Nelson

Hey guys! Merry Christmas to everyone I hope everyone has or had a wonderful day!

Nolan and I really lucked out when it came to our host’s for the past ten days. We usually only stay for one week but Eva and Ian are so pleasant we just lost track of time and today is our tenth day. We worked at Eva’s house for six days doing mostly work outside. Shoveling clay was out first task, which was a result from the recent flood in Nelson. Eva told us that we just happened to come at the perfect time because there was so much to do at the house. We cut down a couple big branches off a tree one day. Eva was thrilled with the idea that we could use a chainsaw and we weren’t going to cut our limbs off J That job in particular was really fun…Nolan and I love doing work like that together. (Electric chainsaw’s can be really frustrating at points!) We also weeded, mowed, stacked wood. All jobs that made the outside of the house look a bit tidier, it really made Eva pleased!

The deal was…two hours of work per day we would get accommodation with no food. That was ok with us because two hours a day really isn’t much at all! Eva and Ian are such generous people and they offered us dinner a couple of times. They even took Nolan and I out to Indian food once and that was very pleasant. We stayed at Eva’s house for about six days. Eva told us that Ian’s house needed a lot of work on the outside as well. He told us that he would feed us and give us a place to stay for a couple of hours of work per day. It was perfect because we needed a place to stay for Christmas and we were concerned that we might not have one. Ian lived about forty minutes outside of Nelson in a town called Motueka. His house needed a BUNCH of work. The lawn needed to be mowed because it was about up to our hip. Weed whacking, stacking wood! He was really great. He made us the best meals, he truly was an amazing cook and I let him know nearly every meal we had. Almost every night Ian would go back to Nelson to Eva’s house to spend time with her, which meant that Nolan and I had the house to ourselves and that was quite fun. He is a computer engineer so he swore by his electronics and he had an absolutely amazing sound system. Nolan and I took serious advantage of that! J It was a very relaxed place to work at because he was very rarely there. He would just call in the morning and tell us what to do over the phone and we would get on with it. It was nice because Ian and Eva really trusted our work and that made us feel great! Eva told Nolan and I that we were the best WOOFERS that she had ever had. We felt really great about that!

 On Christmas Eve Ian took us to this river that was about a half an hour from his house. We had worked all day so he told us that it was time for some fun. On the rivers edge there were big rocks. One rock was about a ten-foot jump and the other was about a twenty-foot jump into the water. We all jumped off the rocks and it was great. I jumped off the twenty foot high one and I felt like the man. Haha. Then Ian gets up on the twenty-foot rock and said, “Jon, that jump was quite nice…but I prefer the dive.” I was thinking in my head you have to be kidding me! Mind you, Ian is almost sixty years old and he has a partially broken collarbone. He dove in with no hesitation. He is a crazy guy! HAHA it was FUN times!

Christmas rolled around before we knew it and Ian gave us the day off. Eva called early in the morning and told us to be ready at twelve because we were going to lunch at a little community that they used to live in called Riverside. Then in her quiet, adorable voice she said, “Oh Jon, by the way look behind the mattress in the second room, Ian got you and Nolan a Christmas gift. Two six packs of beer and a bit of Chocolate. Merry Christmas darling.” That made our day. Just the fact that they thought about us made me feel very happy and thankful. We couldn’t have thanked them enough.

Eva picked us up and we went to the lunch and it was wonderful! Everyone was in such a great mood and we ate plenty of food. Eva went to her friend’s house for tea and Nolan and I went for a walk. We found a pond with rafts and boards. We went swimming and the water was so warm! Swimming on Christmas day…who would have thought!

Our next destination is Wellington for the New Year. Wellington is on the North Island so we are catching the ferryy in Picton. It is supposed to be one of the most gorgeous ferry rides in the world so I am really looking forward to that! Our ferry leaves at 2 PM so we wanted to get to Picton and stay a night so we wouldn’t have to rush from Nelson on the 29^th.

Nolan and I left this morning on the 28^th and hitched out of Nelson. This guy who was from Long Island New York picked us up and he had a very heavy accent! He was hilarious. Raving on and on about the hang over he had from the night before he made Nolan drive to Picton instead of himself. It was great that we were both heading to the same place. He had some interesting stories to tell to say the least. He was very kind.

