A Place to Stay

After much calling, waiting, viewing, and more waiting we have found a place to stay! We looked at several flats and finally settled on the one that met our needs the best. It is a boarding house located in central Hastings, right around the area where we are looking for work. It is a rather large house with several bedrooms and tenants, about 5 others I believe, but it is clean, spacious, and we have unlimited internet! We are also able to stay as short or as long as we want--we are not tied down by a minimum length of stay. Here are some photos of our new pad:

This is our room. It's small but cozy with a twin bed and the other is a full. 

Here is the entrance to the room: we have a small set of drawers and a wardrobe to hang things.

Here is the kitchen. It's a decent size and has a grill, oven, toaster, microwave, fridges, a tea kettle, and even a rice cooker! Well suited for any type of cooking. 

Here is  picture of the front of the house. As you can see it's rather wide and there is a small yard that I am standing in that you can't see--but it has some nice trees and flowers.

And here is a courtyard in the back of the house that is spacious and would make for a nice place to eat on the warm summer nights (that are just now starting to arrive!)

Overall, we are pretty content with the place and think it will make a satisfactory "home" for the next month and a half while we work in the area. We still have not found solid work yet, but we have been applying to many places and people keep telling us it's about to get busy and that we will definitely find some work soon! We may even have two days at the end of this week at an orchard, but we have to call again tomorrow to confirm. So wish us luck! Things are looking up!

End of Cardoness

Yesterday marked one month that we have been in New Zealand and this morning we departed from the wonderful Cardoness Lodge. Our experience in NZ thus far has certainly been a positive one and the time has flown by!

We couldn't be happier in our decision to forgo Wellington for the time being to head North. Cardoness was a nice change to have some solid productivity during the day and to eat healthily and VERY very well! We definitely warmed up our muscles, as well as our appetites, and got a little tan to boot. The last two days were sunny and hot--but they provided a clear view of the scenery--including the mountain ranges in the distance that had been previously covered by clouds. Apparently it was the mountain range used as Mordor in the Lord of the Rings movies!

But Neil and Sarah couldn't have been better hosts and their son, Chris, was great to work for, as his passion for their wine was apparent and we learned a lot from them. They have even offered to ask around their own contacts for any work that could be available to us. We also hope to go back here and there to do some day work on the vineyard and occasionally join them for dinner. Or perhaps we will run into them at the monthly Quiz Night! But they have been most helpful in offering advice and assistance during our stay here and it was wonderful to meet Mark and Pam as well. We hope to keep in touch and possibly see each other again as we travel around New Zealand. 

Our last day with them we headed to a local pub after work called the Chook and Filly where Neil treated the four of us (me, John, Mark, and Pam) to a round of beer and some fun games of pool. I proved to be decidedly not talented, while Mark and Pam were quite humble about their pool talents! We still had a good time and I learned a bit more about how to play. It was a great way to spend our last evening there.

When we returned back to the lodge Sarah had prepared a wonderful meal for us. Salmon, new potatoes, and asparagus with Hollandaise sauce. Now, I had never had salmon as I generally don't like much sea food, but I had it AND I really liked it! So there you go, constantly expanding my horizons. The whole meal was delicious and was topped off by a scrumptious strawberry meringue, tea, and another game of cards.  

We were also treated to a beautiful sunset on our last night. It had been a lovely day and the sunset, to me, (I'm sure John would find it a bit hokey) seemed indicative of good things to come as we move on to our next experience!

Cardoness

Well, we were lucky enough to extend our stay at the Cardoness Lodge! We've been enjoying the work and the food even more. Every day we get three delicious meals--we have definitely been spoiled. On Friday it was the British holiday "Guy Fawkes" day to celebrate the guy who, in the 1600s, tried to blow up parliament. So to celebrate, they blow up fireworks! 

The day before we went to go grab some beers with Mark and Pam after work at a local bar called Roosters. It's a microbrewery but their beers are good and rather cheap! It was definitely popular with the locals. 

Then on Guy Fawkes night we went into town with Mark and Pam and watched the fireworks from the side of the road as it was $10 to enter the park where they were being shot off. We mostly caught the tail end of them, but after that we headed up to Napier where, the word was, you could light a bonfire on the beach. And indeed, there were tons!

