot and it was quite comfortable. i told gaston and barbara that they had first dibs as they had worked a full day and i went inside the wwoof house to make my bed. when they came back i grabbed my towel and toiletries and made my way out the back. the shower is an enclosed shed with full roof, but about a 2 foot gap between the roof and the walls on two sides. there is a full bath tub, gas heated shower, drying rack, sink, shelf for stuff and mirror - all quite good. i jumped in the shower and the water temp climbed nicely up to 24 degrees (C) and then dropped down to 13... mmm. i fiddled with a few knobs and no dice - cold shower. i figured that was the price i paid for going last and got in and out quick. once dressed i headed into the main house and alistair beamed at the craftsman ship of his shower and how i liked it - "great, but a bit on the cold side." he couldn't believe it was cold and swore i was teasing - and gaston even when out and checked it - no one else could duplicate the hot-then-cold issue that i experienced, at which point i could swear they were pulling my leg. oh, well. we sat down to a homemade dinner of chinese stir-fry and homemade bailey's ice cream... hmmmmm!
tuesday morning i got up at 7am and had breakfast with the crew and then it was off with barbara to meet and care for my new friends, the chooks. chooks are chickens - adult chickens - and they are very entertaining. the osmonds have about 25 chooks in two separate pens. there are the laying chooks on one side and the babies and "pretty ones" on the other. every morning we go on rounds to collect eggs, change papers, give them clean water and collect feijoas from the tree in the chook pen. suzie stews the feijoas and jams them and puts them in many a delicious dish.
tuesday ended up being a tidy-up day for the earth house - the completed cottage they have on the property - as a photographer was coming on tuesday evening to do some promotional shots for the website and brochures, etc. barbara and i were on windows and sweeping while gaston mowed the lawn and detailed the yard.
mondays, wednesdays and fridays are 6 hour work days while tuesdays and thursdays are 4 hour work days. after work on tuesday, barbara and gaston invited me to go into town with them and then go check out the maungatautari bird sanctuary in the evening and i was excited to go. after lunch at the house we hopped in their car and crossed the bridge into cambridge. we parked the car and walked around the downtown area and then over to the lake (lake te koutu) and then down to the river path (the waikato river). we stopped at a bakery - gaston has quite the sweet tooth - and checked out the butcher for fun. downtown cambridge is quaint and cute and has a lot of trees that are all changing colors in the cool fall air - it is beautiful.
from town we jumped back into the car and drove 45 minutes out of town to the maungatautari bird refuge... before the europeans arrived in new zealand, there were NO land mammals... and now there are plenty and they have done a number on the native bird life. barbara and gaston had been to the sanctuary during the day on the previous sunday and had a really good time but said it was very crowded - thus the expedition to go at night (there are many native nocturnal birds). it was a clear and pleasant evening out and we arrived at the sanctuary just after dark, armed with our headlamps, of course. we heard a few birds when we first parked the car, but after entering the system of gates that are designed to keep good birds in and bad things out (very much like entering jurassic park), it all went completely silent (also eerily like jurassic park). we did an hour hike in the dark and heard nothing but each other. we saw loads of glow worms that were posted up under eves of hollow trees and in trail side embankments where it is moist and dark... they are stunning and i can't believe i'll ever NOT be excited to see them. so, we didn't see or hear any birds as we had hoped but it was a really nice evening and we were the only three out and about. on our way back to the car we stopped for a few to look at the millions of stars in the clear sky and discuss the differences between the northern hemisphere and southern hemisphere skies. no shooting stars were sighted but it was stunning anyway.
we got back to the house around 8 to homemade lasagna that barbara had wished for, with roasted pumpkin salad and again, homemade ice cream... this trip will be no diet.
wednesday was the meeting of the cows! the day started with the chooks, some more earth house cleaning, and then, after lunch, i got to meet the cows and help suzie move them! i was beyond excited. the osmonds have 8 cows: mark, joy, amber, angie, apricot, acorn, lucy, and roger. they are very sweet and happy and hungry! moving the cows means moving the electric fences around the paddock so they have a day's worth of grass to eat and don't trample the whole yard. the osmonds have 7 acres of land, including the houses, so to ensure that the cows have grass through the winter they get a daily allowance. one of my favorite things to do as a chore is move the cows at night - i like talking to them and i can't help but think of jack harris when i look at them!!!
farm life: i love it. here i am on the osmond family farm in lovely cambridge, new zealand. from ragland i made my way to hamilton via a hitch-hike (i am soooo happy that larissa, 28 from brazil, wanted someone to talk to on the way to class) and then from hamilton to cambridge via a cute little bus driven by a cute little man named brian.
