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

South Island Camper Adventures

Time for the South Island! 

Hike coming back from Milford Sound

We got back in our car and drove off the boat. We were headed to Murchison, but on our way there we saw so many vineyards on both sides of us so we decided we had to stop at one. We did a tasting and decided to buy a bottle of Marlbourough's best known wine- savignon blanc. Then we headed towards Murchison where we took a walk across new Zealand's longest swing bridge-- it was pretty neat but a little underwhelming. We walked around the area and then headed towards Westport where we would stay for the evening. We stayed at a campsite right near the beach and close to a nearby seal colony. That evening we took a coastal walk near the beach to see the seals and admire the sunset and waves crashing against the rocks. We headed back and relaxed for the evening.

The next morning we decided that with the beach near by we should try to get a workout in. I did a run along the beach while Sara did a stationary workout. It was so pretty on the beach and the sand was so smooth. We then had nice warm showers and headed out on the road to punakaiki where the famous pancake rocks and blow hole are located. We got there a little early and had until noon, which is when high tide was to see the rocks and blow hole. We did a little exploring in a cave and walked down along a river. We then went to the rocks and they were really neat- they were stacked on top one another like pancakes and when the waves crashed against them it was just beautiful. We saw the waves crash through the rocks to create the blow hole effect. We then got back on the road towards Arthur's Pass. Arthur's pass is between two mountain ranges and is surely very beautiful. The bummer is that it was so cloudy we could barely see the mountains until we were standing right in front of one. It was pouring rain as well. We got to the i site and asked what they recommended. She said there are two short hikes we could do so even though it was raining We thought we would give them a go. We hiked through the rain, though through some points the trees sheltered us! We got to the first lookout point which was called the Devil's Punchbowl and was a 131 meter waterfall- it was absolutely beautiful! Even with the rain it was still stunning. We then hiked to the next lookout point which was a view of the mountains and River, much of which was covered with clouds, but still lovely. We then got back into our home and headed towards the town of Hokitika, but we got there past 5 and almost everything was closed, and it was pouring so much we couldn't go to the beach. So we decided to get back into Lucky and head towards Franz Joseph, where we would stay for the night. We got there and it was still pouring so we decided the best thing to do would be get a beer. We sat down for a while and also chatted with two guys from the UK before hoping back in our van for an evening of freedom camping. 

In the morning we were crossing our fingers the clouds would clear but no luck. Franz Joseph is known for glaciers but unfortunately because of the cloudy weather we couldn't see any. However, we were determined to make the most of our day regardless of the rainy weather. We tried to go on a walk to see a glacier but our walked stopped shortly because as we were attempting to find the glacier amidst the clouds, the land in front of us broke off from the earth and was washed away in the river. Because of the ridiculous amount of rain, the river was flooding and wiping out the land, it even pulled a pole into the water. So we decided to continue walking past the eroded land. Just kidding! We turned around and headed back to our home. We continued on to fox glacier in hopes it would be a little less cloudy 30 minutes south. Nope, still cloudy. We went on a walk around Lake Matheson, which is supposed to have beautiful reflections of the mountains, but because we couldn't see the mountains there were also no reflections. We still enjoyed the hike and made the most of the rainy day! After getting a bite to eat, we hopped back in our car and headed to Wanaka.  

We found a camping site in Wanaka, got a good shower in and then went out for a drink. We finally tried the NZ beer everyone talked about and it was actually delicious- Speight's Gold Medal Ale. After hanging out for a bit we got some sleep because we were planning on going sky diving the next day. Unfortunately we got up and the clouds were not in favor of us jumping out of a plane. While it wasn't raining, it was too cloudy to jump. Thankfully it wasn't raining so we could have an adventurous day! We decided to go on a hike to the top of Mount Iron which took a little over an hour and had great views, minus some of the clouds. Wanaka is so pretty because of it's big lake surrounded by mountains. After our hike we stopped at this place called A Puzzling World  which had some illusion rooms that we would have had to pay to enter, so we stuck with sitting in the cafe and doing the free puzzles on all the tables- it was a really neat place! 

We then walked around for a bit and explored the town before heading to a winery for a free wine tasting! On our way to the winery we stopped to see a famous tree known as #thatwanakatree because it is a random tree that is in their lake. 

At the winery we tried a few different wines, learned about bio-dynamic ecosystems, and then sat back and enjoyed the beautiful view from the winery of the lake and mountains. After the winery we headed towards Queenstown. It was a short drive, so when we arrived we grabbed dinner at Loco Cantina for cheap mexican food and explored the cute little town. 

