WWOOF

My wwoofing journey begins. I caught the 7am train from Christchurch to Nelson. We had a stop over in Marlbourough where I grabbed some snacks with two other girls on the bus- backpackers from London and Germany. Our next bus was late to pick us up, which normally I wouldn't mind, but I had another bus connection to make in Nelson to get to Motueka. The driver arrived and I asked if we would make it in time- he gave me a not very reassuring answer. I sat on this bus as my two new friends asked what I would do if I missed the bus. I said I currently couldn't do anything, it was out of my control and I'd deal with it when I get there. Thankfully, the kind bus driver called the bus stop and asked the other bus to wait for me! So kind of him! We arrived and the driver asked for me to get off first- so I apologetically squeezed through people in the aisle, grabbed my backpack and hopped on the other bus.

I arrived to Motueka around 5pm. I sat outside the I site waiting to be picked up when around 20 minutes later, my host mom, Alexandria, arrived to collect me.

On our drive to her home we got to know each other a bit and she explained what she expected me: 5 hours of work a day and help with the dishes. I can handle that.

We arrived and I quickly learned about a lifestyle that is quite different from my own. 

I am staying with a family of 5, a mom, dad, and three girls ages 13,11, and 9. The dad spends every other month away for work at sea- he will arrive back home next Wednesday. The girls are home schooled. They have a huge amount of property-about 106 acres- with vineyards, a vege garden, a lot of Texas longhorn cows, 7 horses, many chickens, 3 dogs, a cat, a baby bunny, a Guniea pig, and some goldfish. They have a one bedroom house, and all 5 sleep in the same room with two large beds pushed next to each other. They have one bathroom, a living area, kitchen, and large deck with an amazing view of beautiful trees and mountains.

When I arrived, the girls asked me if I wanted to go for a swim. I said sure and they told me I don't need to wear my togs. I assumed they meant shoes, which I thought, great, I normally don't wear my shoes in the pool. Then I was talking to the mom and she said you can wear your togs if you want, since you don't know any of us, but the girls and I always go naked. I thought for the first day I think I'll wear my togs. The girls went naked, I did not. Togs = swim suit.

The girls had friends over so we all swam together for a bit before I got a bit chilly and desired a hot shower. After getting all cleaned up we had dinner. Before dinner, they said a prayer. It was in a different language, which I assumed was Maori, but when I asked she said no and that they are Tibetan Buddhists.

I had delicious falafel with yogurt sauce, cucumbers, tomatoes, feta, and rice. It was great! Since we are on the topic of food, I'll tell you about their diet in this home. They eat only organic foods and buy nothing processed- which I think is awesome and I totally support it! The eat lots of meat, fish, and eggs and they avoid carbs at all costs- which is quite the opposite of my diet. They rarely eat sugar, not even fruits other than apples. BUT there is a light at the end of the tunnel- they eat peanut butter! It's different than my diet so we'll see how this goes!

I am sleeping in the sleep house/ storage room,  which is right next to the house. After hanging out for a bit, I went to my room for some shut eye. But before I left the house the mom asked that if I have to go wee in the night to just go in the grass so I don't wake them in the house. I grabbed a role of toilet paper and made my way to my room.

I woke up at 7:30 for a full day of tidying up the house. I cleaned the entire kitchen- which was quite messy so it felt like quite an accomplishment! There were lots of spiders, and when I asked what I should do, the mom said, try not to kill them, just clean under them. It's part of Buddhism to not kill things, I'm still trying to understand why they eat meat.

We talked some more about foods and she really doesn't understand my diet and how I survive, but I'm standing here, so I must be doing something right. I said I'd be happy to purchase my own fruits or granola bars at the store but she said she doesn't want to support the packaging and have those foods around her kids. So, instead we made home made granola bars, which I also prefer over store bought. They are absolutely delicious! We used coconut oil, cashews, Brazilian nuts, sunflower seeds, and raisins. So yummy! 