(pictures will be posted separate because blogger is pissing me off right now)
i arrived in cambridge around 11am to the town hall/i-site center and tried to call the osmonds as they said they would pick me up... no answer. i sent suzie an email and hoped for the best. i sat on the patio of the information center and read for a while before calling the osmonds again... still no answer. mmmkay. i had an address but knew the bus didn't go there and wasn't sure if i made my way there and they weren't home what i would do. so i waited. at 4pm i called again and hark (!) there was an answer in a hearty "a-l-i-stair osmond!" within 10 minutes up drove a dark green sedan with a tall, smiley, excited kiwi with a handle-bar mustache. now, i had seen photos online so i knew it was alistair, none-the-less it is always a bit different meeting someone in person. we threw my bags in the trunk and we were off to the appliance store. alistair needed a new burner for their stove and a consult with the appliance man about the benefits of gas ranges versus electric... from there we made our way another 5 minutes down the road and pulled into the drive on cambridge road.
very quickly i had my bags in the woof house and a jumper on with my gum boots and was in the makings of the cob house being introduced to two argentinians in similar jumpers and told to get my hands in the mud and start making some bricks. i managed to make and place a few of the cob bricks on the wall, at the direction of gaston, who, with barbara, had been wwoofing here for two weeks and was quite the cob brick pro. after about an hour the end of the work day was on us (so it goes for me being tardy) and it was time to shower up for dinner. the wwoof shower is about 50 meters behind the wwoof house... outside. sorta like camping, but i was assured that the water was hot and it was quite comfortable. i told gaston and barbara that they had first dibs as they had worked a full day and i went inside the wwoof house to make my bed. when they came back i grabbed my towel and toiletries and made my way out the back. the shower is an enclosed shed with full roof, but about a 2 foot gap between the roof and the walls on two sides. there is a full bath tub, gas heated shower, drying rack, sink, shelf for stuff and mirror - all quite good. i jumped in the shower and the water temp climbed nicely up to 24 degrees (C) and then dropped down to 13... mmm. i fiddled with a few knobs and no dice - cold shower. i figured that was the price i paid for going last and got in and out quick. once dressed i headed into the main house and alistair beamed at the craftsman ship of his shower and how i liked it - "great, but a bit on the cold side." he couldn't believe it was cold and swore i was teasing - and gaston even when out and checked it - no one else could duplicate the hot-then-cold issue that i experienced, at which point i could swear they were pulling my leg. oh, well. we sat down to a homemade dinner of chinese stir-fry and homemade bailey's ice cream... hmmmmm!
tuesday morning i got up at 7am and had breakfast with the crew and then it was off with barbara to meet and care for my new friends, the chooks. chooks are chickens - adult chickens - and they are very entertaining. the osmonds have about 25 chooks in two separate pens. there are the laying chooks on one side and the babies and "pretty ones" on the other. every morning we go on rounds to collect eggs, change papers, give them clean water and collect feijoas from the tree in the chook pen. suzie stews the feijoas and jams them and puts them in many a delicious dish.
tuesday ended up being a tidy-up day for the earth house - the completed cottage they have on the property - as a photographer was coming on tuesday evening to do some promotional shots for the website and brochures, etc. barbara and i were on windows and sweeping while gaston mowed the lawn and detailed the yard.
mondays, wednesdays and fridays are 6 hour work days while tuesdays and thursdays are 4 hour work days. after work on tuesday, barbara and gaston invited me to go into town with them and then go check out the maungatautari bird sanctuary in the evening and i was excited to go. after lunch at the house we hopped in their car and crossed the bridge into cambridge. we parked the car and walked around the downtown area and then over to the lake (lake te koutu) and then down to the river path (the waikato river). we stopped at a bakery - gaston has quite the sweet tooth - and checked out the butcher for fun. downtown cambridge is quaint and cute and has a lot of trees that are all changing colors in the cool fall air - it is beautiful.
from town we jumped back into the car and drove 45 minutes out of town to the maungatautari bird refuge... before the europeans arrived in new zealand, there were NO land mammals... and now there are plenty and they have done a number on the native bird life. barbara and gaston had been to the sanctuary during the day on the previous sunday and had a really good time but said it was very crowded - thus the expedition to go at night (there are many native nocturnal birds). it was a clear and pleasant evening out and we arrived at the sanctuary just after dark, armed with our headlamps, of course. we heard a few birds when we first parked the car, but after entering the system of gates that are designed to keep good birds in and bad things out (very much like entering jurassic park), it all went completely silent (also eerily like jurassic park). we did an hour hike in the dark and heard nothing but each other. we saw loads of glow worms that were posted up under eves of hollow trees and in trail side embankments where it is moist and dark... they are stunning and i can't believe i'll ever NOT be excited to see them. so, we didn't see or hear any birds as we had hoped but it was a really nice evening and we were the only three out and about. on our way back to the car we stopped for a few to look at the millions of stars in the clear sky and discuss the differences between the northern hemisphere and southern hemisphere skies. no shooting stars were sighted but it was stunning anyway.
we got back to the house around 8 to homemade lasagna that barbara had wished for, with roasted pumpkin salad and again, homemade ice cream... this trip will be no diet.
wednesday was the meeting of the cows! the day started with the chooks, some more earth house cleaning, and then, after lunch, i got to meet the cows and help suzie move them! i was beyond excited. the osmonds have 8 cows: mark, joy, amber, angie, apricot, acorn, lucy, and roger. they are very sweet and happy and hungry! moving the cows means moving the electric fences around the paddock so they have a day's worth of grass to eat and don't trample the whole yard. the osmonds have 7 acres of land, including the houses, so to ensure that the cows have grass through the winter they get a daily allowance. one of my favorite things to do as a chore is move the cows at night - i like talking to them and i can't help but think of jack harris when i look at them!!!