We are staying in a hostile tonight and we leave the South Island tomorrow. We plan to stay in the North Island for one month. We’ll see J

PS. This post was written over two days. (just incase you get confused)

Cheers,

Jon

Punakaiki/Nelson

We left the rainforest in Punakaki after a wonderful stay there. There was one minor issue. Nolan and I had no place to go from Punakaiki. We decided out best bet was to head south again and go back to Greymouth where we were helping last. At least there we had free internet so we could e mail host and try and find out what our next destination could be. We really wanted to head north from there and try and get to Nelson or Golden Bay for the holidays because we heard from several people that this was the place to be.

Hitching from Punakaiki to Greymouth was quite funny really. It just so happened that a massive storm front came in the day we had to leave. Therefore it was poring rain with really fierce wind. It was comical standing out in the poring rain with our thumbs up. We hoped that someone would feel bad for us and pick us up out of sheer pity J. Unfortunately we waited for about 45 minutes and we thought our luck had just about run out. Then a man pulled over and asked us where we were going. He too was heading to Greymouth to visit a friend so it worked out nice. The ride back to Greymouth was very cool! The sea was surging with such force and the waterfalls were as fierce as I had ever seen them. The man that picked us up was a host for helpx and woofing so we had that in common. He lived on the same road as the Te Nekau retreat where we had last been…. What a coincidence. He was telling us that this storm was pretty nasty and a lot of the south island was taking a big hit. He brought us right to the door step of the Neptunes backpackers where we had helped two weeks ago… it was perfect we couldn’t have thanked him enough in the nasty weather. We asked our old boss Ami (more of a friend) J if she had any available woofing spots for the next couple of days while we looked for our next host in the Nelson Golden Bay area. She gave us one day’s work, which was great because we got to stay in the hostile for a free night! Nolan and I searched and searched for a place and we couldn’t find anyone! All the host’s were booked over the Christmas/ New Years time. We thought that we might have to spend a week camping out somewhere…that was our last resort. I called about 15 different host’s. The last person that I called was a woman by the name of Eva Pick…located in Nelson. She had a quaint home stay that seemed appealing to me. She told us that she was more than willing to host Nolan and I. She asked if we could be in Nelson no later then 9 PM that day…it was 1 PM. We needed to get a move on. Nolan nor I new if we were going to make it to Nelson in that amount of time. It was a race against the clock! Quite fun really J

As soon as we were at our first spot to hitch from it started to rain…figures. Luckily we only waited fifteen minutes and a young German couple picked us up. They told us that they could bring us to Reafton which was about 75 K’s up the road. Works for us! Both of them worked on movies. The guy interestingly enough was a costume designer for the new movie The Hobbit which is coming out next year… it is apart of the Lord of The Rings series. The girl was working on an independent film. When we arrived in Reafton it was almost like a ghost town. No cars and very little people. We waited for about 15 minutes and we saw a red Jetta that passed us in Greymouth where we first started hitching from. We waived at each other and got a good laugh. They ended up turning around and picking us up. Laughing the man rolled down his window and said, “Hey didn’t we pass you about 70 K’s back?” We answered yes as he and his girlfriend chuckled they popped the trunk and told us to throw the bags in the back and to hop in! They were from Zimbabwe and had been living in New Zealand for 7 years. He told us that he could drop us off about 50 k’s up the road at a really good place to hitch. He was worried that we were going to get caught in the rain again because there were nasty clouds that looked like they would dump some serious rain at any moment. They were so nice and genuine and full of questions…mostly about the states and what it was like. We got dropped off in what we felt like was the middle of nowhere. We were about 260 Kilometers away from our final destination, which was Nelson. We waited about forty-five minutes praying that the clouds wouldn’t un leash the rain. Then a German couple picked us up. The man’s name was Ben and I don’t remember her name unfortunately. They were a middle aged couple with no children and had been married for 10 years. They were some of the happiest people that we have met this trip. They were full of laughter and fun. They have been traveling together since their marriage begun and they have been all over the world. Ben said he knew what it felt like to be a hitchhiker so he enjoys picking people up because he had been in that position before. They took us all the way to Nelson and dropped us off right at the doorstep of our next host’s house. It was lovely and we were so thankful for that.