The next morning we went on a canyoning adventure. Sara and I had both gone canyoning in Switzerland before and knew we wanted to do it again. We got up early and got on a bus to go to the routeburn canyon. It was the first day they were able to go out in around a week, so we were so happy the water levels were ok for us to go out! We went on a hike to the top of the canyon and then began working our way down by jumping over waterfalls, rappelling, and sliding- it was a blast! The water was freezing but our wetsuits kept us warm-ish!

We got back to town and wanted a snack so we got garlic cheesy naan that someone in our canyon group had recommended. We then did some more exploring but we're pretty pooped so we got an early night of sleep because we were hopeful that the next day would be good weather to sky dive.

We woke up and I looked out the window and for the first time in a while, the sky was blue!! We met at the sky dive place early and it sounded like we'd be able to go!! They hadn't sent a group in the past week because of the winds, so we were pumped that we made it just in time! We drove out to the land that the skydive company used- there were 9 of us total, 3 groups of 3, and Sara and I were in the last group, and I of course, was the last one out of the plane. I really wanted to go before Sara so she could  give me positive vibes but the guy said they have an order for us and I would be last. We got suited up and when it was our turn we hopped into a very little plane. So little that all 6 of us were squished in there sitting on the floor. We were each attached to an experience guide with the parachute. Sara had sky dived before and said I had to do it so I figured if I would ever sky dive, it should be in one of the most beautiful places in the world. The plane ride up we so beautiful. Then my guide, Olly, explained to me the process of what would happen once we reached 15,000 feet. I liked the idea of skydiving because I didn't have to worry about anything- I had zero control. I also didn't like that I didn't have control. We were at 15,000 feet and they opened the plane door. The first girl was basically sucked out of the plane with her guide, then shortly after Sara jumped out, and then the door shut. My guide went over and opened it back up we sat on the edge and I looked towards the sky as we rolled out and flipped around until I was facing the clouds and felt all of the wind rushing against my face. We free fell for about a minute and then Olly pulled the parachute. We glided around for a little and he let me control some of our turns which was really fun! We had a smooth landing and I couldn't believe how quickly it all happened! 

After we got back Sara and I decided to go on a hike! But first, our driver had recommended a Mediterranean place for lunch called Hebab's and it was so delicious, it reminded me of med cafe in Madison! We had enough fuel to do a two hour hike up a super steep hill doing the tiki track. Most people take the gondola up to see the beautiful view of Queenstown but we thought we save the money and be active and hike up. It was super strenuous and we had to stop a lot but we made it to the top!

After our hike we did a few last walks around queenstown and then headed to Milford sound. It took about 4 hours to get there! And two of those hours were straight down the Milford sound highway. We arrived late at night and none of the lodges were open- thankfully we pulled up to one that still had some lights on. I went inside and found a guy who worked there, he said normally it's very risky to do freedom camping in the area, but he said his boss was out of town so we could park in his spot- he also let us use the lodge's bathroom- BONUS!!. We saw the beautiful starry night and got to sleep.

We woke up excited for our kayak adventure- a sunriser classic with roscoe's kayaks. It was a beautiful morning- even our guide olive was shocked at how nice it was, she said it usually rains 2/3 days there and that we were really lucky! We deserved it after the past couple of cloudy days we had. We had a nice group with a German couple, a British couple, and a Canadian couple. We kayaked through the sounds and they were beautiful. We learned that the sounds aren't actually sounds, but rather fiords- hence the name fiorland national park. Fiords are large mountain like structures that go directly into the water- so steeply there isn't an edge to stand on. We also learned the Maori story for how the fiords came to be- I'll share what I remember:

One of the Maori god's sons was given a carving utensil for his birthday and told to create something beautiful. He tried many times and failed, on his final attempt, he created the Milford sounds. He also created a little bay so people could sit and enjoy the sounds. His family threw a large party for everyone to come and enjoy what their son had created. Then the mom became upset because too many people were coming and it became too crowded to enjoy. So, she decided to create a plague to keep people moving-- she created sand flies.

Sara and I had our first sand fly experience that morning when we were making our lunches in the morning- these little annoying bugs would not leave us alone and kept flying into our van. Now it all made sense, Milford sounds were amazing but I wouldn't be able to stay more than a couple days because by the end of our day there the bugs had eaten up my legs! 