- hosts: suzie and alistair osmond
- animals: chooks, cows, and bella the poodle
- wwoofers: jenn, barbara and gaston
- meals: delicious! 3 homemade meals a day with fresh organic veges and fruits and for some reason, jenn always gets the christmas mugs
- sleeping: the wwoof house has 3 comfy twin beds
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
raglan: a very new zealand halloween
um, where to begin? first of all, bare with me as i´m using a spanish keyboard at the moment (all those accent keys are in the wrong places)...
off we went to the solscape eco-retreat, which i had booked ahead for friday and saturday nights when i had been in auckland. the description online did not do the place justice (or advise how far out of town the place actually was - making it slightly difficult to manage without a car). solscape sits on a hill, overlooking the ocean, a 15 minute trek down to the beach. the backpackers itself is made up of 15 someodd old train cars that have been converted i
nto bunkhouses, a few teepees and several campsites, with a common building that is on solar power in the center (with showers, toilets, kitchen and woodburning stove for all to enjoy). i checked in and managed to have my own room for the first night (but would be joined for the second). in the kitchen i found the normal buzz of dinner time but for the FIRST time since i arrived i heard that all to familiar american accent!!! i was not the only kid from the us of a... there were 4 of us, plus a bus load of teenage canadian boys, a girl from china, a girl from germany, several aussies, a dude from uruguay, a guy from chile and a gal from the uk. turns out everyone was there to surf and relax and most of the folks had been there for quite a while (several weeks or more). although i was the newbie and was only there for the weekend, i was welcomed right in and felt right at home.
next post: the osmond farm and my first wwoofing experience!
the last post left off as i was spending the night in auckland before heading southwest to the surf town of raglan, in search of... something new. what i found in raglan was a mix of new and familiar and really, too much fun!
i booked myself on the 8am bus from auckland to hamilton which necesitated packing up and leaving the hostel early and hauling the worldly possessions (i´m traveling with a backpack and small roller) from the hostel to the bus depot, about 6 blocks up hill. the bus to hamilton was about an hour and a half ride and uneventful other than staring in somewhat shock at the young mother sitting across the isle from me who proceeded to feed her 2 year old daughter several varieties of candy for the duration of the trip... at just past 8 in the morning.
in hamilton i had several hours to kill before the 3'40 bus to raglan so i stuffed my bags in a locker and decided to have a walk around. the bus depot in hamilton is on the west side of the river and that area is mainly populated by a stadium and several shopping centers, cafes, pubs, etc. while the east side of hamilton is quite nice and houses the university, the hamilton gardens and the hospital, in addition to the nicer neighborhoods full of charming little homes with picket fences. i strolled along the river walkway, had lunch at a great little cafe called metropolitan and went to the local art house/gallery before heading back to the station.
the bus to raglan, is actually more like a school bus than a city bus. the bus pulled up to the station and 50 high schoolers got on along with 2 other backpackers and some quite elderly couples. the bus driver was older than dirt (and drove the whole way with only 1 of his hands on the wheel). the ride from hamilton to raglan was another windy 40 minutes west, through countryside and trees and past many, many sheep (of course). once in raglan i asked the driver which stop i should get off at if i was heading to the solscape backpackers - he laughed and said the library but that the stop is no where near the backpackers... i asked if it was a far walk... he laughed again and said yes - there would be no walking. 'you might be able to hitch a ride' said the bus driver. 'alrighty, i´ll give it a go,' said i. so, i popped into the first shop, a sort of surf themed boutique and asked for directions (if i was going to hitch i should sure as hell know where i was trying to hitch to) and lucky me, i asked joshua and his girlfriend whitney. my good luck would have it that they were closing up the shop in about 15 minutes and would be happy to give me a lift (the backpackers is 6km outside of town which would be about an hour, hour and a half walk with bags) as they were headed in that direction anyway. i was beyond grateful and took them up on the offer -they were both super nice and actually were born and raised in the part of wellington that i had stayed previously (mo - they live just down the street from your place in melrose) and he was studying international relations at the university in hamilton and she was working in the shop in raglan for the winter.