We knocked on the door and Eva came to the door to greet us. She is so sweet and kind I can’t even really put it into words. She offered us tea and coffee and we accepted the offer. We also met her partner Ian he is equally as nice and generous. She gave us a brief run down on what she expected and what we were to expect. Two hours of work per day for accommodation. Nolan and I both got our own room, which was a first. Since Nelson just had a recent flood there was work that needed to be done on her patio in the back of the house. Eva lives right on bottom of a big hill so there was a lot of clay and mud that covered the patio…Nolan and I took care of that. We also have been doing things like weeding…stacking wood. Today we cut down a couple of broken limbs off and tree with the chainsaw then cut the rest of the wood for the fireplace.

Eva and Ian love to sing and have a great time and so do Nolan and I! They offered to take us to Gospel to sing and dance with them. They are not religious they just love singing. That is what I love about them so free and open-minded. It was a wonderful experience. The people were so open and nice. J

We plan on staying here until the 22^nd and then we will go to Ian’s house, which is about twenty minutes outside of Neslon. He said he’d host us and give us food and accommodation. There is a lot of landscaping that needs to be done there.

So that is what has happened this last week in a nutshell J

Cheers,

Jon

Greymouth and Te Nekau

Our time in Greymouth was great! The manager of the hostile, Ami is her name, was super cool! She was from England and she was also doing some traveling through New Zealand and landed that job at the hostile four days prior to our arrival. The work was quite easy and she was very laid back about it. Making beds…folding laundry…cleaning the kitchen…bathrooms. All the work usually took no more than two and a half hours so it was usually a really short day with lots of down time. Greymouth unfortunately, doesn’t have to much to offer when it comes to tracks and things like that. Although it does have a beach within about fifteen minutes walking distance so you can hang out there and catch some really gorgeous sunsets.

This HelpX experience was definitely the most laid back of all so far. Work was super easy and the people were really genuine and nice! I had several conversations with another man who also helped run the hostile. His name was Rodney and he was very wise and lovely to talk to. The night of my birthday we must have spent two hours talking about life and what makes people happy and how to stay happy. Being generous caring and empathetic. He concluded in his life the thing that he can always do in order to make him self happy is do things for others to make them feel better about themselves or just a simple smile he told me can go a long way. These are all things that people have said to me in the past but the way he was conveying his message to me was very inspiring. He was a wise and gentle soul.

Nolan and I hitched from Greymouth to Punakaiki…just about forty minutes up the road. One of the closer places we had hitched to. Again it was very easy and successful. The second couple that picked us up that brought us into Punakiki were in there mid 60’s. They were local kiwi’s that had recently retired and decided to explore there homelands! It was great to see them in awe just like we were driving up the west coast. What also made this ride unique was what they were driving! It was an old style coach bus turned into an RV! Ken, who was driving the bus, told me that he and his son had been working on it for the last six years and they just got it up and running and ready for traveling. He seemed proud and he had every right to be! I even got a couple of pictures of it. Definitely the coolest vehicle we had been picked up in so far. The couple dropped us off about 4 kilometers from the Te Nekau hostile. Nolan and I took the walk and enjoyed it thoroughly. Puakaiki is right on the coast with large waves and the rainforest that surrounds you. I had never been in an environment like this! Little Weka’s running around right under your feet! A Weka is a little bird just about the size of a rabbit that has no wings but can run fairly fast. They are entertaining to watch and if you stay still they will eat right out of your hand. When we arrived at the hostile we were stunned. Te Nekau is literally nestled in the rainforest. Everything is so alive with so many noises and beautiful smells. Here I have met the first true Maori. She is one of the managers of the hostile…her name is Bunty. She is so sweet and kind and still takes many of the Maori traditions seriously. We wake up everyday around nine and work starts at ten. There isn’t too much to do…make the beds clean the toilets and the houses. Not all that bad. Sometimes Bunty will have us do some odd jobs here and there. One day I had to do landscaping in the rainforest where the houses are set back. It’s a very unique set up here. When I was doing the landscaping it was really hard for me to believe that I was here… in the rainforest amongst all the beauty. I feel so lucky.

Everyday Nolan, Moritz, and I take about a fifteen-minute walk through the forest to the beach that is very close by. The beach is spectacular. Water falls…cliffs…massive rocks you can climb…caves and really great wildlife. Tomorrow Moritz and I plan to wake up early so we can take a walk to the beach to see the penguins and dolphins that supposedly come out in the morning. This is what Bunty told us. We trust Bunty’s word. Moritz is from Germany and he is a really cool guy. He played basketball so we talk about that a lot and the NBA. He makes me laugh and that is important! That is one of the greatest parts about traveling for me so far. I meet so many people from all these different countries with different stories to tell and life to talk about. I feel so happy to be here with this unique opportunity.

