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
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