off we went to the solscape eco-retreat, which i had booked ahead for friday and saturday nights when i had been in auckland. the description online did not do the place justice (or advise how far out of town the place actually was - making it slightly difficult to manage without a car). solscape sits on a hill, overlooking the ocean, a 15 minute trek down to the beach. the backpackers itself is made up of 15 someodd old train cars that have been converted i
nto bunkhouses, a few teepees and several campsites, with a common building that is on solar power in the center (with showers, toilets, kitchen and woodburning stove for all to enjoy). i checked in and managed to have my own room for the first night (but would be joined for the second). in the kitchen i found the normal buzz of dinner time but for the FIRST time since i arrived i heard that all to familiar american accent!!! i was not the only kid from the us of a... there were 4 of us, plus a bus load of teenage canadian boys, a girl from china, a girl from germany, several aussies, a dude from uruguay, a guy from chile and a gal from the uk. turns out everyone was there to surf and relax and most of the folks had been there for quite a while (several weeks or more). although i was the newbie and was only there for the weekend, i was welcomed right in and felt right at home. saturday morning i chatted with reception, in addition to being an unconventional backpackers/hostel, they also take wwoofers to work in the hostel, tend the gardens, do building, etc. so i got the application to come back in august after the other wwoofing i have already lined up. at breakfast i met summer (china) and anna (germany) who were heading out of town via the market and had a car, and offered me a ride. so i went into raglan with them and we hit it off well and we got coffees on the sidewalk and talked about travel and work (they both work at the yha in auckland) and making friends, etc. once they were on their way i decided to have a look about town - went over to the information center and asked about some of the treks in town, poked into some shops and found the best little organic market where i stocked up for the weekend. it had been quite nice out when i left but of course, in true new zealand fashion, it began pouring for a good chunk of an hour - and i had left my jacket up at the backpackers... so i found the library and read out the rain. once it let up, if figured it was time to try and make it back up the hill to solscape, and parked myself on the corner and stuck out my thumb... the third car picked me and my groceries up, driven by a very nice older man (not scary) who worked for the fishery department and needed to check the water out beyond solscape. not 2 minutes down the road and the sky opened up and started pouring again, so there i was testing that good luck, and it not letting me down.
back at solscape, i unpacked the groceries, met the new roommate, brawny from adel
aide, and set on making dinner. dani, from vermont/new hampshire who sorta lives at solscape with her fiance nelson, was busy making herself a wonder woman costume for the evening... apparently it was halloween (i had no idea). dani and katie (a 9 week solscape wwoofer from wisconsin) had decided that to celebrate the coming of winter in the southern hemisphere that a halloween party should be thrown. originally the locale was going to be down on the beach below solscape but with rain in the forecast the party was moved into town at their friend john´s house... and everyone was invited - costumes were mandatory. with only a few hours to figure something out my roommate and i looked into our bags, and eachother´s bags, and managed to pull off a gypsy (me) and a german farm girl (brawny) and we joined in the fun. in attendance from solscape were wonder woman, amazon woman, the mad hatter, roller derby girl, purple people eater, baby, starsky and hutch and an afganistan bomber... knowing the time frame and the available props made all of this quite impressive. the party was fun, the house was awesome, the people were very friendly and quite fun to talk to. by somehow i ended up playing the role of the dd (on the wrong side of the road) and managed to drive a well-loved station wagon full of 8 drunkards in costume from the house party to the yacht club (dance club) where we shut the place down, and then back up to solscape where we fired up the kitchen for the 3am snacks.
aide, and set on making dinner. dani, from vermont/new hampshire who sorta lives at solscape with her fiance nelson, was busy making herself a wonder woman costume for the evening... apparently it was halloween (i had no idea). dani and katie (a 9 week solscape wwoofer from wisconsin) had decided that to celebrate the coming of winter in the southern hemisphere that a halloween party should be thrown. originally the locale was going to be down on the beach below solscape but with rain in the forecast the party was moved into town at their friend john´s house... and everyone was invited - costumes were mandatory. with only a few hours to figure something out my roommate and i looked into our bags, and eachother´s bags, and managed to pull off a gypsy (me) and a german farm girl (brawny) and we joined in the fun. in attendance from solscape were wonder woman, amazon woman, the mad hatter, roller derby girl, purple people eater, baby, starsky and hutch and an afganistan bomber... knowing the time frame and the available props made all of this quite impressive. the party was fun, the house was awesome, the people were very friendly and quite fun to talk to. by somehow i ended up playing the role of the dd (on the wrong side of the road) and managed to drive a well-loved station wagon full of 8 drunkards in costume from the house party to the yacht club (dance club) where we shut the place down, and then back up to solscape where we fired up the kitchen for the 3am snacks.on sunday, i put on the wetsuit and got myself in the water to do what they do in raglan, which is surf. i signed up for a lesson (because of those confidence issues i have) and managed to catch a few waves (and yes, stand up) in the swirly-whirly-stormy tazman sea. the water was much warmer than i had imagined and once the rain stopped and the wind died down it wasn´t half bad. back at solscape i asked reception what the chances were of me getting to cambridge from raglan before noon on monday - reply: excellent, no problem. so i booked another night in the caboose. sunday afternoon continued with rain-sun-rain-sun and resulted in about 100 games of ultimate canadian jenga (played where you can only remove outside blocks) and ultimate scrabble (played without a board and sort of played by yourself to see how many words you can make on your own, starting with 7 tiles and grabbing another 2 when any player has used all of their tiles).
monday morning: the bus from raglan to hamilton left from the library at 7, which meant i could be on the bus from hamilton to cambridge at 10:30. i got up at 5:30am and sorted my stuf out to be on the road, with my thumb out at 6:15am. being monday morning and on the road that connects a lot of the farms to the town of raglan, i was told i should have no problem making it on that 7am bus (6km away). cars passed by, i waved my thumb at them, i flashed my headlamp at them, i smiled... no one wanted to pick me up. i started walking, i got laughed at by several cows... i got some waves. no ride. finally, at 7:10am, the luck gods shined down on me again in the form of larissa, a midwifery student at the university in hamilton, and she PICKED ME UP and offered me a ride alllllll the way to hamilton! i couldn´t believe it. she was happy to have company, she was also 28, and had traveled a lot in her life (originally from brazil). i couldn´t not have been any happier and we chatted the whole way and beat the bus to hamilton that i was suppose to be on!
and thus ended my first stay in raglan - but i guarantee it won´t be the last as it was so quiet and calming and the ocean was so incredibly beautiful and the people were so friendly... and i´m feeling the urge to hitch-hike again (you never know who you will meet!)!!!
next post: the osmond farm and my first wwoofing experience!