We found some hot embers that another group had left behind and got it restarted to make our own fire. The boys were determined to make the fire as big as possible, even when it started raining! But we did end up having a nice, big fire and even found some leftover small fireworks that we were able to set off. It was a fun evening and a nice way to celebrate the occasion.

Saturday we had the day off as it was really windy and so John and I ventured out to get some lunch at a local cafe. We just had burgers but they were huge and delicious and it was nice to get out and see some more of the town. 

Earlier in the week John and I cooked dinner that night for everyone. We made lemon chicken and creme brulee for dessert! Then on Saturday night Mark and Pam made dinner for us and it was equally delicious with dessert fondue to top it off! We also learned a new card game after dinner that Neil taught us called Swift. It's kind of like spades if you have every played that. It was lots of fun and Pam and I tied for 1st place but she won in the tie breaker round. It was still good fun.

For the moment we are enjoying our last few days here at Cardoness while looking for work and a new place to stay--hopefully for the long term (next 2 months). The holidays are coming up so we are hoping to be settled by then!

Working Hard

It's been a few days, so I thought I would provide a quick update!

Well, our legs and backs are sore but it's been well worth it! We've thoroughly been enjoying our week at the Cardoness Lodge thus far. We've been learning all about wine making and engaging in the process! We learned this week how to shoot thin two different ways--cane thinning and spur thinning. It's a lot of standing on your feet but we only work 5 hours a day so it's not too bad.

We get up, enjoy a nice breakfast, work from 9 to noon, enjoy some lunch, head back out at 1, and work til 3. Drinking lots of tea in the meantime. After work we then have the rest of the day to do whatever--which is nice! We are also provided wonderful dinners every night and it's great! We haven't eaten this well since we arrived in NZ.

We are working with another couple--Mark and Pam--from Great Britain. They have been in the country 4 months and have worked here before, but they are very nice and great company! They are both 30 but don't mind hanging out with some early 20-year-olds.

Last night we ventured out to "Quiz Night" (trivia) at a local pub with Neil, Sarah,  their daughter Kelly, Mark, and Pam. Didn't do too well, but it was fun regardless! During the day we have been working with Neil and Sarah's son Chris, who is the wine-making extraordinaire! He's been educating us a lot about the whole process. 

So, despite our soreness we are enjoying our time here. We are constantly looking for more work in the area and are hoping something comes through soon!

Honey, Fruit, and Ice Cream

UPDATE: Photos added!

Well, a little chill has settled over the area just in time for Halloween (not really a big holiday here, but it's catching on)! When we woke up this morning ( at 7 a.m. to catch the last bits of The Rally to Restore Sanity online) it was quite cold and rainy. Luckily, the weather in NZ is unpredictable, so it turned out to be a nice, though chilly, day!

We had to check out of our hostel by 10 a.m. but were not due to Neil and Sarah's until 4 so we kind of had to make up our day as we went along--and it turned out to be quite a pleasant one!

We started off heading towards an area on the coast called "Cape Kidnappers," but don't let the name fool you--it's a nice beach area that has the largest gannet (a type of native bird) colony in the world. We didn't quite reach down to the colony, as it was a long walk, but we took a little stroll down the stone beach (getting caught in a small, passing rainstorm) to take in the nice views.

After that we decided to drive into the closest town called Havelock North just to take a look around and maybe get some lunch. There wasn't much and many of the cafes were closed, so we grabbed a cheap bit to eat before heading to a nearby Honey factory/museum, called Arataki, that we read about it in one of our many brochures and it was free entry and free honey tasting!

It turned out to be quite interesting--you learned all about honey bees and how honey is made. They had microscopes set up with a variety of things to look at--bees, drones, workers, a queen, bees heads (cause they have 3 microscopic eyes that you can't see!), some bees knees (to be funny), honey combs, and the like. They also had a bee colony on the wall that you could watch to see how the whole process happens (and spot the one queen bee!) You also go to taste a wide variety of different honeys, some I had never tasted before, but they were quite delicious!

They also had there a special type of honey called "Manuka" that is found in a flower here in New Zealand and has amazing antimicrobial/antibiotic properties. They had everything from the actual honey itself to the extensive range of skin care products that contain Manuka--helping everything from dry skin, to eczema, to acne.