We kayaked around, saw a 163 meter waterfall, and some adorable seal pups. Our guide olive said sometimes there are penguins but normally not during this time of the year.

We had our lunches in the middle of the sounds and when we kayaked back the Canadian guy in our group noticed something moving behind a rock. Yes my friends and family, IT WAS THE RARE FIORLAND CRESTED PENGUIN!!!! The second rarest penguin species and it's not even normally out- it must have known I was coming! ;) 

It was amazing- we sat and admired the penguin before it hopped away and then we returned to shore.

We got dressed and decided because it was so nice that we'd go on a hike! We did a three hour hike to Key Summit and it was so incredible beautiful at the top! We also met a nice couple from Iowa at the top that was fun to chat with!

We got back down and headed out of Milford sound towards Te anau. We would spend the night in Te anau, have a good shower and do our laundry!

We left early in the morning to go even farther south to Invercargill. This town was very interesting and as my friend Kirsty described it "backwards" to the rest of NZ. It was a little behind the times, however they do have the best ranked cafe in NZ, so we decided to have brunch there. I had Museli with Greek yogurt, roasted peaches, coconut, and raspberry sauce- it was delicious! We walked around the town a bit and stopped in some shops, but we didn't stay long because all the stores closed around 3pm--- and this was a Saturday!!

Anyways, we headed out to drive through the Catlins, which is a scenic route with lots of beautiful places to stop along the way! 

Our first stop was the most southern tip of the South Island, and the furthest south I have ever been! It was a beautiful lookout point and we enjoyed the scenery for a bit and then hopped back in our car. Our next stop was Cario Bay. We got to the bay and there are supposed to be Dolphins there, but sadly we didn't see any. I even went knee deep into the freezing water to try and spot one, but no luck! 

We the went on a short walk to a petrified Forrest-- one of 3 in the entire world! A petrified Forrest is basically a Forrest that was destroyed and now the remains are engrained into the sand on a beach. It was neat to see!

We then continued down the road and stopped at McLean falls. We did a 20 minute hike to a waterfall, and when we got there 2 guys told us that they had discovered a path to get to the top of the waterfall. Sara and I don't say no to adventures, so we climbed up to the top and what an awesome spot it was. Such a beautiful view and so peaceful up there. We soaked it all in and then got on our way because we had to make it to roaring bay by sunset to see the Penguins go to shore. We got there just in time to see the rarest species of penguin- the yellow eyed penguin- come from the water to their burrows. We saw about 3 Penguins but from far away- and we heard that the petrified Forrest we were at before also had a penguin colony that you could see from closer up. So the penguin lover in me suggested we go back there that night to see them leave their burrows in the morning. Thankfully Sara was on board so we headed back and found a spot to freedom camp for a couple of hours.

We got up at 5:30 am to make it to the petrified Forrest at sunrise. We walked over and sat on the beach waiting for about 20 minutes. Then we spotted (well Sara spotted because I didn't have my glasses) a yellow eyed penguin! We got a little closer but kept our distance because signs said to keep about 10 meters from them. We were the only ones on the beach. One Penguin quickly went from shore to water and three others sat on a nearby rock for us to observe. 2 were cleaning each other and making loud noises. We watched in awe. Then after maybe 20 minutes, they started hopping over towards the sea. Right when they entered the water, another penguin came out from behind the rocks. This one sat far away for a while and we watched it as it just laid on its belly. Then it came within just a few meters of us in a puddle and flopped down on its belly. Then after a long time it got up and slowly made its way to sea after a few flops- I think it's little foot was bad because it kept tripping. It was adorably unbalanced. We arrived at the beach at 6 and the final penguin entered the sea at 8:30. We spent 2.5 hours alone with the Penguins and it was amazing.

We then got on the road towards Dunedin- which is a town on the southern east coast. It's known as a university town and they have a Cadbury and speights factory there: chocolate and beer. Naturally, we signed up for tours of both places and skipped doing a hike for the day. After exploring the town for a bit we headed over to Cadbury where we had a tour with lots of samples of chocolate. We learned about crumb, which is a part of the chocolate they make, we learned about the iconic kiwi chocolates: pineapple lumps, pinky, and jaffas- we didn't really like any of them too much. We learned about the process of making chocolate and went into a silo and saw a chocolate fall- like a waterfall. 

Then we walked off a bit of our chocolate by taking a hike up the steepest street in the world- Baldwin street. Yes, the street was steep but in comparison to our hikes it was a piece of cake. 