Thursday, May 13, 2010
bay of islands
so, wednesday in the bay of islands ended up bein
g a little bit of a bust. i was scheduled to go on an island boat tour in the afternoon, so i took my time in the morning getting ready, showered and ate breakfast, and then caroline (from france) and i walked around the quaint town of paihia. the weather was cloudy, dark and on the verge of rain, but it held out and stayed dry... and wasn't cold, but it was windy. the boat tour was to be at 1:15pm so i was at the wharf at 1 when they said that the sea was so angry that they had cancelled all of the ferries to russel (the town across the bay from paihia, the ferries that run on the hour) as well as the island cruise. as soon as they said that the sky opened up and started pouring buckets of rain down sideways, with gale force winds and a nasty drop in temperature. with the afternoon free, and no where to go, it was back to the hostel for a decades worth of mtv with the other stranded backpackers... i don't need to do that again for quite some time.
g a little bit of a bust. i was scheduled to go on an island boat tour in the afternoon, so i took my time in the morning getting ready, showered and ate breakfast, and then caroline (from france) and i walked around the quaint town of paihia. the weather was cloudy, dark and on the verge of rain, but it held out and stayed dry... and wasn't cold, but it was windy. the boat tour was to be at 1:15pm so i was at the wharf at 1 when they said that the sea was so angry that they had cancelled all of the ferries to russel (the town across the bay from paihia, the ferries that run on the hour) as well as the island cruise. as soon as they said that the sky opened up and started pouring buckets of rain down sideways, with gale force winds and a nasty drop in temperature. with the afternoon free, and no where to go, it was back to the hostel for a decades worth of mtv with the other stranded backpackers... i don't need to do that again for quite some time.luckily, when they cancelled the island cruise, they rescheduled for the next day, weather permitting, and today, thursday, happened to be unbelievably beautiful. the s
torm blew over in the night and looking out the window of the florescent pink room this morning there was not a cloud to be seen in the sky. my roommate, olivia from germany, and i were booked on the same tour so we made our way over to the wharf shortly after 8, marveling at the change in weather and our good fortune. the fog was just lifting from the shores of russel, the town across the bay from paihia, but other than that it was crystal clear. olivia had been so lucky as to have met up with a delightful older couple from england when she was in auckland, that offered her a lift up to the bay of islands... john and paulie were a-d-o-r-a-b-l-e.
we met up with them on the dock, boarded together and spent the mo
rning cruising around a handful of the more than 100 islands in the area, out to a place known as "hole in the rock," delivering mail to several of the private islands, hiking up to 360 coastal views, and telling travel stories. the cruise lasted until 1pm, when the four of us parted ways, and i headed back to the hostel to sort out the bags before the bus back to auckland arrived at 3pm.
at 2pm on the dot, the clouds rolled in and again, the sky poured sheets of water down on the peninsula for about 30 minutes, with howling wind, and then stopped. the sky did another 180 change and it was again beautiful, and even hot, out. crazy! back in auckland for the night, off to raglan for friday and saturday nights... and then still looking for a bed for sunday night - hopefully in hamilton or possibly even cambridge a night early. i start in at the first farmstay on monday - i can't wait!!!
torm blew over in the night and looking out the window of the florescent pink room this morning there was not a cloud to be seen in the sky. my roommate, olivia from germany, and i were booked on the same tour so we made our way over to the wharf shortly after 8, marveling at the change in weather and our good fortune. the fog was just lifting from the shores of russel, the town across the bay from paihia, but other than that it was crystal clear. olivia had been so lucky as to have met up with a delightful older couple from england when she was in auckland, that offered her a lift up to the bay of islands... john and paulie were a-d-o-r-a-b-l-e.we met up with them on the dock, boarded together and spent the mo
rning cruising around a handful of the more than 100 islands in the area, out to a place known as "hole in the rock," delivering mail to several of the private islands, hiking up to 360 coastal views, and telling travel stories. the cruise lasted until 1pm, when the four of us parted ways, and i headed back to the hostel to sort out the bags before the bus back to auckland arrived at 3pm.at 2pm on the dot, the clouds rolled in and again, the sky poured sheets of water down on the peninsula for about 30 minutes, with howling wind, and then stopped. the sky did another 180 change and it was again beautiful, and even hot, out. crazy! back in auckland for the night, off to raglan for friday and saturday nights... and then still looking for a bed for sunday night - hopefully in hamilton or possibly even cambridge a night early. i start in at the first farmstay on monday - i can't wait!!!