John decided to purchase a few small jars, including the Manuka, as a nice souvenir. 

The woman who checked us out was very friendly, asking where we were from and what our plans were for the day. We had intended next to go to a famous ice cream place in New Zealand called Rush Munroe's, as we heard it was delicious, 100% Kiwi ice cream. However, the woman at the counter noted that the company had changed hands in the last year and that, coupled with the general success of the brand, had resulted in a decrease in quality--at least she thought so. She recommended her favorite local ice cream that was actually located on a fruit orchard called Pernel and said we should go there instead--so we did! Turns out it was a great suggestion.

When we arrived we saw that we had just gotten there in time for the last tour of the day, though we were the only two who wanted to go on one--but no matter! We started the tour with a short video and a nice fruit tasting, including some varieties I had never tried before--like a pacific rose, a golden kiwi, and another type of pear. We were then escorted out to a big tour trailer pulled behind a tractor.

One of the owners, Philip, who is the third generation in the family to run the orchard came out to greet us on our tour. He started out asking a lot of questions about us: where we were from, how did we meet, why were we in New Zealand, why did we chose New Zealand, what we were up to in the area, and what did we think about Barack Obama? It was a great conversation to start, completely off topic, but we learned about d a lot of random things like sheep dogs ( as the owner had a black lab/sheep dog mix that also came out to greet us), different things about the area and New Zealand, as well as learning about fruit. We then got started on the tour and learned all about different varieties and all the complexities that go into a fruit orchard. Here is a picture while we were on the tour:

We then stopped at a small farm they had on site where they have free range chickens (in which they sell the eggs), two goats, a donkey, some pigs, and lamb and sheep. Some of the sheep were in desperate need of shearing! They were quite wooly. We were able to feed them some apples and pet them up close:

At a certain point in the tour the tractor broke down so we walked the rest of the way, but as it was sunny out at that point it was quite a nice stroll. We stopped by his brothers house, just off the property, and he picked two oranges off the tree in their yard to give to us. As the tour ended he told us to come back by in about 3-4 weeks as he may have some work available then (since we told him about our job search for some fruit picking) and to just mentioned whoever we talk to that we met Philip on a tour--nice guy!

We, of course, had to stop for some ice cream before we left. The way they make it is you combine either a vanilla ice cream or frozen base with frozen fruit. They had several choices to chose from--I had raspberry and John had a local fruit called fuijola. They put all the ingredients in a machine and I guess it squeezes the fruit to get the flavors and cuts it all up to blend it right in with the ice cream. It was delicious!

After that it was time to head to the Cardoness Lodge to meet Sarah and Neil Smith! Even though it has been at least 5 years, they recognized John right away. The lodge is beautiful, as is the surrounding scenery! We got a little tour of the place, got all set up in our (REALLY nice) room, and chatted a bit about what he had been up to thus far and the work we were hoping to get. They are so nice to accommodate us at their beautiful lodge--it's by far the nicest place we have stayed (and probably will stay) in NZ! There are two other people here doing the same thing we are and we look forward to getting to know them more when we work together tomorrow doing some thinning in the vineyard!

Here is a picture of our room and the lodge from the outside:

We look forward to being productive this week, doing some work while hoping to find other work to self-sustain us. We have had about 4 possible opportunities presented to us thus far from various people and hopefully some of them pan out! But for the week, we will definitely be enjoying ourselves (and working hard, of course)!

Wine Country

Well, who knew day drinking could be so fun and insightful? Our last two days in Napier have been dedicated to appreciating the local wineries around town and doing some tasting--in the middle of the afternoon.

The day we got back from tramping was a relaxation day and the day after that we ventured over to Hastings, the town right next to us, to inquire about some work with Pick NZ. We registered with their local office and they will text us if any work comes up--hopefully in a few weeks! We then took a short drive up to Te Mata Peak. From the top you could see almost all of Hawkes Bay--it was a beautiful sight!