We have also taken the journey to the famous pancake rocks! I really can’t even explain it. I have many pictures that I am going to post in about a week. After that we explored a cave with our headlamps. The cave went so deep. It was so crazy in there. Just for fun we would all turn off our headlamps at once and we would be standing there in COMPLETE darkness. I couldn’t even see my hand if I held it right in front of my face. There were glowworms in the cave too! Little worms that literally glow in the dark. Amazing to see glowworms in the first cave that I had ever explored J

A couple of days ago I took a walk down to the beach and I was sitting on the rocks looking out to the horizon. I was watching the waves smash into the rocks with such power but such grace. I took time to really think about my journey so far and all I could do was smile. I am so glad I took this year to do something like this. It is simply life changing.  I’ve just been living day by day not knowing what I’m going to get into next.

I would just like to thank all those around me that made me realize that this was possible. I can’t stress enough how great of a time I’m having on my travels.  

Jon

Queenstown and Htiching

December 1, 2011

This past week has been filled with fun and adventure to say the least! I’ve met so many great people along the way. Queenstown was easily one of the most beautiful places that I have ever seen in my life by far! Right in the backyard of the hostile there was a very pleasant patio with lawn chairs and a picnic table that looked out to the lake. Behind the lake was the “Remarkables”, this is a beautiful mountain range that everyone in New Zealand was raving about before we arrived in Queenstown. You can definitely see why all the Kiwi’s love it.

The first night we spent there we ended up going out and we had a couple of beers. Everyone was extremely nice and easy going. A lot of foreign people populate Queenstown because it is such a large tourist attraction. Not to many Kiwi’s actually live there.

We decided to do a hike called the Ben Loumon hike, which was a daylong track and lasted about 6 and a half hours up and down. Going up initially wasn’t to bad although I did realize how out of shape I am. Nolan and I were joking about that and we had a couple good laughs because at points we were huffing and puffing. When we arrived at the final ascending point a man and a woman that had to be in there 70’s walked past Nolan and I. They smiled and said, “Come on boys you almost got it!” I was thinking to myself how the hell did they make it all the way up this mountain…this is not easy. Good for them! Once we made it to the top I was amazed by the view. I can say that this was the most amazing view that I have ever experienced in my life. Full panoramic view of the all the mountains that surround us! You feel so small when you are at 5000 feet elevation. It was remarkable and I was so glad that I completed that hike to the top of the mountain. At the top I made friends with a couple of English fellows and one American girl. They were so nice and we ended up descending with them. It was funny because later that night when we went out for a drink we ended up seeing out friends from the hike and we had a drink with them. Pleasant surprise!

We planned on leaving Queenstown on Monday and hitching to Greymouth. That plan didn’t quite fall through because the weather was not very cooperative. We had to end up staying one more day at the hostile…that also gave us a little more time to look up host for our next destination because we didn’t really have anything lined up yet. On Tuesday we got up early and I checked my e-mail and saw a host had e-mailed me back from Greymouth! They asked if we could stay longer than a week... we couldn’t stay longer then a week because we already made plans for leaving Greymouth on December 7^th and heading to Punakaiki, which is about 70 Kms from Greymouth. The last e mail I sent her before we began our travels was just letting her know that we could only stay a week. I was not entirely sure if that was ok with her or not but we already had plans to travel up the West Coast so we figured we’d go to Greymouth and talk to her in person and see what she had to say.

Our first ride of the day took us the longest. We waited about a half an hour and then got picked up by two Argentineans. They just brought us to the next town up…just about ten minutes up the road. We then waited right outside of a very busy intersection. We knew that we would get picked up quick because this was such a prime location to hitch from. A very nice middle-aged lady by the name of Debra picked us up within ten minutes. She was so nice and we were getting such greaet vibes from here. She loved to pick up hitchers…she told us. We were told that her only condition was that we had to sign the visitor’s book. She had a little book in her car and we had to sign it and tell what country we were from. She had picked up so many hitcher’s in the past it was great! People form all over the World! We had such great conversation so she decided to take Nolan and I out to lunch. She paid for us which was so generous of her! We spoke of politics, family, and life in general. She was an interior designer and she gave us her card and told us if we ever needed a place to stay then we could stay at her house, which is about two hours from Christchurch. We might take up that offer who knows.