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
the bay of islands
the pipi patch... as posted before, a pipi is a small sand crab/shellfish that is found in abundance in the bay of islands. my base up here is in the town of paihia, and the backpackers is called the pipi patch, which makes me giggle.
i took the kiwiexperience bus from auckland to paihia on monday morning, riding up the northern peninsula with a gang-load of other backpackers, all coming from australia or going to australia and originating from the u.k. or canada or australia. our bus driver was kiwi dave and he was entertaining - fast talking, joke cracking, fast driving and he really hates possums. it rained most of the trip up, we stopped at a road side stand for morning tea (kind of like second breakfast) and made it into paihia just after noon.
after being in auckland for the better part of a week and dodging cars and window shopping as soon as we arrived in paihia i checked into the backpackers, dropped my bags, grabbed my jacket and was out the door like a shot. there are two small cafe lined streets that run perpendicular to the shore and there are hiking points in several directions. the guidebook recommended a 4km hike to haruru falls so i went with that. i am very good at finding the long road, so of course i managed to walk the road to the falls instead of the path, effectively making the trek a loop when it wasn't intended to be. but, i found my way to the falls, which were less than stunning, but the walk back... that was gorgeous. the actual trail, once i found it, was very scenic, a gravel path broken with roots here and there, overgrown ferns and mangrove trees, small foot bridges here and there to manage over creeks and a freshwater river that flows into the bay. the only sounds were the birds and water drops on the leaves and my own footsteps. in 3 hours i only passed 2 other hikers. there were signs every so often warning that no dogs were allowed because it was native kiwi bird habitat - which made me certain that i was going to catch a glimpse of the rare and barely seen brown kiwi bird in it's natural setting. i was so certain of this that several times i stopped dead, sure that i had just seen one, only to be sorely disappointed when the moss covered tree stump in the bush ahead of me didn't move as i approached. it is more likely for me to win the lottery than see one of these birds in the wild, but then again every time i play the lotto i am certain that i will win, and am again sorely disappointed when i don't.
the hike ended (or started and ended for most people) at a golf course at the edge of paihia. i had no idea how much kiwis liked golf. there are golf courses e-v-e-r-ywhere. i think the bus driver said there were over 500 courses between the two islands. 500 courses for 4.3 million people.
monday night there was a bbq here at the hostel which was fun and rambuctious and involved conversations in broken english and a lot of sign language amongst new friends (from belgium, france, england, the netherlands, canada and australia).
tuesday i took a bus up the peninsula from paihia to the kauri forest, cape reinga and then back via 90 mile beach (which is 40 miles long at the most). the bus was a mix of backpackers and proper travelers (those who stay in hotels) and it was a loooong day. the first stop was the kauri forest preserve, home to new zealand's oldest, tallest and most famous trees, the kauri. kauris are a type of conifer that are native to new zealand. they typically grow very straight, very tall, and can live to be thousands of years old. there are many projects in the works to revive the kauri population after european explorers cut them down in mass to build houses, ships and furniture.
beyond the kauri forest we made it to the tip top of the north island and cape reinga, most widely known as the spot where the tazman sea and the pacific ocean meet. there is an operational lighthouse marking the point and many hiking trails that snake along the bluffs and down to the beach. cape reinga is a very spiritual place for the maori people, it is the spot that they believe spirits enter the spirit world when people die. the coast here is dramatic, rocky cliffs and sweeping sand dunes combined with bush and trees that have been dwarfed by the constant wind and salt and sand.
after the cape the bus drove over to the west coast towards 90 mile beach, with a stop for folks to partake in sandboarding along/down the dunes. sandboarding is hiking up to the top of the sand dune with a boogy board, kicking off your shoes, and sliding down the sand on your belly and trying to stop before you get to the river (as it was cold and raining... had the weather been warmer the river ending would have been a goal). post boarding, the bus actually drove down 90 mile beach, at impressive speeds. we stoped at a few rocky outcroppings for photos and were lucky enough to spot a band of wild horses before we spooked them off. on a clear day the rumor is that many of the hundreds of islands can be seen from the coast, but as our luck would have it the rain and cloud cover only allowed us to see a few hundred meters off the beach.
back on the road we stopped at kauri world, a gift shop/workshop of sorts for things carved out of old kauri trees that have been dug out of rivers and farm land after someone (probably a white guy) cut them down, took what they needed, and left the rest. some of the cuttings are thousands of years old. the owner of the shop took a 50 ton piece that was excavated out of a stream and stood it upright, cut a spiral staircase out of the center and made it the centerpiece of his shop.
back to the hostel around 6pm for more backpacker shenanagans... the pipi patch has a bar and a hot tub - both are backpacker luxuries and both get used!
i took the kiwiexperience bus from auckland to paihia on monday morning, riding up the northern peninsula with a gang-load of other backpackers, all coming from australia or going to australia and originating from the u.k. or canada or australia. our bus driver was kiwi dave and he was entertaining - fast talking, joke cracking, fast driving and he really hates possums. it rained most of the trip up, we stopped at a road side stand for morning tea (kind of like second breakfast) and made it into paihia just after noon.