After cleaning we had a yummy lunch of spring rolls and then headed into town to run some errands. I came along for the ride of sorting out the recyclables and rubbish, dropping off the girls at ballet, and grocery shopping. When at the mall, the mom asked me if I'd like to come with her to pick the girls up from ballet or wait for her to come back. Normally, I'd join along- but all the talk about no sweets has me dying for sweets. So I stayed at the mall, and went to the grocery store to buy a cookie. It was amazing. 

Went back to their home and had dinner- falafel again which I loved just as much the second time. Before dinner I started teaching the girls how to throw a frisbee; which was so fun for me. The girls don't do much sport because they are pretty isolated from an area where teams play, so I was happy to bring them a taste of some sport and get use out of the frisbee I've been carrying around for a month. After dinner, we walked out to the vineyard where I learned what I would be doing for the next few days/ weeks. I also went down and pet the horses which are so beautiful, there was also a lovely sunset that evening, which always reminds me how grateful I am to be in such a beautiful place. Then I headed to sleep because I had an early morning ahead of me. 

I woke up at 6:15 and made it to the vineyard by 7am. The family was heading out for horse practice of some sort, I'm still trying to get the lingo down. My job was to cut off the tops of the vines so they weren't crazily sticking out. I did this for about 4 hours, taking a small break in between to have the smoothie and chia juice that was made for me- both were great.

My host mom told me to let the dogs out with me in the vineyard while I was out there. It was fun to have them out there, until one of the dogs brought me a gift- a rabbit it just killed. I almost vomited but I held my shit together and then climbed underneath one of the rows of vines in order to avoid walking past the freshly dead rabbit. 

I then escorted the dogs back to the house because the thought of that dog coming up to me and giving me a lick made me want to puke. 

I finished about 4 hours of vine cutting and then went in to do some house cleaning (vacuum, clean tables, hand dry laundry) before finishing up and making myself lunch. I made spring rolls all by my myself! Cut up some fresh veggies, picked some mint leaves from the garden, boiled some rice noodles, and mixed up some sauces!  

I was pooped after a long morning so I took a rest and got up around when the fam got back from the saddlery. 

My host mom's cousin and her husband were visiting from Australia and getting in that evening so we did a bit more tidying up before they arrived. We also made some dessert for the evening which really excited me! They were a really nice couple originally from England and now living in Australia. I read my book while the family caught up and went out back to meet the horses. Then we all hung out in the kitchen, drank some beers and wine, had cheese and crackers, and played cards. Then the mom made veggie tempura- which was so so tasty! We had our home made dessert after which was called self- saucing chocolate pudding. It was amazingggg and reminded me of bread pudding, but more like a brownie with a creamy inside- with fresh whipped cream. We hung out and talked for a while before all getting to bed. Since they were in town, I relocated to a tent in the field. I moved all my things out of the sleep house into a tent and had a beautiful sky light of the amazing start filled skies.

Sundays are my day off. In the morning I helped the mom make breakfast and lunch for the day. For breakfast we had croissants with cheese, tomatoes, and basil. And then another one with chocolate. I was loving the carb and sugar combo. This was very unlike their typical diet.. And I liked it. We then went to a nearby cafe which was run by community members and had an art gallery, a cactus garden, and a kids play area. We had coffees- I of course got a flat white, and we sat around a table and chatted for a bit!

Then we picked one of the girls up from work and headed on for our first adventure of the day. We went to the river for a swim! It was a lovely River and we all got in and swam around for a bit before heading over to the grassy area for lunch. It was a potluck picnic for lunch with all of their friends from the Buddhist center, even their lama (teacher) was there! There was loads of yummy foods and really kind people. They said their prayers before we ate, and added an extra prayer because there was chicken in one of the potluck dishes. 

I talked to the lama a bit and found out that he was recently in Chicago and Madison because he has family that lives in Waunakee! What a small world!!! 

