The good life in Wanaka

Hi all!  Sorry for another long while without word, but, to be honest, nothing too exciting has happened.  Well, nothing compared to my past adventures.. .

I believe I told you all that I fell in love with New Zealand when I went to Milford Sound.  In reality, I didn’t know love until I went to Wanaka.  I planned on staying there for no more than a week, and then going somewhere else for New Year’s.  As you may have already gathered, this did not happen.  Nope, Wanaka just kept pulling me in, and I only left this past Monday.  I went hiking, sailing, walking, lounging (if the Olympics were to take place in Wanaka, by the way, the latter would be accepted and respected as a true sport).  Life was great there, and Wellington (where I am now) seems very chaotic and a little overwhelming.

For a bit I felt guilty about spending so much time in one place when there was so much more to see of this wonderful country!  But then I got to thinking – how much of any place can you see by obsessively planning and limiting your time in any one place to a day or two?  In my experience doing this earlier in my trip, I didn’t feel like I’d really seen or come to respect the beauty of a certain place – it just made me feel displaced and rushed in my journey, and my thoughts were always two days ahead of where my body was.  Just think for a moment how easy it is nowadays to get from one place to the other – what might have taken several days now might take only a few hours.  It truly affects how we have all come to view the world, which is good in some ways, I suppose, but not necessarily in others.  It used to be that half the journey was the act of getting there.  Maybe it’s just me, or maybe I’ve tapped into some true-blue backpacker philosophy, but I don’t think it’s worth traveling if you don’t take the time to really see all that is around you.  Just looking isn’t enough.  To quote one of my favorite Thoreau essays, “Walking”:

…Of course it is of no use to direct our steps to the woods, if they do not carry us thither. I am alarmed when it happens that I have walked a mile into the woods bodily, without getting there in spirit … What business have I in the woods, if I am thinking of something out of the woods?…

I may not have taken the real touristy road around New Zealand, but I’m so happy with my experience.  In fact, I’d be willing to bet that I may have seen more of New Zealand than a lot of other travelers…

So, before this turns into a full-fledged college essay, I’ll finish by telling you all that I’m safe and sound in Wellington, awaiting my Indian tourist visa and mentally preparing for my flight out of Auckland to Melbourne a week form today.  The prospect of leaving this country really saddens me, but the road goes ever on, and I’m ready for India!

[Also, while my photos are all up and ready for your viewing pleasure on Facebook, I am putting together a Flickr account for those of you who don’t use “The Book”.]

Adventures in Fiordland

Hello all!  After a short pitstop in Dunedin (where I’ll be headed for New Years), I headed to Te Anau with my new travel partner, Sam.  The town itself isn’t that exciting (aside from some great mountain views), and it wasn’t until I got into Milford sound on Tuesday that I really fell in love with this part of New Zealand.

Sam and I decided it would be so much more fun to do a kayaking trip in Milford Sound instead of taking a cruise, so we booked a trip, eagerly anticipating waking up at 5:00 AM to catch the bus (well, I was any way…).  At 6:00 AM we depart with some fellow adventurers to Milford Sound just as it begins to rain (which is actually a very good thing when kayaking in Milford – the waterfalls become really magnificent).  We arrive at about 7:30 AM, already gawking at the mountains that are towering above us and eagerly put on the gear that the company provides us with.

So, after a quick low-down on how to manage in a kayak, we set off to explore Milford Sound.  I volunteer to take the backseat of the 2-person kayak (ever so fondly nicknamed “divorce boats”) and, after a bit of practice with the pedals that control the rudder, Sam and I are putting around in high style.  Our guide, Tim, was really great and we stopped several times along the way to hear stories about the sound (which is actually a fiord – formed by glaciers), the wildlife, and to partake in general Kiwi debauchery (which is not unlike Mainah debauchery, really…).  After a good 4-5 hours on the water (including a rather comical toilet break in the woods underneath a waterfall), we had a quick cup of tea in Milford “City” (yeah, not a city) and then headed back to Te Anau, stopping for a few Kodak moments and to fill our water bottles with some icy cold glacial runoff.

At the end of the day, we were damp, a little sore, and altogether content with the day’s events.  Milford sound really is a magical place, and I can’t wait to return one day.

