Monday, July 30, 2007

New place...

Hey everyone,

As some of you know, I've moved to a different location in Akaroa. It's called the Mt. Vernon Lodge (www.mtvernon.co.nz)
It's a lovely place and the owners, Jeremy and Victoria are very friendly. They run a lodge and several cute cabins. They also have a conference center and host lots of corporate events. They have deer, 1 horse, geese, peacocks, chooks and a donkey. :) I plan on staying here for a month or two depending on how things go and then may head up to Nelson.

I don't have internet or phone there so my only connection to the outside world is a 15 minute walk into town at a local cafe. I generally have afternoons off depending on the day, so will come down and post/email when I can, but I won't be on as much. I'm working on getting some postcards out (finally) so keep an eye out!

Talk to you soon!

Saturday, July 28, 2007

A walk to the Wilkes homestead...



New pics posted in my Picasa album. Just click on the link in the sidebar to the right!

Friday, July 27, 2007

Dramamine is a girl's best friend...



Today we went on a 2-hour harbor cruise! Lots of gorgeous scenery, hector dolphins, fur seals and penguins! Below are some of the nicer shots. After, we ordered fish and chips (the best I've ever had. Sorry Sh!) and sat out by the harbor. It was a beautiful, sunny day.

Oh, and to clarify, when I said “travel more” in my last post, I meant within New Zealand. I may even be in Akaroa for another month or so, but at a different place. I’ll keep you posted. Cheers!

Eckhard's farm and land from the harbor (see the red barn towards the middle?)

Dan Roger's Cliff





Keep going straight here and you'll end up in the land of Shackleton!

Ancient volcanic layers





Moon over Akaroa

Thursday, July 26, 2007

New pastures...



Hey everyone- I have been quiet lately! I’ve been contemplating my next steps and have decided that I want to do more traveling than originally planned, so I’m moving on. One of the beauties of traveling is that nothing is carved in stone (and as a wise man once wrote-"No yesterdays on the road"). I love the way things unfold mysteriously.

This is truly a beautiful farm and I’ve been lucky to get a glimpse of life here. Sunday is my last day (at the farm itself), but I’ll be spending a few days in town. A big thanks to Eckhard, his hospitality, and patience in showing me all the details of the farm.

I have some plans in the works and will write again once I have them ironed out!



The old apple hut (a very cozy bedroom)!

Friday, July 20, 2007

A day on the town…

When I first arrived in New Zealand, I flew into Christchurch. It was a Sunday afternoon, and it was dull and rainy. As enthusiastic as I was about being here, the city didn’t seem to reciprocate. The streets were empty and most shops were closed. I decided not to waste much energy walking around when nothing was open so I went back to the hostel. I realize that it’s the off season but I didn’t expect a ghost town. So my initial impression was that it wasn’t so great.

My opinion of Christchurch did a 360 degree turn today. Eckhard had some business in Christchurch (which is an hour and a half drive from Akaroa) so he dropped me off and I had the day to explore. Such a difference from that Sunday on which I arrived. The city was bustling, everything was open. It was still rainy outside but it didn’t take away from the fun of seeing the sights. I grabbed a coffee and started walking. My first stop was the Arts Centre. Check it out:www.artscentre.org.nz The buildings which make up the centre were originally Canterbury College, built in 1877. Lots of beautiful architecture. It’s now home to craft shops and artists studios. The studios are an artists dream. Lots of light filled individual rooms where jewelers, potters, painters and weavers do their thing. Lots to see and do there and I will definitely be back. There is a place called the Fudge Cottage. They practically force feed several different types of homemade fudge to you as you walk in. ☺ I didn’t leave empty handed.

Next, I walked down the street to the Botanical Gardens and Canterbury Museum. The museum was ok. Lots of neat history and exhibits. Perhaps I just wasn’t in much of a museum mood today. I breezed through. I proceeded outside to the Botanical Gardens. It is winter and it was raining, so obviously it wasn’t ideal, but it was easy to see that this place is gorgeous spring-fall. There were all kinds of amazing trees and plants…fountains and a conservatory. I can’t wait to go back in summer. They have a thing called punting on the Avon. The Avon is a small creek/river that snakes through Christchurch. Punting is similar to something you’d see in Venice, with long boats and the driver stands while pushing the boat with a long pole.