She dropped us off in a little town called Wanaka, which was about 6 hours from Greymouth. We just had to ride up the West Coast now. We literally waited two minutes and then two Austrian girls who were in the mid 20’s picked us up. One of them was going to study at MIT in Boston and the other girl was traveling around. They had a really spacious van so I lied down for the majority of the ride it was quite nice actually. We stopped in a couple of places and took in the views.

They dropped us off in a town just out side of Fox Glacier and then we were picked up by two Swedish people. They were brother and sister. The girl was 27 and her name was Annie. The brother was 24 and his name was Bjorn. Such nice people! They took us a couple towns up, which was a nice help. We figured it was getting late so we would walk to the nearest campground, which was about 10 miles away.

We walked about two miles and we tried hitching to the campground although it was a pretty short distance away. We ended up getting a ride form the Austrian girls that picked us up earlier! It was too funny! We were all in laughter as they asked us if we needed a ride yet again. We got to the campground and set up the tent and took amazing pictures of the sunset( I’ll be posting that soon) We met the Swedish brother and sister at the sight as well and had a nice fire that we all sat around and watched the stars. It was a great couple of days!

Now Nolan and I are in Greymouth but we are not in the hostile that we intended because the one we intended on was overbooked with helpers. We found one just down the road and they needed help so now we are here for a week before we head to Punakaki J

Bye for now J

Jon

Queenstown

Hello all,
Happy Thanksgiving! :)
It's been a while since my last post and i'm sorry for that. Last week I started working again and that was great to be back on my feet. As you know I was thinning apricots and that job was not to fun...quite boring actually. The upside to this was that you were surrounded by the most beautiful green hills and mountains. Breathtaking...
Nolan and I made the decision to leave the fruit garden and continue our adventure. Queenstown, which is the party central of New Zealand was our next choice. We hitched here yesterday and it took us three rides...not bad. All of the rides that we got were great. All the people were very nice and love to pick up hitchers. It's a great way to meet people and talk about interesting things. The first ride we got was a couple in their mid 50's. The man's name was Mark but i'm sorry to say I don't remember the woman's name. Mark was very religious and we spoke a lot about God and our feelings on religion and the afterlife. I for one am not to religious, more spiritual if anything. Regardless Mark had some very interesting things to say about God and he told us that morning when he woke up he prayed and asked to pick up hitchers later that day on his travels. He was so happy because his prayer was answered and he just had wonderful energy and a great heart. It is fun to meet people with all different backgrounds and culture and compare yours to theirs...interesting and intriguing.
Today we went on a wonderful hike all around Queenstown and I took many pictures which I am in the process of uploading on line. We plan on staying here for the weekend and then heading up the West Coast of the South Island because we were told that it is one of the most beautiful parts of the country and that we shouldn't miss it...I'm very happy about that.
Until next time!
Cheers,
Jon :)

November 20 2011

Hello everyone,
I've started to recover from the food poisoning. Yesterday I worked my first day in the orchard. Right now we are just thinning apricot trees. Really easy work. You just are taking a lot of the apricots off the trees to give the other apricots more room to grow. It seems counterproductive at some times because so many apricots are going to waste...who knows. After doing that for about 6 hours three French people...Nolan and I decided to go for a hike to try and find the river that runs through the town.
We ended up finding the river and it was gorgeous. The water was a turquoise color like i've never seen before...simply beautiful. I was thinking about swimming until I felt the temp of the water and it was freezing!
Now it is Sunday and here at the Fruit Garden everyone gets the day off. I think we may head to Queenstown next weekend to do some bungee jumping or rafting. It's crazy to think that we have already been here for three weeks going on a month. That is why we have decided to not stay in a place for to long because we want to try and see as much of the island as possible.