after being in auckland for the better part of a week and dodging cars and window shopping as soon as we arrived in paihia i checked into the backpackers, dropped my bags, grabbed my jacket and was out the door like a shot. there are two small cafe lined streets that run perpendicular to the shore and there are hiking points in several directions. the guidebook recommended a 4km hike to haruru falls so i went with that. i am very good at finding the long road, so of course i managed to walk the road to the falls instead of the path, effectively making the trek a loop when it wasn't intended to be. but, i found my way to the falls, which were less than stunning, but the walk back... that was gorgeous. the actual trail, once i found it, was very scenic, a gravel path broken with roots here and there, overgrown ferns and mangrove trees, small foot bridges here and there to manage over creeks and a freshwater river that flows into the bay. the only sounds were the birds and water drops on the leaves and my own footsteps. in 3 hours i only passed 2 other hikers. there were signs every so often warning that no dogs were allowed because it was native kiwi bird habitat - which made me certain that i was going to catch a glimpse of the rare and barely seen brown kiwi bird in it's natural setting. i was so certain of this that several times i stopped dead, sure that i had just seen one, only to be sorely disappointed when the moss covered tree stump in the bush ahead of me didn't move as i approached. it is more likely for me to win the lottery than see one of these birds in the wild, but then again every time i play the lotto i am certain that i will win, and am again sorely disappointed when i don't.
the hike ended (or started and ended for most people) at a golf course at the edge of paihia. i had no idea how much kiwis liked golf. there are golf courses e-v-e-r-ywhere. i think the bus driver said there were over 500 courses between the two islands. 500 courses for 4.3 million people.
monday night there was a bbq here at the hostel which was fun and rambuctious and involved conversations in broken english and a lot of sign language amongst new friends (from belgium, france, england, the netherlands, canada and australia).
tuesday i took a bus up the peninsula from paihia to the kauri forest, cape reinga and then back via 90 mile beach (which is 40 miles long at the most). the bus was a mix of backpackers and proper travelers (those who stay in hotels) and it was a loooong day. the first stop was the kauri forest preserve, home to new zealand's oldest, tallest and most famous trees, the kauri. kauris are a type of conifer that are native to new zealand. they typically grow very straight, very tall, and can live to be thousands of years old. there are many projects in the works to revive the kauri population after european explorers cut them down in mass to build houses, ships and furniture.
beyond the kauri forest we made it to the tip top of the north island and cape reinga, most widely known as the spot where the tazman sea and the pacific ocean meet. there is an operational lighthouse marking the point and many hiking trails that snake along the bluffs and down to the beach. cape reinga is a very spiritual place for the maori people, it is the spot that they believe spirits enter the spirit world when people die. the coast here is dramatic, rocky cliffs and sweeping sand dunes combined with bush and trees that have been dwarfed by the constant wind and salt and sand.
after the cape the bus drove over to the west coast towards 90 mile beach, with a stop for folks to partake in sandboarding along/down the dunes. sandboarding is hiking up to the top of the sand dune with a boogy board, kicking off your shoes, and sliding down the sand on your belly and trying to stop before you get to the river (as it was cold and raining... had the weather been warmer the river ending would have been a goal). post boarding, the bus actually drove down 90 mile beach, at impressive speeds. we stoped at a few rocky outcroppings for photos and were lucky enough to spot a band of wild horses before we spooked them off. on a clear day the rumor is that many of the hundreds of islands can be seen from the coast, but as our luck would have it the rain and cloud cover only allowed us to see a few hundred meters off the beach.
back on the road we stopped at kauri world, a gift shop/workshop of sorts for things carved out of old kauri trees that have been dug out of rivers and farm land after someone (probably a white guy) cut them down, took what they needed, and left the rest. some of the cuttings are thousands of years old. the owner of the shop took a 50 ton piece that was excavated out of a stream and stood it upright, cut a spiral staircase out of the center and made it the centerpiece of his shop.
back to the hostel around 6pm for more backpacker shenanagans... the pipi patch has a bar and a hot tub - both are backpacker luxuries and both get used!
Monday, May 10, 2010
the arrival
greetings from the future!(i promise that will be the last time zone humor)
i have arrived in the southern hemisphere in good order, with all my stuff, and with very little jet lag. first stop was the city of sails, auckland, which sits three quarters of the way up on the north island. there are about 1.6 million people in greater auckland; there are more people in auckland than allllll of the southern island.
auckland:
auckland is a city with tall buildings a beautiful harbor and lots of cars. the proper downtown portion of it is similar to any other city you may have been to: shops and hotels and souvenir shops and restaurants and buses and cars, etc. i checked into the auckland city yha (hostel) early on wednesday morning and walked around with a girl, kim from canada (canadian kim; not to be confused with new kim, old kim, kimberley or paige's kim), who followed me to the hostel from the airport. we walked down queen street (main street of downtown) to the harbor and around high street and lorne street (poshy downtown shops and restaurants and such). around 2 we parted ways with plans to meet on thursday morning for the harbor cruise/ferry to rangitoto and i set off for the market for the backpacker's staples: bread, pasta, eggs, milk, tea, jam, honey, peanut butter, tomatoes, mushrooms, cheese and tofu - all in single person quantities, of course. the hostel suggested the asian market up on k street (also known as pub row), which was a block up and over from the hostel. i found it easy enough - right where the desk attendant said it would be - through the asian food court off the street and through the back door of the fruit stand at the back of the foodcourt - like walking through the food court of a mall to get to the trader joe's... i stocked up on the list and i was set for the week in breakfast/lunch/snacks/etc.