I made my way over to High Street because I heard that there were a couple of good book stores. I’m always on the lookout for antique books. I found a place called Smith’s Bookshop. Check it out: www.smiths.bookshop.co.nz I was in antique book heaven. Since I have limited space in my bag (and a limited budget) I forced myself to a maximum of two books. I bought an 1874 illustrated edition of Edgar Allan Poe’s Poetical Works and a 1903 edition of Underneath the Bough, a sweet collection of verses. Both have their unique marks of being from New Zealand (handwritten notes on the inside and what towns the owners were from).

I was famished after all the book browsing so I decided to search for a good place for lunch. After much circling, I decided on a spot called Sticky Hands. It was a bit pricey for me but the food was outstanding. I had mushroom ravioli in a sweet onion cream sauce with bacon and chicken, along with a locally brewed beer called Monteith’s. Yum.

After that, I needed to kill an hour before I was to meet up with Eckhard. I decided to browse the big department store which is called Ballantynes. The usual stuff there…. But by then I was tired of walking and ready for the ride home.

I’m happy that my impression of Christchurch has changed. There are a few things left I want to see such as the Art Museum.

BTW, I’ve posted some photos but not all. My connection is a tiny bit slow and sometimes quits on me so I will continue to post pics piecemeal. Say that three times fast. ☺

Monday, July 16, 2007

Crying over spilt lambs and the case of the stuck camper van…

Sorry for my weeklong absence…I was without internet…but boy do I have stories!

Nothing went as planned Thursday morning. The lamb buyer called Wednesday afternoon to confirm that the trucker would arrive at 7AM. I told him no problem, I’ll be ready. Then he called again that night to say it would be 9AM, not 7AM as planned, which was fine. I had them all ready to go.

I got up at 6AM Thursday morning, had breakfast, got dressed and walked up to the pens at 8:15 just to be sure all was good to go. As I walked up I saw the trucker pushing the last group of lambs into the truck! He had arrived early and started without me! I went to him and said “Hello….I thought you guys were going to arrive at 9:00?” No response…he looked at me but ignored me. He closed up the truck and I handed him the appropriate paperwork. He said, “He is short by two. They jumped out and ran off.”

And that was it. He took the paperwork and drove off. My stomach started to knot up and a feeling of dread filled me. Was Eckhard going to tar and feather me? All I wanted was to get this task right and somehow a mistake happened. Ugh. Then the tears started…I think I hit a wall. A meltdown had to happen at some point. ☺ On top of this, I needed to walk into town (1 hour) in the freezing rain to pick up the truck and go grocery shopping. All I wanted was to crawl under a rock. (A heated one with a Jacuzzi tub, a six-pack of Newcastle, and a full plate of double chocolate brownies, right out of the oven.) hahaha ☺ But the walk into town invigorated me and broke through my mood. The rain even let up for a large portion of it.

Friday morning (the 13th) I was up on one of the paddocks behind the house clearing gorse. The rain finally let up and the sun had started to burn through the clouds. There is only one road up to the house so I was puzzled when the dogs started barking and I heard an engine gunning up the drive. From the hilltop, I watched as a white camper van appeared and snaked along the narrow road. Eckhard hadn’t mentioned that anyone was coming….at that point the camper van hit a steep incline and skidded slightly. I could tell that this scared the occupants because shortly after, the van stopped and two people hopped out. I was shocked when the van then attempted to turn around by backing into a hillside (this is a one car road along a cliff). For a moment I thought they were going to plunge forward into the ravine, but instead they managed to spin the back end into a mud pit on the hill and got stuck. No car would have been able to pass because the camper was stuck diagonally across the road.