After our walk we headed over to the speights brewery tour. We had tried speights gold medal ale at other bars in NZ so we were excited to learn more about it! The tour guide was great and told us about the beer making process as well as the history of speights. My favorite facts were that foundered speights was married to a woman leading the prohibition movement who disagreed with alcohol, and he died of alcohol poisoning. We saw where they used to produce the beer and where they currently produce the beer. Their chimney has a barrel of beer at the top! After the tour we had a great tasting of 6 different beers and we got to pour the tap beers ourselves! Then we went to the bar and hung out for a bit before going back to our home.

In the morning we headed out on one last nature adventure. We were planning on driving straight up the east coast to Christchurch but because we finally we're having good weather, we decided to take a detour. We drove to Mt. Cook, which is NZ's tallest mountain & also a small village with other mountains and glaciers.

We arrived, and after a mandatory I-site visit, we headed on our last hike of the trip. It took about 4 hours and was a relatively easy hike with beautiful views of snow capped mountains and glaciers along the way, as well as a lovely rushing river. 

When we arrived at the water at the bottom of the mountain we took a rest and had our granola bars. We hiked back and were really hungry because the granola bars definitely didn't fill us up! We were told there was a nearby cafe so we decided to check it out- the only issue was we couldn't find it! Mt. Cook was a very small village, and we literally drove around in circle and could not find it. We got out and asked 3 separate people, they all pointed us in the direction saying "it's right there" and we were having the biggest struggle. Finally we realized it was attached to a motel, we parked and choked down.

We had saved our bottle of wine that we bought in Marlbourough for our last night with lucky rookie, and we thought it was only appropriate to drink it with lucky in the back of our van. We had our side door slid open so we could admire the amazing star-filled sky. I was in awe and had never seen more stars in my life-- we were told that mt. Cook is one of the best places to see stars in the world, and now I understood why. We were lying in the van with our heads sticking out the side of the door... Guess what happened? I fell asleep. I don't remember, but Sara said she had to pull me back into the van. The view was just so perfect I couldn't look away.

We thought yesterday would be our last adventure, but we were wrong. About 15 minutes after leaving mt.cook, the engine light turned on. I was driving so I asked Sara to check the manual and see what to do. It said to call roadside assistance and luckily we had signal so she did. We told them where we were and they said to get off at the next exit in Twizel and go to the auto repair shop there. As I saw the sign for Twizel I began to turn and all of a sudden the wheel became extremely hard to turn and the gas wouldn't go. Luckily, there was a place to pull over. We got out of the car and noticed the entire van was smoking from underneath. I don't know much about cars but I know that's not a good sign. We called roadside assistance again and they said they would send a tow truck within the hour. Since we wouldn't need the pillows anymore, I grabbed mine out and laid off on the side of the road for a relaxing rest. A few cars passed by, but only one stopped to see if we were ok! 

Our tow truck came to the rescue and took us and "not so lucky" rookie to the auto shop. They said we could go walk around the town while they inspected the vehicle. We were able to walk through the entire town within about an hour- it was extremely small, had 2 cafes, 1 restaurant, 4 shops, and 2 grocery stores. We went back to the auto shop to hear the diagnosis. She asked where we were from and we said the states. She said, "do they use the F word there?" I said "Fuck?" She said, " yeah, your car is fucked." We all chuckled and then Sara called lucky rentals to see what our plan of action should be. 

Thankfully, we purchases insurance at the start of the trip. They said that since we were supposed to return the van that day they would just come and get us and drive us and the car back to Christchurch. We had about 4 hours to kill before the guy arrived so we cleaned out lucky rookie and packed our bags up! Then we went back to "town" and chilled at a cafe until we had to get back to the repair shop. Our rescue driver, Cam, arrived and he said he would be our personal driver/ your guide back to Christchurch. The only thing really on our agenda for the day was so go to lake Tekapo so he took us there and we were able to get out for some photos. He also took us to some other lookout spots along the way as well. It probably ended up being a good thing our car died because we didn't have to pay for gas on the way back, we didn't have to fill up the tank at the end when we got back to Christchurch, and we didn't have to figure out transportation to our airbnb for the night, we got dropped off and didn't have to worry about them inspecting our car either! 

We arrived to our airbnb host that evening and I wasn't sure what to expect. I had been communicating with the host and there were no photos but I was pretty sure I was communicating with an Asian woman. We got dropped off and the door was open so I walked in and there was an Indian man- I confirmed, is this 63 ... ? Yup. So we walked in and I dropped my bags off. 

