Greetings friends!
So, since it’s been a while since I’ve written (or have I even written at all?) I guess I’ll have to start from the beginning. I hope you brought popcorn.
Auckland is a really cool city. With plenty to do, things to see, and lots of neat hikes in the area, we had quite a time trying to pack everything in. I got in really early in the morning on the 11th, had some breakfast, then Adam and I headed off to Kelly Tarlton’s underwater exploratory. It’s an awesome gigantic aquarium that was once an old sewage holding tank. Kelly Tarlton loved the ocean and its creatures, so he dug out this sewage, scrubbed the whole thing clean, and built an underground museum/aquarium. They have a tunnel that you walk through, while above your head sharks, fish, and other sea creatures are swimming, feeding, and hanging out with a treasure box (complete with a tiara).There was even a little train car that we rode past the penguins, which was hilarious! We walked all over the city, including attempting a coast to coast hike, going from one end of the harbour to another district harbour (about 16km) Within three blocks of the city portion in the beginning, we were lost and continued to walk in the direction of our own choice, which lead us to do some great bushwhacking as well as climbing up Mt. Hobison (it’s on the map, and still in the city), finding at the top grazing cows along with stunning views of the city. Sometimes I still can’t believe I’m in New Zealand! After walking nearing 6 hours, Adam and I were quite tired and hungry, but still smiling. The next day we hit up the sky tower (highest tower in the southern hemisphere), had an apple and peanut butter lunch in the sky deck (260 meters up!) and continued to discover the city, seeing art, some music, and doing a little shopping.
Friday, September 14th – Tuesday, September 18th : Our first host was gracious enough to let us catch a ride out of Auckland, north, outside a town called Wellsford. They have about 15 hectacres of land, with sheep, cows, pigs, chickens, two friendly dogs, and three home schooled kids. All of their kids play soccer, and the first night they had an awards night for the soccer teams in the area followed by a disco. Adam and I were completely relishing in anonymity! It was great fun. Our tasks earn us a bed and meals, so Adam and I both put in 5 hours of work each day, as well as make lunch. Jobs so far have included:
-Weeding garlic, some of which is covered in rotting wool to keep out the weeds, which smells like vomit
-helping move, vaccinate, and tag cows
-create and layer compost (they are an almost fully composting house)
-help with sheep shearing
-plant native bush
-crush egg shells for chickens to peck at
This evening (17th) Bryce (11 years old) took Adam and I up a hike on the nearest volcano. The usual route is along the left edge, but we decided to climb straight up from the base after hiking for ½ hour. It was quite steep, but definitely rewarding at the top. Bryce says it’s nearly 200 meters above sea level, at least. Adam and I leave tomorrow to head north to the Bay of Islands area. I am sad to be leaving this wonderful family, but we must understand that to cover the most area in our short time here we can’t be staying with families more than a week. I am glad to have stayed with such a warm family first!
All in all, Adam and I are both happy, especially at the end of the day with full stomachs and dirt under our fingernails. I’ve really been enjoying the feeling of having work to do during the days, coming in for tea and having to scrub off the layers of dirt and having the evening to ourselves. We had plans to ride bikes into Wellsford this evening after our hike but I had quite a bit of patching to do, as I ripped most of my favourite sweatshirt on a tree.
More to come as soon as our next adventure subsides and there is time to be had near a computer. We’ll be camping up north for the next few days, which should be great fun!
See you soon!