Fruit Garden

Hello all,
Nolan and I have arrived at the fruit garden. Sorry it has taken me so long to post but I got nasty food poisoning about five days ago and it hasn't let up yet. We hitched from Gore to here and that took us about six hours. I was very ill while doing that and I think that made me worse. I haven't worked yet because i'm ill and I have zero energy as of now.
I'll keep you all posted!
Jon

November 11, 2011

Hello all sorry its been a while since my last post.
We have been quite busy on the farm this week.
In the beginning of the week it was absolute gorgeous outside. Just a couple of clouds in the sky and a slight breeze. We were planting yams and potatoes so this was perfect weather to do that in. Planting yams and potatoes is the easiest thing to plant here on the farm so far. Lay your yam or potato about a foot apart...dig a little hole with one hand, put the yam/potato in the hole and cover it. Easy and fast. We planted thousands of those so that took up about a day and a half's work.
We harvested carrots again as well and we were quicker then last time...I washed the carrots by myself and that took a while for sure.
One of the most interesting things that we did this week was put up a tunnel house (greenhouse). This took one full day, about seven hours in the rain. Even though it was not an easy task in the rain it was still fun to see it go up. We all felt very accomplished at the end of the day. Shaun was also relieved that this got done because he said he was waiting to put it up for over three years. Normally a six person job but we made it work with four people. I was certainly impressed.
Work aside...Nolan, Ixart and I went on a hike to the top of the hill behind the garden...you have probably seen it in the pictures you can't miss it. Nolan has a little video camera and we video taped some of it. Hysterical to watch afterwords. Shaun told us about a specific route to follow to the top so we wouldn't have to run into this nasty bush, called gorse. We failed miserably with his directions and we were right in the gorse with no chance but to truck on through it. The pricker is sooooo annoying because if it pricks you...the end falls off so it leaves a splinter in your skin...almost impossible take out. I walked away with about 15 prickers in my hands and arms. Ixart and Nolan were laughing because they wore long sleeve shirts and I didn't! Not a bright decision. on my part Through the gorse we went and we eventually ended up making it to the top of the hill. Nolan and I climbed about a twenty foot tree and we could see all of Clinton and its beauty. The view was absolutely spectacular. The picture doesn't even do it justice. Being that high in the tree was terrifying. So much wind and we were at the very top so the tree was swaying back and forth...it was worth it for the view none the less.
Nolan and I are leaving Wairuna Organics today and heading to a fruit orchard in Roxburgh, about two hours away. We are going to hitch hike ouR whole way there. We are excited for that new experience.
I'll blog again when we get to the orchard. The journey continues!
Peace,
Jon

November 6, 2011 Wairuna

Hello all,
The last couple of days have been quite busy so I didn't have much time to get on the computer and blog. Everything is going very well at the farm! I finally got to meet Pia the other host. She lives in Dunedin which is a city that is about an hour and a half away. She comes to the farm on the weekends only, she is such a nice woman...very sweet and kind hearted.
Yesterday it was just Ixart(that is how you spell his name I found out) Nolan and I. Shaun was at the market selling what we had harvested earlier this week. When we woke up yesterday morning it was a full out blizzard. There was a couple of inches on the ground and the snow didn't look like it was going to stop any time soon. It was freezing! Good thing my sleeping bag works so well! (Thanks Dad) Shaun told us since the weather was going to be bad we were just going to work in the tunnel house (the greenhouse) and do some minor maintenance and weeding. Weeding is quite boring but without it Pia was telling me today all the crops would be dead because the weeds suffocate the plants and don't allow them to grow...makes sense. Ixart, Nolan and I also had to feed the calfs which is absolutely hysterical to watch. Since they are only about two weeks old they are not very bright and they make it very difficult for themselves to mother properly. After they feed they all go around and try and suck each others  private parts because they think that the milk will come from there. It is hilarious. Even though it is funny to watch, you have to go into the pen and brake it up and yell at them because if they do that they can drink each others pee and if they drink to much it will result in death. Shaun hates this habit and is trying very hard to put it to an end.
Two German girls came yesterday to start there work on the farm. They were very nice but you could tell that they were not quite going to last on the farm. They stayed... ate lunch with us and then decided that they were going to leave. They had a car... They said it was to cold and the work might be to hard for them. At least they were honest.
Today November 6th, Pia, Ixart, Nolan and I were again down in the tunnel house. I planted salad today...two rows. Pia is very good at explaining things. She shows you how to do it once, then has you try while she watches to make sure you are doing it the right way. It is effective and it gives you more confidence when you are planting a crop. Especially lettuce which they sell a lot of. The weather has been so on and off this past week you never no what to expect.
Nolan and I are thinking about moving on soon because here at the farm you don't get any days off. We want to have more chance to go explore the island...doing some camping and hiking. Who knows where we will go next. Maybe we leave maybe we stay...
I'll have pictures again soon.

Ps. If I don't have your e mail and you want pictures...comment on this post with your e mail address and i'll put you in the contact list.
Thanks!