So, adventure number two is one I had on my own (well, somewhat – you always meet people along the way).  On Wednesday, I decided to climb Mt. Luxmoore, an 8-10 hour hike that marks the beginning of the Keplar Track, one of New Zealand’s “Great Walks”.  I decided it would be an OK idea to walk to the trailhead, which means an extra 45 min.- 1 hour of walking.  I also decided that some almonds and an orange would be plenty of sustenance for the day’s walk.  You can see where this is going.  To make a long story short, regardless of my extreme fatigue, I summited Mt. Luxmoore and, despite the state I was in, was blown away by the views on the way up.  I guess, no matter what, I can’t start climbing a mountain without making it to the top, even if I have push a little too hard.  I also don’t think this is a bad thing 😀

I met some new friends on the way up, including the first Mainer I’ve met on the trip thus far!  Also, I met a girl originally from Vermont, now living in Alaska, with whom I traveled to Wanaka (where I am currently).  Wanaka is an incredible place: snow-capped mountains dominate the horizon across Lake Wanaka and there is no shortage of things to do.  I went to the coolest movie theater I’ve ever been to (ever) on the rainy day that my new Vermonter friend, Maria, and I rolled in; there were couches and an intermission for which you could order food ahead of time.  Yesterday, we went on a short trek (about 4 hours return) called the Rob Royce trail, which ends up at a beautiful lookout with waterfalls and a huge glacier towering above.

The weather is sunny and warm here and it looks like I’ll be staying for Christmas.  Hope all is well at home – I’ve been hearing tales of massive amounts of snow…Happy Holidays everyone!

At long last…

Well, I must admit I feel really terrible about not posting for the past few weeks; I have to say, not having a computer or a cell phone is really testing my will…

I suppose I’ll start with where I am at the moment, a little town called Hampden, an hour north of Dunedin at what’s called a lifestyle block (a bigger property in the country with enough acreage to plant a garden or two and have sheep and chooks) owned by two great WWOOF hosts named Glenys and Peter.  They run their own aromatherapry business, but don’t sell any of their veggies on a commercial level – their business keeps them very busy (which, of course, is where WWOOFers like myself come in!).  In the past week I’ve done a mixture of the following:  weeded, tilled soil, planted a number of plants (borage, carrots, beetroot, radishes, a number of squash, herbs…you get the idea), sprayed fruit trees with an essential oil mixture to help cure a nasty little fungus that spread in damp weather, befriended a very eccentric black cat, chased a frantic and stubborn group of chickens into their pen, turned a compost pile, shoveled sheep poop to supplement another compost pile, wrestled the eight makers of afore-mentioned sheep poop (the sheep) so that they could get a dose of some herbal remedy Glenys and Peter had made, and (if that isn’t enough to sate even the hungriest of WOOFFers, of their friends) I commenced reading “The Omnivore’s Dilemma”.  And I think I’ve forgotten some…

Peter and Glenys live very wholesome lives, and have a really great property going here.  I’ve learned a multitude of things in the past week that and have really been inspired to take these skills and pass them on when I return to the States.  I think that most important thing I’ve learned is that the learning never stops.  There are dozens of different growing methods and tricks, and even the most experienced of farmers doesn’t know every thing there is to know.  Learning is doing, and that’s all there is to it.

Now, how did I get here from Nelson, you  might ask?  Well, let me give you a brief outline of the past few weeks’ events:

• Hitchhiking from Nelson to Christchurch – 11 hours of sun, frustration, laughter, fatigue and, in the end, fulfillment.  We got rides from 5 different people, Jez and I, including a guy in an 18-wheeler carrying about 2 tons of wool!
• A busride from Christchurch to Invercargill which, in fact, took me farther than I needed to go, resulting in a rather reluctant and unexpected stay in Invercargill.
• Getting a ride from the woman at an Information Center who was headed back up to Dunedin and driving right through Clinton, the town where my next WWOOFing destination was and where I should have been the night before.
• Wairuna organics!!  A commercial veg farm based in Clinton, owned by Shaun and Pia (and their daughter Arisha who I taught to play guitar!) where I stayed in a camper van for 2 weeks and worked doing variations of the following: weeding the carrot, beetroot, turnip, and bean patches, as well as in the tunnel houses (which housed lettuce, tomatoes, peas, &c.), SLUG HUNTING (a chore that needs to be done at night when they come out to feed – let me tell you, it was slug DOOMSDAY the minute I set my muddy, booted foot in that tunnel house), harvesting watercress, and (the icing on the cake) working with Pia at the Dunedin Farmers’ Market selling vegetables.  Life was good at Wairuna, but it was time to move on.
• A 3-day layover in Dunedin where I stayed with an American couple, Dave and Andrea, who I’d met at the farm in Clinton and who’ve been living in Dunedin for two years.  We became fast friends on the farm, and it was great staying with them and having three days of normalcy – I befriended their chickens (who are surprisingly domesticated!), collected some great recipes, and enjoyed some great conversation.  It was harder to leave than I expected…I guess moving around so much makes you forget how great it is to feel really at home somewhere.  Leaving Dunedin triggered some homesickness that I had managed to suppress until then, and so, in addition to being educational, the past week has been slightly tainted with missing my family and friends.

Well, in a nutshell, I guess that pretty much sums it up!  I’ve met a fellow WWOOFer from Minnesota, Samantha, with whom I’ll be traveling to Te Anau tomorrow.  From here on out I’m spending my days in New Zealand as a tourist, seeing the sights as I make my way back up north to catch my flight to Australia on the 16th of January (yes, Dennis, I will be climbing Mt. Taranaki :D).

I have lots more to say as far as my organic education goes, trust me, but that will be left for another post.  I’ll try to be better at posting, I promise, and photos to come!!  I’ve been taking lots.

Woof!! (not WWOOF)

So, UPDATE on my stay in Picton (which has come to an end – I’ve moved on to Nelson).  I decided, despite the drizzly weather, to go for a little tramp; the guidebook I’ve been using (which has proved to be quite an asset) recommended a hike called “The Snout” which is 2 hours one way.  I inquired at the desk of the hostel to see if it was, in fact any good, to which they replied, “With or without dog?”.  “Like, as in “woof” – dog?” I asked.  I was promptly introduced to Millie, a sturdy little yellow lab who loves to go on tramps with backpackers and knows her way around Picton quite well.  I was sold at that point and gathered my things for a day hike!

I set out with my trusty companion and, at a junction in the trail, met a Dutch couple and continued the rest of the way with them.  While the weather was less than perfect, the day was great; the trail ended in an outcrop that overlooked a beautiful cove where we stayed for a bite and to watch the water ferries pass by.

I made some friends at the hostel and went out for a pint at the Irish pub in town where they were playing traditional Irish music (and when I say “a pint”, I only bought “a pint” – they bought me two more…).  I departed for Nelson today a bit reluctantly, having already paid for my bus ticket – otherwise I would have stayed another night; Picton is a small town, but I really enjoyed it, and would have loved to do TONS more tramping there.  I will certainly be stopping there on my way back up.

Nelson, however, is a great place as well.  The hostel I’m in now is more like a hotel, but still in keeping with typical NZ hostel costs.  Fancy pants!!  I just talked for about and hour and a half with a guy from England who’s travelled extensively and has, in fact, lived in Dharamsala for 8 months (where I’m headed in January)!  He’s going to give me some tips and some contacts, which will be excellent!  In addition to this, he’s also been to Taize, France where the Taize religion originated in the ’60s, which I practice (very sporadically) at home.

Just the past two days have been a boost – the hike was a well-needed retreat from the bigger cities and the stress of getting from one place to another, and the company of like-minded travellers was much-needed.  I’m really sinking my teeth into the backpacking experience at this point and embracing every encounter.  I’m realizing now just how amazing it is to meet people from all walks of life, from all different countries and cultures, and to realize that we are, in fact, not all that different; we’re all (in the hostels anyway) embracing the same kind of lifestyle, whether it be for a period of weeks, months, or even years.  I’ve learned (or rather, am learning) that any energy spent on trying to be anything but myself is energy wasted; all I can expect of myself is myself, and I can’t expect more of anyone else.  So, onward and upward it is!