Yesterday, we decided to do a nice biking wine tour of the area. The company that runs the tour, Bike D'Vine, was owned and operated from the home of a nice Kiwi woman. When we got there she showed us a map and gave us a detailed explanation of where to go and what to expect. We were provided with bikes, a helmet, a basket, water bottles, and a map that would velcro onto a plate right in front of us so we could see where we were going. The route we decided to take was mostly flat, but even so it was a good workout! Our first stop was Church Road winery. An old one, established in the late 1800s, it was very pretty with an old cask room inside. The woman seemed a bit busy so we didn't spend too much time there--sampled about four wines--two white and two red--before heading to our next destination. Though not before taking a picture!

Our next stop was Mission Estate, the oldest winery in New Zealand--established in 1851.

We had a wonderful tasting experience there. The sommelier was nice, talkative, and gave us a good selection of 6 wines to taste. He also gave us a lot more information about the wines than the previous place, and was more about getting to know people as well. I learned about Ice Wine, something I hadn't heard of before. It's where you freeze the grapes to reduce the volume but it also makes them very sweet--making it a nice dessert wine.  We didn't try that one, but their Pinot Gris and Merlot were my personal favorites! After having all that wine, about 10 tastings in total at that point, I was definitely feeling them a bit! Luckily we were on bikes! Clearly the woman who gave us the map understood the best route to take, and that spacing out tastings was key, as she recommended a nice cafe to stop at right around the corner for lunch. It was called the Wild Rose Cafe and it was situated in a beautiful, quaint rose garden. Apparently, each day of the week all the roses are changed to a different color. The day we were there, the roses were a nice pinkish-red color. After a delicious lunch and apple turnovers for desert (on which I burnt my tongue!), as well as some sobering up on my part, we headed to the next stop which was actually a chocolate factory!

Silky Oak is a local chocolate factory right in town--it's a small and humble building housing a delicious treat! The chocolate is quite pricey as it is priced by the gram, so buying a small box of chocolates could cost you $20-30. However, they have a display of nice truffles that you could buy singularly, so we had to each buy one to try!  There were so many good-looking flavors it was hard to pick just one! John had a nice white and milk chocolate swirled piece in the shape on a seashell and I had a Hazelnut and Butterscotch Truffle cup! It was delicious--soft hazelnut and butterscotch flavored chocolate filling in a little milk chocolate cup. It was a nice end to our lunch and we headed off to our next stop!

Here is a little video of a rotary pathway we took on our bike tour:

I am quite proud to say I extracted my camera from it's case, turned it on, put it on video, and recorded that whole bit with one hand while still balancing on my bike. I've got skills. :)

We were supposed to go to two more wineries--Park Estate and Brookfields VIneyards. However, Park Estate was undergoing liquidation, and while they were selling their wine for cheap, there were no longer tastings or a vineyard to explore. So we were told to just skip over that one. When we arrived at Brookfields at 3:30 in the afternoon it was already closed for the day. The Bike D'Vine woman noted that this vineyard was a boutique winery and the couple lived on site, so if they weren't busy they would often close early--as was the case when we got there. So, even though we had biked quite a bit to get to these places, we decided to head on to the next stop: The Filter Room!

This was the last tasting stop on the tour and a good way to end as it was a Brewery and Cidery--brewing their own local beverages on site. It was the only place where you had to pay for a tasting but they had a good deal going: $13.50 to try 6 different drinks. So John and I each picked out three and we ended up getting: a vodka and lemon mix (they also make their own vodka), a hard cider, a nice porter, a summer ale, a ginger beer, and a pear cider. All of which were delicious and a refreshing way to end our tour.

On our way back to the starting point we passed an Old Church (that's it's name). It was, obviously, an old church that has been converted into a nice restaurant and it's situated next to a beautiful vineyard. It had lovely decorations on the inside and still had the original stain glass windows that lined the walls. We took a look at the menu and while it looked amazing, it was quite a pricey place so we just took a quick tour around the grounds before heading back. 

By the end of the trip my legs were sore! But it was a fun day and a nice way to explore the region and enjoy some wine!