After eating, some of the girls went back into the river but I sat on the side this time. We then headed back home to rest for a bit, and then prepared some dinner for our next adventure. We were off to Abel Tasman for a hike and then picnic dinner on the beach. On our way we stopped at a cafe for fresh fruit frozen yogurt- delicious! Abel Tasman is a national park and it's absolutely gorgeous! It's right on the ocean with amazing views of the mountains. We walked for about 45 minutes to Coquille bay, and then were attacked by sand flies. The mom went over to a campsite and asked to borrow their repellent. We got some and smothered It on. We then set up our picnic towels and food. We had bread with cheese, tomatoes, basil, and home made  bobaganoosh, some chips, and chocolate for dessert. All so delicious! We hung around for a bit but had to start walking before it got too dark! We walked along as the tide rolled in and the lovely sun set in beautiful colors. It just started getting dark when we got back to the car around 9:30. We all fell asleep in the car and when I got back I brushed up and headed out straight for my tent. I admired the stars and fell fast asleep.

In the morning I got up at 6:30 to work on the vines for about 2 hours before coming in and making smoothies for everyone for breakfast. I then helped out in the garden- I pulled weeds and used the wheel barrel to bring compost from one garden to another. They grow lots in their garden and I even found some garlic that we later used in our dinner. 

After gardening, I went back out to the vineyard until lunchtime. Relaxed for a bit in the afternoon and then joined them for a trip to the sea with their Buddhist friends to do a mussel release. The first time I heard this I assumed "muscle release" as in some type of exercise to release stress or something like that. Then my host mom explained that the lama buys mussels, and since they are living creatures, if they are thrown back into the sea they have a chance to survive. Unfortunately, when we got there, they had already released the mussels, but we hung around and chatted with everyone and had tea and crackers. I chatted with the lama for a while and he told me I had good karma because I don't eat meat. As we were about to leave, the lama came over and sprinkled some sacred water into my palm- my host mom said to take a sip and then put the rest in my hair. I'm not quite sure what was in the water- my host mom said maybe Tibetan medicine- who knows. But while he gave me the water he apparently said a blessing for me. So I can now say I've been blessed by a lama- which my host mom told me is a big deal. 

We went back to the home and then their friends came over for dinner. They had a 12 year old son. They have been living in the area for 2 years but are originally from Auckland. Seeing the "city boy" interact with the "country girls" was so interesting. The boy talked about YouTube videos and video games which the girls rolled their eyes at. The youngest thinks that wifi is a terrible thing. We had a lovely dinner and an amazing dessert that their friend made- it was a yummy ginger coconut bar!

Next day I got up again and finished off the block that I had been working on in the vineyard. The family was away for the morning so I after I finished working I took a nap. When I got up they had just gotten back and lunch- spring rolls- were ready.

After lunch I was relaxing and then all of a sudden the house shook. I thought someone  dropped something but nope, I experienced my first earthquake. I'm now ready to move to California.

In the afternoon we took the horses for a walk to the other side of their property to get the horses some fresh grass. I walked May, and she loved to stop and eat along the way which made things slightly difficult. I was able to get her there with a couple tugs and pulls when she stopped to chow down. When we got there, we let the horses graze and my host mom read the girls a story as I laid in the shade and also took some photos.

We walked the horses back and then started making dinner. We made homemade pizza with homemade crust and lots of veggies. It was yummy but can't replace the void in my heart of Pequod's pizza. 

I had quite a few interesting conversations today with my host mom. As I've mentioned, they buy everything organic, only buy things in season, avoid packaging, compost, etc.

She also avoids technology, and anything commercial. We talked about holidays and she said she doesn't support things like Valentine's Day or halloween because they are just to make money- True, but the holidays are fun to celebrate whether you buy things or not! We talked about the super bowl and commercials and she thought that people going online to watch commercials was ridiculous- true, kind of is, but they are funny and entertaining. The other day she let me use her computer and she thought it was necessary to explain to me how to work Google. 