Initially this made me nervous. I was up here all alone and for all I knew, this was some ploy to lure me down there, where they would tie me up and throw me into the back of the camper. But concern overcame my paranoia and I walked down there with my walking stick and Watch. Upon arriving at the scene, instead of the hairy, burly, escape convicts I was imagining, I found a family of three. A Japanese man, an aussie or kiwi(?) woman who was clearly flustered, and their quiet son. They were happy to see me and explained that they were just driving up for the scenery and the wife began to have a panic attack because of the decreasing size and grade of the road. I told them I’d do my best to help push them out…otherwise we’d need more people. The wife, son and I were behind pushing with everything we had, while the husband was behind the wheel. We attempted several times, and came close, but it wasn’t enough. We needed one more person. I decided to call Eckhard’s neighbor. I called the number (using the cell Eckhard let me borrow) but the number I had was incorrect. That meant I had to walk down to his house. I told the family I could get help but it would be 20 minutes or so for me to walk down there.

Once there (legs aching, huffing, puffing and sweaty from running downhill), I yelled down to Chris, who was outside chopping wood. He was kind enough to drive back up with Watch and I. With one more person we were able to successfully push the camper out of the mud. The wife refused to get back in. She said she’d wait for him to turn around at the house and come back down. Chris and I followed him up, where he had plenty of room to turn around. I hopped out of Chris’ car, thanking him for his help. The husband stopped before going down the driveway and said “You have no idea how thankful I am for your help. Thank you so much.” I told him it was really no problem. I was just happy to see them wind their way back down safely. By then, it was already 3:00 and the days plans were jumbled….but the sun was out and it recharged me.

This comes at a funny time…I just finished reading a book called The Kindness of Strangers (Edited by Don George). It’s a collection of travel stories by people who were in need of some sort of help while traveling, and the kindness of complete strangers who assisted them, some who didn’t even speak the same language. I recommend it… I just finished reading Cloud Farm by Jane Chetwynd. It’s about a woman from Christchurch who decides to quit her job and buy an old farm in Akaroa. It’s a simple book but really cute. Now I’ve started In Patagonia by Bruce Chatwin.

I’ve been alone for four days now and it’s strange what happens to you, and what it makes you think about. Back in New Hampshire, there would be days where I’d dream of times like this…being away from everyone, the stress of work etc… but I’ve found that it’s the extremes that are difficult. It’s lonely up here. After chores and meals, I do some reading but I’m finding that I miss people. I’m really looking forward to Eckhard coming home. I’ve found myself talking to the animals more than usual. :) The internet has been down since the day he left so it’s even more isolating…but maybe it’s good to have a computer “cleansing” every once in a while. I’ve also realized something about TV. As interesting as I find it to watch foreign television (accents, different products, advertising, local news…) it’s all the same when you come down to it, and it makes me feel like I’m home… I’m going to try to avoid it from now on. Eckhard did get me hooked on a cooking show. Rick Stein? :) It’s really funny because he tends to go to extremes with things…he will travel somewhere and point out the interesting food in that area and then make something himself.

Anyway, back to work. Fingers crossed that the sun makes another appearance soon.. OH...I have some pics and will try to post them tomorrow ,more to come:

Tuesday, July 10, 2007

Good food and peeps...

It's raining and cold AGAIN. Ugh. I think there is sun in the forecast for the end of the week so there is hope! If it is sunny, I'm planning on taking a walk to snap some photos.

The day before yesterday, the lamb buyer came out (oops, I forgot his name). A very jolly kiwi. He asked if I had celebrated the 4th of July here. :) He told me that his sister and her husband were currently in the states on holiday. At the moment in Nantucket! Ahhh, what I would give for a warm beach right now. Anyway, he invited me to go out with him from farm to farm, to see what he does as a lamb buyer! It would be interesting to see things from that side.

Yesterday was shearing day. Henry, a local Maori fellow, came up (I believe he is a neighbor to Eckhard). He sheared around 400 in about 5 hours. They weren't completely shorn, just around the hind end to clean them up. Boy.... I think it was Jim that said it..."Why do you want to be around sheep? They are filthy animals!" I laughed, but I realize now what he meant. It's easy, if you've never been around them, to imagine little fluffy, cute cottonballs, but they are quite dirty/muddy! My job was to sweep away the shorn wool/dirt/crap as Henry worked, and to make sure that they didn't try to escape as he brought each one out. Another great learning experience.