There was also a white woman who I soon learned was a guest there from Minneapolis! Then there was a white man who I learned lives in that home. Then a few hours later an Asian woman came in who also lives there. Sara and I showered up and I did some laundry- it was our final night together in New Zealand. 

As we tucked ourselves in and had the lights off, someone started trying to open the door! We didn't know what to do so we just laid there- and then two people enter the house speaking another language. We had no clue who there were but we went to sleep anyways.

I told Sara to wake me up at 4am to say bye- our Airbnb host actually drove her to the airport at that hour. Soon after she left I was back asleep.

I woke up in the morning and it was the weirdest feeling not having Sara right next to me. After 18 days of waking up in a van with someone next you, it's weird to wake up alone!

And that's what I felt- alone, on the other side of the world. Except I wasn't alone, the bed I was sleeping on was in the living room where the front door is, right next to the kitchen, so I woke up to a french couple having breakfast and the Indian man at his computer desk right in front of me. Then the Asian women came in from the garden. 

I still felt alone so Thankfully the airbnb had wifi so I spent the morning reconnecting with some family and friends & looking up how to get around christchurch so I could do some exploring.

My hosts were around in the morning and all of them were very helpful in telling me how to navigate the public transport. I said I was going to head out and explore, and they told me I shouldn't carry my big bag with me, and that I could pick it up later. 

Backtrack-- I was supposed to leave christchurch this morning to head to my wwoofing destination in Motueka, but the bus tickets sold out so I had to buy one for the next day. My Airbnb hosts said they were full for that night, so I didn't know where I would stay. I remembered meeting a girl on our caving adventure in the north island who is from the states, but living in christchurch for the year. I had her email to send her a group photo, so I shot her a message asking for recommendations of things to do in christchurch and cheap places to stay. She wrote back quickly and welcomed me to stay at her flat.

Fast forward-- I told my airbnb hosts that it would be out of my way to come back to get my bags, and they graciously offered to hold onto my bags and drop them off at where I would be staying next. I was a little apprehensive to leave all of my belongings with complete strangers, but I threw caution to the wind and gave them the address of where they could drop it off.

I took the bus into town and was hungry for some foooooood! The city of christchurch was hit with 2 really bad earthquakes that tore apart the city about 5 years ago. I looked at a book with before and after pictures of the city and it was crazy to see how empty the city is now, compared to when it had many buildings all around. 

I was recommended to go to re:start mall for lunch and to have a look around. The mall was made of container stores- all the cafes and shops were literally built inside huge shipping containers- it was really neat! It was meant as a way for shops and cafes to get back into business after the quake. 

I went to the container with the longest line, assuming it was the most popular and best option- I had some Mediterranean food which was delicious! I then took a look around all of the shops, listed to live music, and people watched outside for a bit. 

After that, I went to a street art gallery which was super awesome. christchurch has a lot of street art and this gallery had the street artists come in and put in installations. I really enjoyed looking around and making my way through the maze of a gallery.

I then took a wander through the botanic gardens and enjoyed shooting some photos and exploring the ginormous space filled with all different types of plants, flowers and trees. There was an indoor garden as well, and a room filled entirely with cactuses- thought you'd love it, dad!

I then took a stroll through the Canterbury (which is the region) museum. It's hard for museums to keep my attention but there was quite a but of interesting exhibits there. 

I walked around the city some more and explored different areas for a couple hours. I saw a cathedral that was destroyed from the quake that they were currently working on rebuilding. So much of the city was under construction, I often found myself turning around because I was close to entering a construction zone. After wandering, taking photos, and people watching, I headed to the girl, Ally's flat. She said she might not be there until 7, but that I could go anytime after 5 and her flat mates would let me in.

I arrived around 6 and after creeping around to make sure I was in the right place, a guy came up to me and asked if I was Rebecca. He let me into their place there were 3 people there, so I chatted with them. Two of the guys were watching cricket and I asked for them to explain the game to me. I have never watched a more confusing game. It was even difficult for them to explain the rules to me. But I slowly got the hang of it! Then my airbnb host texted me that they were on there way! Phew!!! They arrived and I sighed a sigh of relief that they didn't steal all of my things. 

Not much later, Ally arrived home, so we all chatted and had some snacks before calling it a night. 

I left the next morning to begin my wwoofing adventure!

Sending smiles from Christchurch,

Rebecca

Devil's Punchbowl at Arthur's pass

PEnguins at the Catlins

Queenstown

Mt. Cook

RIP LUCKY