Sometimes when I talk to her about food, I feel like she wants me to feel bad about my diet. I try to start conversations about food- asking if she likes a certain type of food. She usually says yeah but I only buy it in season, or no they don't grow that locally, or no- pineapple has way too much sugar in it. 

Anyways- we are quite different and that is OK! The real challenge for me is trying to find similarities or things we can have conversations about without her getting defensive. 

Today: 2/10 was a chill day. I was feeling quite drained after 5 hours in the vineyard this morning so i took a nice nap.

For breakfast we had a yummy yogurt with fresh strawberries, raspberries, and toasted coconut. My host mom puts egg yokes in the yogurt, and I couldn't taste it so I officially found a way to eat eggs. 

In the afternoon I thought I'd be a good idea to do a little workout, so I went on a run, did some exercises and then some yoga stretches. It's hard to find time to exercise, not because I'm super busy, but because I usually like to work out in the morning when it's cool, but that's when I need to be in the vineyard. So in the afternoon when I did my workout, it was pretty hot and toasty, but it felt great. I asked the girls if they wanted to join in but they weren't too keen on it... Maybe another day!

After a yummy dinner of vegetable curry we took the horses on a walk. I took Moonie this time- Moonie is a pony. I thought that ponies were baby horses but I was wrong, they are just small horses. When we got back with the horses we brushed them and I spent time petting May.

2/11: This morning I worked for only about an hour trimming the vines because I finished off the west block of the vineyard (yay!) 30 rows complete. I had rice and avocado for breakfast which was reminiscent of my Ecuador meals. I rested for a bit before going to town with the girls. 

First, to sort out recycling and throw out rubbish. Then to a store called the saddlery which sells basically everything horse related so the girls bought a few things. They also helped clean and vacuum the store as volunteer work.

Then we stopped at an art gallery where the mom bought the youngest daughter an early birthday present of a starter kit for encaustic art. The artist did a demo for us which was really neat, she basically melts wax and makes art from it.

Next we went to the airport to pick up their dad who was getting home after a month's work trip. He was the winemaker so I was excited to meet him and chat with someone new.

My host mom told me I'd be doing the nets with her husband all afternoon while they were at ballet.

Before they left for ballet I baked cookies with the middle daughter- they were simple & delicious and we made a fresh strawberry sauce for on top!

 As soon as they left for ballet, the dad went outside grabbed a bottle of wine and we talked for over an hour- now this was my kind of work style. I was so at peace having a good conversation and delicious Pino niort. After the past week of being constantly challenged about what felt like every aspect of my lifestyle, it was so nice to just talk and exchange ideas and not feel judged. We chatted about owning a small business, his work with wine, and travels. His struggles of having a small business got me very excited to start working at Intuit as I can't wait to work with the products that help these small business owners. After some wine and chatting we did eventually go down to the nets.. But we didn't do that much and it only took about 45 minutes. We came upstairs, checked on the dinner and chatted some more. 

When the mom got home I felt a sense of stress enter the home. She immediately was upset we hadn't put the dinner out, that we weren't working on the nets, and that we were drinking wine before tomorrow which was a big day with the nets. 

I sat back and just sipped my delicious red wine and then went to set the table.

After dinner she persuaded the dad to do more with the nets, so I went down too and helped for a bit before coming up & heading to sleep.

Friday morning I got up early to continue trimming more vines before we put the nets on. After lunch, their friends came over to help with the nets. We put on 3 nets which covered 6 rows of vines each. To put the nets on we take a huge roll of net and lift it onto this machine that connects to the tractor. Then the dad drives the tractor through the vineyard and we pull the net so it lays nicely and evenly over the vines. We did this for about 2 hours and then went in for dinner. The point of putting the nets on is so that the birds and other animals don't get to the grapes.