Tonight I have to do some lamb shifting in preparation for the trucker tomorrow. Did I mention that Eckhard has highland cattle too? They are very cute....from the other side of the fence. The cows aren't too intimadating but there is a bull named Bully who is a little rambunctious and has some serious looking horns. Happily, I can feed them their dinner over the fence. The first time we went into their pen, I was holding a bale of hay, but frozen in place by the gate, ready to bolt at the slightest little charge. Eckhard called me over closer to the herd. He could clearly see the terror in my face. He said the trick is to show domination and to never take your sight off them. Honestly, they are very pretty. This is what they look like:




Zia Christa asked about the food here...I must say that I've been eating very well. Eckhard is a great cook and I will definitely learn a thing or two. He made a great birthday lunch for me! I haven't tried anything unusual or new, but I've been eating very healthy. I take that back....I did try squid the night of my birthday. Ick..... :) But thanks Eckhard!

Ok, back to work! More later....

Sunday, July 8, 2007

Gorse, sorting, and the cold

Whew... it's been a busy couple of days.

For those of you who think you have a weed problem in your garden, listen up :) Gorse is a plant originally from Scotland and was introduced into New Zealand. It's very spiny and has pretty yellow flowers (think thistle on steriods!) I read that in it's native Scotland, it blooms once, therefore only having one set of seeds. Because of the conditions here, it blooms multiple times, meaning more seeds...seeds that can stay in the ground for up to 40 years and germinate at any time. Gorse is good for regenerating native bush plants because they grow to a certain height, creating a canopy for young seedlings and plants. Then the native plants grow up and over the gorse and smother them out. Good in some cases, but not if you have grazing stock. So our job is to go out in the field and clip small gorse at the base and apply a weed killer. It's a long process, but quite important.

Yesterday we gathered the sheep (lots of walking) and sorted the lambs from the ewes. This isn't quite as easy as it sounds. It's a little hard to explain....basically the sheep are kept in several different, connecting pens, with the center pen leading to a run. The run allows the farmer to let the sheep through, one at a time, and sort them out. I was knee deep in sheep and did lots of shouting and pushing, while Eckhard did the sorting. After that we had to bring the ewes back out to pasture. The sun was setting quickly so we had to move fast. I did a quick hike up to open some gates while Eckhard mustered them up from behind.

It's been very cold here. Yesterday, there was frost on the ground and the water in the horses pen was frozen over. I think this is unusual for this area. It makes me feel like I'm in Vermont!

Thursday, July 5, 2007

The B&B

UJ asked me to give more info about the B&B. Onuku Heights is a working sheep farm but also an established B&B.
There are lots of pics and info here.

Wednesday, July 4, 2007

Fresh air...

Thanks for all the comments guys! :)

What a difference a couple of days makes. I’m feeling better about things, but still on the lookout for the creepy crawlies. I’ve discovered that they are out in full force in the evening so that’s when I’m in spider mode. I have one little guy, with a big “bubble butt” as Kayde would say, that appears every night outside my door. I might name him. Any suggestions?

Yesterday (after the spider panic attack evening) we did our first day of mustering. Not sure if I mentioned this before, but Eckhard has around 800 acres and 1,000 sheep. He got a call from a neighbor that some sheep broke through a fence, so we needed to round them up and get them back over. We started about 9 AM, hopped on the FWD vehicle, with me on the back along with Watch, one of the working dogs, and headed up into the hills. I wish I could describe to you how beautiful this countryside is but words could never do it….it’s like nothing I’ve ever seen. I feel like I’m in a movie sometimes. And rolling along the trails and bumpy hills, through streams, on the FWD is FUN! It’s muddy and wet….I love it. There is crap everywhere here. You can’t avoid it. I have to sit a certain way and hold on a certain way so I don’t go flying off. It gets to be kind of difficult when there is a dog sitting on your lap! Normally she sits on the other side but I think she likes me. Eckhard says she is a big softie and always likes the girls. ☺ We did a pretty serious hike up to the top of a paddock (land where animals graze) and mustered the sheep down the hillside with the help of Watch. All the while Eckhard explains farming lingo, basics and a lot about the vegetation that grows. There are two trees that are invasive that are taking the hillsides over. It’s getting to be a serious problem, so in the coming months we have to go out and yank/cut them down. We also did fence maintenance. Straightened posts and cut wool out of the wires. When sheep see wool on the wires, they know it’s a spot they can get through, so we have to cut it off. Once we finished, we cleaned up and had lunch. Then we had to prepare for the lady that was coming to inspect the B&B. Eckhard asked me to sweep out the front veranda (including spider webs, ick) and clean the windows from the outside. All the while he cleaned the inside of the house. She ended up calling in sick but at least the house was cleaned.