Today, we decided to continue our exploration by visiting a vineyard that was on another route of the bike tour, but that we didn't have time to visit. It's called Moana Park and it's a small, boutique vineyard set a little further from the others. They have a small staff, about 5 people full time, and one of them served as our sommelier. He was a very nice guy, gave us 7 wines to taste, and told us a lot about wine making in general and in the region. They had a delicious Chardonnay and I was also able to taste an Ice Wine--it was very sweet and would make a wonderful substitute for a dessert! He also let us try one of their port wines, called a "Tawny", that tasted like caramel and was delicious! Hopefully, once we get some jobs we can send some of the wines back to the states as Christmas gifts--as most of them you can't find in the U.S. 

We decided to stop back by the winery that was closed the day before, as it was on our way back to Napier, and to our delight it was open! 

Though on the way, as luck would have it, we passed through a police checkpoint on our route, stopping cars for roadside BAC tests! Luckily John was driving as he has a much higher tolerance than I do (and I was feeling a bit tipsy from the 7 wines I had tasted at the previous place), and we were able to pass through the checkpoint with no problems--but what were the odds? You wouldn't see something like that, in midday, in the U.S. Apparently the government is very serious about cracking down on drinking and driving and NZ definitely has a drinking culture. Also, with wine tours going on, apparently it's not weird to have mid-day check points since that's when the wineries are open.

But we arrived at Brookfields with no problems.  We stopped in and one of the owners, Sharon, (she and her husband bought it about 30 years ago) came out to give us a tasting. They had a nice Riesling and a nice Cabernet Merlot, but interestingly, we didn't talk about wine with her that much. From the beginning she was very open to conversation, and after learning a little about us, started telling us about herself. She mentioned the struggles that a small vineyard like theirs have been having lately. Mostly due to the fact that New Zealand is also in a bit of a recession, but also because every vineyard is at the mercy of the weather and it can be devastating to a small vineyard to have a bad year. She mentioned how, these days, her husband is constantly stressing about money and monitoring cash flows to make sure they stayed afloat (even after so many years) and she outwardly pondered whether it was worth it as this point in her life. She loved the fact that we were traveling and having fun, as that was something she has been fortunate to do but craved to do more of. She told us a story about how she loved to ride horses, but had given up the hobby for a long time. Then recently, she had a chance to buy her own horse and got back into riding again. She was riding on the beach one day with her husband when she said she heard the sound of laughter. It took her a minute to realize the laughter was coming from her--a spontaneous moment of joy and laughter like she hadn't felt in years. She noted that she and her husband loved making wine, but at this point it was less of a pleasure with all the monetary stresses that were plaguing them, the country, and the world for that matter. She wanted to focus on what mattered, what made her happy and what made her laugh, rather than worrying about money.

It was a lovely story, but it just got me thinking. The world is so interconnected these days and economies are so tied together, the decisions of a few greedy men in the U.S. can create problems for people half-way around the world that they have never heard of. The reprehensible decisions of a few "blue-eyed white men" in the United States (as I believe a Latin American president was quoted as saying recently) could mean hard times for a small family winery in small town New Zealand. The breadth and scope of the fallout from our own economy's fail resonated with me while talking with this woman. When the decisions were being made that would eventually result in our economic collapse, those responsible had no idea, nor probably cared to think of, just how many people they were hurting. And while this may prove for her an opportunity to move on to something different, something in which she has fun again, the reason as to why she would have to move on, why it's no longer fun, saddened and angered me. But it also highlighted the fact that it truly is a small world. New Zealand seemed so far away from home, so exotic and remote. And while it is a bit isolated from the rest of the world, it is still very much a part of it, it was still connected in many ways to my own home. 

Yet the whole time we spent with her she barely talked about any of her wines, let alone tried to sell them. She said she preferred people who actually tried to find the vineyard, who sought them out, who wanted to come and taste her wine rather than plugging themselves through lots of advertising. But instead of then trying to gain business, she took these instances of interaction with strangers as an opportunity for good conversation, to learn about other people, and to engage different people from probably all over the world. It no longer seemed all about the business for her, it was about the pleasures that wine could still bring. I was glad that we decided to stop by after having missed them the day before, as it was one new memorable experience in this country, and one more great conversation with someone whom I had just met. 