After we ate,the mom and 2 older girls went out to a meeting, so I spent the evening playing with the youngest daughter. She asked me if I believed in magic and theories. I wasn't sure where she was going with this, but I went along and said of course. She then said good and that we would find a portal to enter a magical world- we made up names, pets, and magical powers. The only rules in the magic world are that you can't say the word no. We found the portal under their house and were magically in another world! First we went to the "earthship" where all of the potion ingredients were. The earthship was actually pretty cool- it looked like it was built for an earthquake shelter-- tires and bottles all held together by cement and pretty much all underground. The potion ingredients consisted of flour, hair gel, jam, and other expired foods, as well as hair products that past woofers had left behind. After picking out some things and putting them in our basket, we headed to the tree hut. It was actually a pretty awesome tree hut with a trap door underneath - it definitely required climbing abilities to get up there though! Once up there we mixed everything together- hair gel, flour, jam, and some liquids that i actually have no idea what they were, plus some food coloring. Once mixed up, she threw it all out of the tree hut to keep the ogres away. After spending a bit of time in the tree, we headed back down, back through the portal, and once back in the real world I got some sleep.

In the morning their same friends came back over to help again with the nets. We had 4 to do, and it took around 3 hours. The purpose of covering the vines with the nets is to keep the birds from eating the grapes. We had a wonderful snack of homemade chocolate eclairs (AH-MAZING) while putting the nets on. 

After, We had a lovely lunch of Thai salad and then got ready to go to their friend's party. 

Before we left for the party, my host mom came to me with their phone and said someone had called to speak with me-- it was lama assi. Lama assi wanted to give me his email address so we could stay in touch and since he comes to the states often he said we might be able to see each other is he's in town. I don't think he knows I'm jewish and I don't know if he's trying to convert me or not, but he's a nice, enlightened man, so maybe we will stay in touch!

The party was at a house about an hour away in an area called the Batton. They lived completely isolated, even more so than where I am now, from anything. It took a 25 minute drive down a one way gravel road to get to the house- now that's a long driveway. The women who owned the house is actually from holland and lives in holland, but spends about 2 months a year at the NZ house. The house was beautiful and tucked away in the mountains. It was a potluck so loads of great food, carbs, salads, fruits, and desserts. I had Pavlova for the first time, which is a typical kiwi dessert, and it was so delicious!

After eating we went to a near by river for a swim. There were two wwoofer a staying at the house from holland and one of them guided us to an awesome swimming hole at the river. The whole family came and a few other young girls, and when we got there, even though they had their swim suits, everyone, including the dad, started stripping down completely naked and jumped into the river. I had my swim suit but decided I should just...well, "when in NZ.." swim naked with my entire host family and strangers from holland that I just met. The water was freezing- I didn't even realize I was naked because I couldn't feel my body, it was completely numb. Once I started moving a little bit I felt a little better. After a little bit we got out, dried off, put our clothes back on, and went back to the party.  

I had some more sweets, talked to some people from different parts of the world, listened to a man sing and play piano, and enjoyed the beautiful views. 

2/14:

The family doesn't celebrate Valentine's Day, but I had an intention of bringing sweetness into their lives today. 

I felt like today I turned over a new leaf with the family- I felt good vibes

We went to the Buddhist center this morning and I was interested to see how their practice works. Every morning my host mom, and now dad, sit in a corner of their home with photos of lamas (**lama with one L) and in-scents, and books that they practice Buddhism with and meditate. The Buddha center wasn't much different- although the place was much more elaborate. It was basically a shrine to their gods/ Buddhas with several offerings of cups of water, candies, gold statues. Their were paintings of the different gods on the walls. On the floor was a big rug and then little mats for each person with a small bean bag on the mat and small desk in front of the mat with 2 booklets on it. We got there late and the practice had already begun. When they walked in they did a little blessing touching the sky, then their head, heart, and stomach and then touching their head to the ground- I observed. I then took a seat on a chair in the back but then my host sisters kept looking back and waving me to come up by them at an empty desk. I felt bad and didn't want to be distracting, so I sat on a bean bag (not sure if there is a better word for that) near them and itched my sand fly bites for about 90 minutes while they did their practice. The lama was not there today so they had a pre-recorded tape of the entire 2 books of blessings. Everyone in the room, there were 10 people, followed along with the recording and their books in the Tibetan language. At some points, there would be complete silence for around 5 minutes- I think that was meditation time? I skimmed a bit of the booklets as their was an english translation, I don't remember much of what I read, lots about nirvana, enlightenment, their deities, reincarnation, etc. I sat patiently on my bean bag, itching away, and attempting to reflect on my trip, as well as the interview I had the day before for my birthright trip, where the interviewer asked, "are you currently practicing any religions other than Judaism?" I of course said no, but found it ironic to be sitting in a Buddhist center the next day.