Today we did more mustering. We needed to get all the sheep down from the higher paddocks because snow is on the way. We brought two dogs this time and did a lot more steep hiking. We had to switchback in some sections. I’m going to be in great shape by the time I’m done! ☺ This afternoon, after our first round of mustering, Eckhard had a meeting so I did a couple chores, some laundry, some firewood stacking and then just sat outside and relaxed. I watched two chickens fluff themselves and peck insects out of the grass. I saw a beautiful little bird eating a strange looking berry off a tree. It was lime green, with a gray belly and a whiteish-yellowish circle around it’s eyes. It was about the size of a chickadee.

After the meeting we went out and mustered the rest of the sheep down. I got to yell at them and scare them down the trail. Once they were in the lower paddock, I had to go down and open the gate to another lower paddock. I stood aside and watched the stampede go by, then shut the gate. It was really cool. ☺

I promise I will take more pictures soon. It’s just that I haven’t had many free moments yet (until the evening). I snapped a few when I first arrived and today. For those of you who were asking about a mailing address, I’ve asked permission and he said it was ok. I will give the address to my mom and she can give it out to anyone who wants it. I just don’t want to post it online.

Talk to you soon!

Monday, July 2, 2007

First night....

Wow. I am terrified. But enthralled at the same time. This place is UNBELIEVABLE. Pictures to come soon…..It’s 6:35 AM here and I can’t sleep.

I knew I’d be staying on a farm but I’m in a bit of a culture shock at the moment. It’s a lot to take in. Eckhard picked me up and we did some grocery shopping. The road to the farm It’s a long, winding, narrow dirt road. I believe there is a Maori settlement just down the road. The road to Hana in Hawaii has nothing on these roads! It’s hill country farming for sure. I wonder how the sheep graze on some of these hillsides. It’s so quaint and beautiful and rustic. I had the choice of staying in the cottage bunk room or the old apple hut. I chose the hut, mostly because it has an amazing view out the window, and because it’s insulated, unlike the cottage bunk room.. It looks like a little red shed on stilts from the outside.

Down by the main house there is a shower room and a separate toilet room for me to use…they are similar to something you’d see when camping. If ever I need to get over my fear of spiders, it has to be now…and God help me…. There are lots of them and they are big. Lots of varieties too. They are in every nook, every doorway, in the windows, the shower…..Kayde, I don’t think you’d last a day here. Honestly at this moment, that is my biggest fear. I know I sound like a mousy, spoiled, city girl but I’m trying hard to get past it. I heard fluttering early this morning in my room, so I flicked on the light to find about 10 black moths on the walls and one big spider in the corner. I had already killed one spider before I went to bed. I normally don’t kill them. I don’t like to…but my fear is getting the best of me at the moment. Earlier tonight Eckhard laughed at me when I told him my fear. He said “Have you seen the bathroom? There are some huge ones in there.” He kindly offered to remove them for me but I suspect that he won’t be doing that all the time. He said not to kill them because it’s bad luck. Right now it’s just he and I. His girlfriend returns from a trip to Austrailia in August and several more helpers start in November.

Last night we had dinner (roasted veggies and lamb sausage) and talked a lot about sheep farming and the difficulties that New Zealand farmers face and a little about working sheep dogs (he has three at the moment). Today there is a lady coming to review the B&B so we are going to start cleaning at 9 AM. We are also going to be moving some sheep.

It’s been cold here. I went to sleep with long johns, gloves and a hat. I have a small space heater that warmed the room up pretty well. Right now it’s raining outside, but the forecast is calling for snow. Because of this, Eckhard has to sell his lambs, otherwise they will be worthless because of weight loss, or die.

I will be proud of myself if I don’t let fear get the best of me here at least in the beginning. There are so many unknowns and I’m feeling on edge….but this is what I came here for, right?

More to come soon....