On the road again

So I’ve finally gotten a moment to sit down, here in Picton, to tell some tales about the last week or so.  In case you don’t know where Picton is, I’ve made it to the South Island.  There scenery is already more dramatic.  BY THE WAY: photos will come soon, once I can get to a computer that I can use to upload my photos.  Which will probably be in Otago…

After arriving in Wellington, I stayed in the apartment of the daughter of my WWOOFing hosts for 3 days, and then I made my way to a hostel that sat on a hill overlooking downtown.  Day before yesterday I went to the U-17 Women’s World Cup for the hefty entrance fee of $10 (NZ).  It was Canada v. Germany and, while I cheered for Canada, we lost to Germany’s stealth.  It was good fun, and it was a beautiful day!  I’ll have to make it to a real football match one of these days…

[Also, as a side note, I’ve met about 17 Germans since I got here.  Compared to about 2 Americans.  Seriously, I’m speaking more German than English!!]

So, I took the ferry from Wellington to Picton yesterday, which was uneventful save the breathtaking views.  The mountains have gotten significantly higher, and I was hoping to go for a little tramp today, but the weather is pretty crappy, so maybe another day…

I’ve been pretty lucky with the hostels so far; the one I’m in now is really nice (a restored villa).  I’ve been avoiding the bigger ones which not only cost more, but tend to attract the sketch balls…I’m headed to Nelson tomorrow by bus, and hopefully my luck will hold!  Did I also mention that I’m living off of rice and beans (complete protein!!), and apples until I get to the farm?  Phenominal, I tell you!!  I’ll sure know how to budget shop when I get home…

So, after Nelson I’m off to Christchurch, and then from there to Dundedin where I’ll meet my next WWOOFing hosts!  I’m ready to settle down somewhere for longer than a few days – sight-seeing in the bigger cities by myself has gotten quite boring (although the botanical gardens in Wellington were GREAT).  A lot of other travellers I’ve met have been doing so for upwards of 3 months, bouncing from hostel to hostel, getting work where they can.  It occurs to me that NZ really is a good place to experiment and feel out the backpacker experience.  I’m learning to come out of my shell a bit, although, with so many people in different places on their respective journeys, it’s been hard to make any long-lasting ties or find people to travel with.  Hopefully this will change, but it has been a little lonely.  Working towards my goal of learning more about growing food and coming home with some solid stellar skills in the garden, I think, will remedy these feelings.

I miss everyone, and I hope all is well.  I LOVE getting your comments, so keep ’em coming, even if I don’t respond!  And, again, photos will come, hopefully sooner rather than later…

Wine

So, for the past week I’ve been in the lovely town of Levin, which lies just north of Wellington.  It was about a 10-hour bus ride to get here from Auckland, and the scenery was incredible – I passed several potential Hobbitons ;D

Levin is your typical farm town, about 5K away from the beach, and nestled in a beautiful mountain range.  The winery is set just outside of town on a lake that, just a few hundred years ago, was the site of many epic battles between local Maori tribes.  The winery operates on the oldest brewing methods (hence the name “Celtic Winery), so there are no chemicals involved in the fermenting process – just fruit and honey.  Right now, they’re in the midst of planning for an annual eco-festival held here in Levin that’s taking place on January 16th (the day I head to Australia – c’est la vie), so aside from bottling and labeling about 20 boxes of wine, I haven’t sunk my teeth into any planting, harvesting, or fermenting.  Still, I’ve done a bit of raking around the property and even tried my hand at cleaning out some gutters (which is an adventure I will not be elaborating on any time soon). 

The family here, it turns out, could only have me for a week, but it all works out – I contacted another WWOOFing farm on the South Island (in a region called Otago) who are willing to have me for upwards of a month!  They’re an organic veggie farm, so it looks like I’ll be doing more hand-on farming work (which is EXCELLENT).  I’m looking forward to coming back home with some new skills and better grasp of permaculture planting methods and what it means to live and work on a farm.  I’m headed to Wellington for a bit tomorrow, and then my journey continues southward!

Choosing to become a WWOOFer has turned out to be a phenominal choice for me.  I’ve thought a lot about the skills I’m gaining and, more importantly, the sense of international community it promotes.  The WWOOFing hosts open up their homes in exchange for, essentially, no more than a pair of willing hands.  In the process of working – whether it be harvesting vegtables or botting hand-made wine – you learn to put things into perspective: sure, cleaning gutters is no fun, and labeling bottle after bottle of wine can be pretty monotonous, but it’s all part of a whole cycle that ends with what we ingest on a daily basis.  This is how food should be: we should know where it comes from, and it should instill a sense of community.  The long and short of it is, I’m really developing a sense of duty here, which I’m sure will be heightened with my adventures on the South Island. 