After the recording of a gong being struck went off, everyone started to get up and put the desk, mats, a bean bags away.

We then all went into a room downstairs which had an awesome coffee machine, from which I had a latte, and there were also cookies :). We hung out there for a bit and I talked to the Buddhist crew, but particularly this one guy who built the Buddhist center and lived there as well. He is a civil engineer and he's also developing an app for small businesses- he knew what intuit was so we were able to have an awesome conversation about technology and small businesses!

On the way home we stopped at the supermarket and got some food- even a loaf of bread for lunch!! I love having the dad home because he said he needs carbs in his diet- finally someone who understands. 

We got home and had sandwiches for lunch with fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, avocados, and basil from the garden with olive oil made from their neighbors, and store bought hummus. YUM. 

On the way to the Buddhist center I was sitting next to the youngest daughter (9) and she was writing her name in a notebook. She asked me to spell my name and then I realized she couldn't write or read. I am not sure what the average age is that a child learns to read and write, but I remember learning cursive in third grade, so I am pretty sure I could read before I was 9. Anyways, I knew their family did things differently with home schooling so I focused on not being judgmental. I asked if she wanted to practice writing later and she said yes. 

She told her mom that she wanted to practice writing with me, and her mom told me that I could for sure practice with her, but that they use the Virmala (sp?) alphabet. I had no clue what that was but was interested to find out. 

When she pulled out a copying book with the alphabet, it looked similar to a cursive font, but a little fancier. I asked what the purpose of this type of font was, and she referred back to this man, Rudolph, who she bases her teaching off of and said that it's a smoother style of writing that's less harsh and more flowing. Okie dokes. 

She told me that the same guy teaches writing before reading, so her daughter couldn't read yet.

She also told me to make sure I avoid writing phrases like, "the cat in the hat," and to write  beautiful things like, "the red leaves in the trees gently fell from the sky." Okie dokes.

Then she told me that I should do some brain warm ups with her and make sure she crosses the middle line. I said, "what?" She demonstrated by touching her right hand to opposite knee and then switching repetitively - apparently it helps your brain. Okie dokes.

Then she said to make sure I encourage her and sit with her. Everything else was new to me, this was a no brainer. 

So I took the book and we headed to my sleep house away from distractions to practice. The girl is smart- she speaks like a 35 year old woman. When we walked to the sleep house she instructed me on how she likes to learn and what doesn't work for her. 

We started practicing the alphabet. I would point to a letter and ask her what it was. To start, she knew a little over half the letters, but by the end she was getting everything except she always forgot R & K.

Then she practiced writing the letters in her copy book. Then we started writing sentences. I asked what she wanted to write about and she started talking about the horses so I said ok, slow down lets go word by word. She would say a word I'd have her try to guess what letter it started with making the harsh sound of a T or whatever letter in hopes she would get it. She had about a 30% success rate. I'd usually tell her how to spell the words but then make her figure out how to write the letters. After about 2 hours and 3 breaks to do some yoga/ stretching, we developed 5 sentences. I tried also to teach her how to read the sentences she wrote but that was pushing it a little. And I didn't want to go against Rudolph's theory. 

I said I wanted to make their Valentine's Day sweet, so I asked the middle daughter, who loves to bake, if she wanted to bake something. She agreed and we got to work- crafting what turned out to be an amazing lemon meringue pie.