We returned from our wine tour, went back to the hostel, and then in the evening walked over to a local spa, called Ocean Spa, right on the beach. For a small entry fee we would have access to all their hot pools, cold pools, saunas, and steam rooms. It was a nice, relaxing way to end the day and it was beautiful right on the ocean. There were a lot of young people there as it was a Friday night, and some families, but it was still a good time. Here is a picture of John and I in one of the jacuzzis:

John and I are in Napier for one more day and after that it's on to Hastings to work on a vineyard/B&B! We are excited for the new opportunity and I will keep everyone posted as things progress!

Te Puia

Well, we survived our first tramp! It was about an hour and half drive outside of Napier, through lots of country side, back roads, and a slightly treacherous final road up to the parking lot (it was very narrow and very high up a steep ledge). We parked, got our packs all set up, and headed out! The trail is considered a "Great Walk" and while there were many walking parts, there were also steep parts too! It was definitely a workout and a good thing that we worked out at the gym for two weeks before we left! Helped us get in shape. The steep parts got you to the tops of hills and mountains that offered spectacular views. Here's a look at one of those towards the beginning of the trail:

It took us about 3 hours of tramping to get to the hut site--though in the hot sun it felt like a long time! It's a good thing we wore our sunscreen because the sun is definitely strong! When we finally arrived at the hut it was quite busy. Monday was a national holiday so most people got a nice 3-day weekend--so even on a Sunday it was quite a popular place to be! There were about 15 other people, though the hut slept 26 so we didn't have trouble grabbing a spot. It was set up so there were 2 large bunk beds so to speak on each side--each with a long mattress enough to sleep 6 people. In the middle was a counter with two burners, a sink, and some tables--very basic. But, the outside provided a nice view:

After putting down our stuff we made our way to the hot springs! It was a 45 min. walk from the hut, but nothing too strenuous and it was so relaxing once you got there! The water poured down into a PVC pipe and then flowed into two fiber glass tubs. You could move the pipe to allow more water in and out--the more it flowed, the hotter the water!

Scattered all around the spring were pumice rocks. Many people had carved faces into them, as they were very malleable, and placed them around the rocks surrounding the pools. Of course John had to exercise his artistic talents and carved up a few to add to the collection! He did a skull:

He also carved a small rock in the shape of a crest with our initials on it and '10, as well as a full on face in which he found other rocks to decorate it and give it color!

After spending a good amount of time at the hot springs (it beat taking a cold bath in the river!) we ventured back to the hut to have some dinner and get some rest! Compared to some of the other experienced trampers there, we were a tad unprepared as we forgot some important items that would have been very useful: toilet paper (though we did manage with what we had!), matches or a lighter, our own pot to cook in, band-aids, and bug spray. This last one would have been very beneficial to me, as the one thing that put a damper on the trip was the tiny black flies that were everywhere and they bit! They were also like mosquitoes because they itched afterwards and boy did I get eaten alive! I now itch all over my legs and feet. Of course, they didn't touch John. But we still made do, as it was PB&J for the next two days! Luckily, we had that nice meal the night before we left. The only other damper on the trip was that night, as there were a lot of people in the hut, and thus, some snorers. Unfortunately for us, the one person who snored the loudest and the most decided to sleep right next to John and I! It was a bit of a struggle to get to sleep. Though he left early the next morning--as did everyone else. 

For most of the second day, John and I had the place to ourselves. We spent most of the day relaxing, reading, doing crossword puzzles, and of course making a trip to the hot springs! One guy from Finland stopped by during the day, but only for a bit before heading on down the river in a bright green child's inner tube! It was quite amusing to watch. When we returned from the hot springs that evening, we had two hunters join us--they were very nice, one was very quiet, and neither of them snored!

Here is a little video I took of us during the second day:

We got better sleep that night and arose early the next morning to head back out. We left at around 8:30 and due to the early morning, plus the cloudy weather, the hike was much cooler than the one going in. This made it seem to go by faster and made it seem much less strenuous since we didn't have the sun beating down on us. We made it back to the car park in good time before heading back to Napier.


We definitely had a nice time and it was a good learning experience as it wasn't too difficult a tramp and there were enough facilities to accommodate for our lack of preparation. However, we are happy to be back in civilization with a warm bed, pillow, hot showers, and free internet! Tomorrow we head to the Pick NZ office in Hastings to try and line up some work so wish us luck!