And no, I’m not a communist.  Yet.

Trees

Dude. The trees here are incredible. There’s a park here in Auckland called Albert Park and just walking through it is a religious experience. Well, if you like trees (Laura, I know you’re reading this). Seriously, if I didn’t believe in ents before, I do now.

I must have walked a total of more than 8 miles in the last 2 days. Right after I got to my hostel yesterday, I changed my cloths brushed my teeth, and headed out for a stroll. Then I slept for 18 hours (I’m so not kidding; it was glorious), and walked around again today. I like Auckland better now that I’ve gotten out of Central Auckland (which is predominantly the business district). I’m headed to Levin by bus tomorrow where I’m working at a winery. The bus ride takes all day, and I’m actually looking forward to it. I’m ready to see more of the country and get out of the city.

One more thing, before I forget: for those of you who are Lord of the Rings fans, ya know in the appendices how they do all those featurettes about how all the prosthetics and sets were made? Ya know that crazy awesome guys from WETA Workshops they interview all the time? Yeah, HE WAS ON MY PLANE.

GREETINGS FROM AUCKLAND!

Hello all!! I’m here safe and sound and, believe it or not, all in one piece. The people are friendly, the temperature is perfect, and on my brief jaunt down Queen St. I saw about 13 signs for kebob (why??). I still can’t get over the bigness (for lack of a better/real word) of everything; I gravitate from feeling really empowered to being paralyzed with fear at the prospect of 9 months on my own like this, particularly after I don’t have the luxury of Kiwi kindness anymore. I have, however, resigned to being my usual self and taking each day as it comes.

Another thought- it took no time whatsoever for me to realize that I’m actually here. I mean, most often it takes at least a few days for my surroundings to sink in, but I knew the second i stepped out of the airport that I was somewhere completely new and different. It actually feels like I’m half-way around the world. Part of it is probably the length of the flight and the brainstorming that insued over the course of those 18+ hours, but I think that the fact that I’m alone is the bigger factor. There’s no one else who is familiar to water down the feelings of displacement. I actually really like it.

So, I guess that’s all for now; I’ll put up some photos soon and, of course, updates on my quest for meat pies. If there are kebabs, the meat pies must be somewhere. Anthony Bourdain ate a possum one in his New Zealand episode. I think that’s first on the list….

Going, going…

OHMYGODI’MLEAVINGTOMORROW.

 

!!!

 

Aside from the shooting pains up and down my left arm, I’m TOTALLY fine….

The ascent (I almost wrote “descent”…)

So here goes, 6 days and counting.  I just got back from a great trip to Bethel and the surrounding area for 4 days worth of hiking, cooking, reading and general self-centering before my departure on Wednesday.  I sure will miss my mountains…

I now feel ready to tackle the days ahead and get everything done before the big day (it sounds like I’m getting married…).  Not that this of any interest at all to anyone, but I’m PSYCHED to have gotten my prescriptions filled today; tomorrow I get to begin testing my malaria pills to see if they give me dreams reminiscent of those induced by LSD.  I’m not sure whether I’m more excited or scared at this prospect.  I’ll get back to you.

Until now, this journey has been an abstraction, something I knew was on the horizon but couldn’t picture.  It’s like I’ve been idly preparing for this kind of nebulous idea of a trip, but it felt like it would never happen.  I’ve gotten the perspective I needed to get the past few days, and now I feel like a swimmer readying for the plunge, as opposed a kid riding a bike in a circle but never leaving the driveway.  It’s real now, but more importantly it’s mine.  In taking ownership of this trip, I’ve really taken my life in my own hands; I don’t think I realized until recently how hard the past 2 years have been for me.  I know that there is something I need to gain from the next 9 months that I couldn’t get anywhere else.  I’m scared, I’m anxious, but I am, more than anything, thrilled at the prospect of this just being the beginning.  

Right now, I’m ready for anything.  I think…