The whole family finds it so funny and silly that I (and most of America) purchases these type of foods. And by these types of foods I mean: lemon meringue pie, whip cream in a can, veggie cream cheese, and more. They say, "really- cream that's already whipped? that's in a can?!" And "you mean you don't put your own veggies in the cream cheese, you buy it with veggies already in it?!" "You buy granola bars?! Far out!" I so badly want the little girls to come to America and see our consumerism culture. The middle girl says, "wow, you buy a lot of things in America." I tried to explain our culture and how time is valued and that we often feel it's more valuable & convenient to buy something than to spend the time making it- at least that is how I see it justified. 

For dinner I tried something new- an eggplant and tofu dish in a spicy tomato and peanut butter sauce. It reaffirmed I don't like tofu, and I was able to stomach the spicy sauce with a lot of rice. The plate was ok- not my favorite but I ate it(and avoided the tofu).

After eating our pie, I talked to the dad while the girls went to feed the horses. We had good convos about music and sexism in the workplace and differences & similarities between business culture in NZ & the states. We also walked in the vineyard and he showed me that some of their grapes had disease, where the skin broke open, so they wouldn't be able to pick them. He also gave me my task for the next couple of days...

My new task is tying up the holes that are in the nets. Some holes are tiny and some are huge rips. I have string and scissors and I spent 5 hours tying up holes this morning so the birds don't go through and eat the grapes.

I had lunch and a rest after work this morning and then I finally convinced the girls to work out with me-- andddd they loved it! The middle daughter didn't want to stop and kept wanting to learn more exercises! The oldest said she wanted me to write everything out and make her a routine to do every morning. And so I did. However, the girls would run in their sandals or barefoot. They don't have any sort of gym shoe other than their running boots. And we were running on gravel!

I felt like I pushed through with them and that we finally connected. We went back inside and chatted and then took the horses on a walk and watched them prance around.

The next day I tied up some more holes and then they had a few of their friends come over. Together, with their friends' horses and their own horses we went on a 2 hour horse walk in the rain. We walked through fields where my pants and shoes got completely soaked. At the end of the one way track we stopped and had some pizza that we made before hand and wrapped up to bring. Although it was raining, it was a beautiful hilly walk. 

It continued to rain and pour the next day so they told me I could do house work instead of going out to the vines. I spent a couple hours in the morning vacuuming and cleaning around the home. Then later that evening the two dutch wwoofers that we met at the batton house party came over for dinner, additionally, one of the dad's old friends from Denmark also came over for dinner. We fit 9 chairs around a small table and had a lovely meal with people from all over. We also had lots of yummy homemade wine.

The dutch wwoofers stayed the night and helped me with the dishes and laundry. Then that day one of the daughter's friends was having a birthday party so we all joined along. It was at a beautiful beach called rabbit island. The reflections in the sand were so beautiful. We ate food and cake and even went boogie boarding in the ocean- it was a blast. Then the dutch wwoofers dropped me off back at the house because my host family had to run some errands.

Friday would be my last full day at the home. I finished up tying the holes, spent time playing with the girls, enjoyed soaking in the views, and made a pavlova with the dad. The NZ dessert was actually pretty easy to make, it's just a merengue base with cream on top- delicious! The mom made a yummy chicken dish for my last meal and we enjoyed talking about the memories we had made together the past 2 weeks.

Today, I left the nest, figuratively & the vineyard, literally. We woke up, had breakfast, and took one of the dogs to the vet to get its stitches out. After the vet, my host mom and two younger host sisters dropped me off at my hostel in Nelson.

I was originally planning to stay at the vineyard for the entire month, but I felt very isolated there and even my host mom recommended me to check out some other places around the area, so I embarked on my first solo travels, with pretty much nothing booked and my pack on my back, I was ready to explore alone.

Sending Smiles from Motueka,

Rebecca

The family

The vineyard

The horses