Jon

November 3rd...Crazy Weather

November 3, 2011

Today was a great day on the Wairuna farm. When I woke up this morning the sun was so bright and gorgeous it woke me right up and made me ready for work. Before work I went out and took some pictures of the farm and its beauty. It has so much to offer. We start work at nine o clock sharp, Shaun tells us not to be late…time is very important on the farm. Today I was in the garage separating the carrots that Esart, Nolan and I harvested yesterday. There was well over five thousand of them. What Shaun had me do was take the smaller carrots and weigh them out to 600grams per bag. Then twist the bag and put a tie on in. For the bigger carrots I had to weigh those out to 1 kilogram and do the same process after weighing. This job required much patience. Since there was so much reptilian involved I made it into a breathing exercise and did some mediation although it was hard to focus the whole time. Once the carrots were all taken care of I put them into separate bins for them to be shipped off the market. Shaun them told me to help Estar plant in this large field. Estar and I did this together for about 45 minutes and then our workday was up.

The weather today was remarkable. As a said it was gorgeous and sunny this morning. As the day went on though the weather had to change at least ten or fifteens times. I saw overcast, rain, snow, and hail today…in one day! It was truly remarkable to see the weather change with in a matter of minutes. It would hail for fifteen minutes like I’ve never seen and then the sun would come up for ten minutes then it would rain! Insanity and beauty at the very same time.

There are supposed to be a couple of new WOOFERS coming today but who knows.

Peace

Jon 

Arrived at the Wairuna

Hello!
Nolan and I woke up early yesterday morning and wanted to make it to the farm as soon as possible. We walked around for a bit in Dunedin and checked out some of the sights and caught some breakfast. The people in NZ are especially friendly and it is quite refreshing. We walked about three miles to the bus station and found out that the bus didn't leave for another three hours so we had a bunch of time to kill. I was extremely tired and still pretty jet lagged so I found a gorgeous park just across the street and we hung out there, read and did some much needed resting.
Nolan realized that there was a sports bar across the street from us and the drinking age is 18 so we decided to take advantage of that. The bar was full of middle age men gambling on hoarse races and here was nolan and I drinking are first purchased legal beer. Nolan and I couldn't stop laughing and we felt kind of out of place haha.
We caught the bus and I sat next to this kid that was my age and he was in love with the fact that we were from America. We compared things back and forth about one anthers countries and he was definitely a good laugh and most defiantly a character.
Once we arrived in Clinton where the farm was we had to walk about ten mintues and then we were finally at Wairuna. It is absolutely gorgeous. (I'll be posting pictures very soon.) Shaun was quite welcoming and set us up where we would be staying...extremely unique accommodations. There is another helper here by the name of Esart...i could be butchering the spelling...he is from Spain and he is 29 years old. He was once a mechanical engineer and he saved up enough money to travel and do what he loves most. He is very insightful and very interesting guy...we all get along great.
Today we harvested over 5000 carrots from the farm. It was about a  six 1/2 work day after cleaning the carrots and selecting which were going to be sold and which were going to be fed to the pig. (He eats sooooo much) Harvesting the carrots was a great time although you are on your hands and knees and in the dirt...you have a gorgeous view of rolling hills and it is so green! Priceless views out here.
That's about all for now...i'll be back on soon to up load some pics of this gorgeous landscape here in NZ.
Bye bye for now!

Jon

Finally Here

I'm finally in New Zealand it is so wonderful to finally be here! The flight from LAX to Auckland was a lot shorter than I expected...13 hours. I was able to choose from a very wide variety of movies and T.V shows to make the time go by pretty quick. I met two girls on the plane that sat next to me and they became my traveling partners because they had the same connecting flight as me to Dunedin. They were absolutely hysterical and great to travel with.
I met up with Nolan in Auckland and we were so happy to finally be in NZ. I took a bus to from the international hub to the domestic hub and I was laughing at myself because I was wondering why the bus driver and everyone else driving was on the "wrong side of the road" although they obviously weren't. Silly American!
Nolan and I found a relatively cheap hostile to stay in for the night in Dunedin and then tomorrow morning we take a bus ride to a little town called Clinton to meet with Shaun and Pia and get situated at the farm.
Cheers!
Jon

Ready to go

I'm all packed and ready to leave tomorrow morning for my 6 1/2 month adventure. Although I know i'm leaving tomorrow it doesn't seem real yet. Thanks everyone for your support!