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!
Monday, July 30, 2007
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. ☺
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:
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....
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....
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