on thursday morning the harbor cruise left at 10:15am so i picked canadian kim up at her hostel, we grabbed coffees, and made our way to the harbor. the harbor cruise was well worth the price of the ticket (NZ$35) as it took us from the downtown city harbor, out to the island of rangitoto, around devonport, under the auckland bridge, through the ship building docks and back to the harbor plus a second round trip to devonport at any other time. the captain called out points of interest and harbor facts and america's cup facts and other oddities to note. the weather held out well, and despite always looking like it is going to rain (so far) it actually didn't rain my whole stint in auckland.
auckland:
auckland is a city with tall buildings a beautiful harbor and lots of cars. the proper downtown portion of it is similar to any other city you may have been to: shops and hotels and souvenir shops and restaurants and buses and cars, etc. i checked into the auckland city yha (hostel) early on wednesday morning and walked around with a girl, kim from canada (canadian kim; not to be confused with new kim, old kim, kimberley or paige's kim), who followed me to the hostel from the airport. we walked down queen street (main street of downtown) to the harbor and around high street and lorne street (poshy downtown shops and restaurants and such). around 2 we parted ways with plans to meet on thursday morning for the harbor cruise/ferry to rangitoto and i set off for the market for the backpacker's staples: bread, pasta, eggs, milk, tea, jam, honey, peanut butter, tomatoes, mushrooms, cheese and tofu - all in single person quantities, of course. the hostel suggested the asian market up on k street (also known as pub row), which was a block up and over from the hostel. i found it easy enough - right where the desk attendant said it would be - through the asian food court off the street and through the back door of the fruit stand at the back of the foodcourt - like walking through the food court of a mall to get to the trader joe's... i stocked up on the list and i was set for the week in breakfast/lunch/snacks/etc.
on thursday morning the harbor cruise left at 10:15am so i picked canadian kim up at her hostel, we grabbed coffees, and made our way to the harbor. the harbor cruise was well worth the price of the ticket (NZ$35) as it took us from the downtown city harbor, out to the island of rangitoto, around devonport, under the auckland bridge, through the ship building docks and back to the harbor plus a second round trip to devonport at any other time. the captain called out points of interest and harbor facts and america's cup facts and other oddities to note. the weather held out well, and despite always looking like it is going to rain (so far) it actually didn't rain my whole stint in auckland.
on thursday night i headed over to the auckland museum for "late at the museum" - a monthly event that combines live music, a symposium on a various topic, a bar, and entry into the museum. the museum is a combo of a natural history museum and a maritime war museum, and during "late" only the natural history exhibits are open - but they were lovely and i was not disappointed at all. the live music was a guy by the name of steve able, who played with niko case on her austrailian/new zealand tour last, and he put on a great, acoustic show in the lobby. the symposium was sort of a debate over standardized testing and national standards in education in new zealand - which was interesting but not very different from any of the issues surrounding the u.s. education system. the museum has a volcano simulator that gave me nightmares (you enter a mock-up of a standard living room in auckland, overlooking the harbor, and the currently dormant volcano on rangitoto blows it's lid shaking the house, spewing lava into the harbor and covering the city in several feet of ash - the humorous bit of the simulation is at the end they run through "things you can do to be prepared before and after a volcano eruption: 1. account for all family members, 2. account for all pets, 3. wrap all electronics in plastic...).friday and saturday involved a lot of walking around the neighboring auckland districts of parnell (artsy-creative district on a hill to the east of downtown auckland), ponsonby (high end shops, boutiques, cafes and art galleries) and mt. eden (one of the many, many volcanos in the greater auckland area. saturday night my new roommate/friend ann (from southampton, u.k.) and i went out to drink a great bottle of wine at a b.y.o. japanese food place a few blocks from the hostel. we opened the place up and shut it down, it was great.
sunday was a misty boat ride across the harbor to devonport, a sleepy-ish seaside town with an old military base (built on top of a volcano, of course) that you can hike up and around for 360 degrees views of the bays.all-in-all, i probably didn't need 5 full days in auckland right out the shoot but i did get a good lay of the land and until i fly out i really shouldn't need to go back for a while. i still cannot wait to start in on the farmstay - 6 days of holiday to go.
things learned so far:
- kiwi's are very proud of the lord of the rings
- possums are running rampant, and causing a lot of distruction in new zealand to the native plant life: possum pie or "headlight delight" is a very popular menu item
- 4.3 million people in new zealand, 40 million sheep
- there were no 4-legged mammals in new zealand until the european plunderers arrived
- there are wild turkeys everywhere
- pipis are little sand crabs
to view all the photos so far: click the image of the bridge...
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