WWOOF #4: What are you thankful for?

Before heading to our 4th WWOOF host, we spent the long holiday weekend couchsurfing with a guy named Paul and his 4 flatmates in Napier.  Napier is a charming little city with a lot of character.  Destroyed by an earthquake and subsequent fires in 1931, the city was rebuilt in the Art Deco style of the era.  Zigzags, ziggurats, sunbursts, pastel colors, images of women's liberation, and symbols of power and speed are common features of Art Deco architecture.  Napier even has an Art Deco weekend every year in February (which from what I hear, has turned into more of a week-long celebration), and everyone puts on their Deco duds, dances in the street to big band music and enjoys Gatsby picnics and Depression dinners.  The place is overrun by vintage cars and looks like a real ball.

We spent several days exploring Napier and all of it's Art Deco architecture and 3 nights couchsurfing with Paul, who lived on Hospital Hill just outside central Napier.  At only 22 years old, Paul has hosted dozens of couchsurfers and loves the idea that he has some small part in helping someone along their journey, giving them a safe place to stay and a look around if he has time.  He has 4 flatmates - his partner Joseph, his sister Amy, a friend from Joseph's work, Alana, and an old friend from school, Rachel.  Each one has a very unique personality and it was nice to be around a younger crowd even if only for a weekend.  On our last night at Paul's, he invited us on a road trip to Waipukurau (about an hour from Napier) for his parent's labour day BBQ.  His family was wonderful, his mother incredibly welcoming, his father and grandmother super funny, his sister Kate (11) more than keen to show us around and talk our ear off, and his brother Michael (13) was shy at first, but warmed up after some fun playing around with the camera.  We played poker well into the night after a delicious meal finished by L&P (a delicious NZ soda!) and trifle (dessert made from sponge cake & custard, jelly or fruit).  It was a really great time overall as it is always lovely to feel right at home and part of the family as soon as you walk in the door.  

We spent our last day in Napier enjoying our second custard square (a flaky pastry with custard in the middle - like Schmidt's cream puffs, but better! yeah, I said it) from the cafe Joseph and Alana work at and one more wine tasting and then headed to our 4th WWOOF hosts home late that afternoon.  Kerry and Bronwyn live about an hour from Napier in Waipawa (coincidentally just a town over from Paul's family in Waipukurau).  We found their street no problem but felt relieved a bit too soon when we realized their house was missing.  Their address - 2 Bibby Street - didn't seem to be anywhere.  There was 1, 1A, 1B, a plethora of even numbered addresses, but nowhere did 2 fit.  After quite a bit of frustration, Steve stopped and asked a woman walking on the street who pointed at a house beyond several paddocks which we believed most certainly belonged on the intersecting road and not Bibby.  But she seemed relatively confident when she said she thought a Bronwyn lived there, so we pulled up and walked down a beautiful plant-lined driveway to a lovely little home which had every door and window open, drinking in the last of the day's sunshine.  We knocked (on every door), we shouted "Hello??!?", we walked around every corner of the house, carefully peering in the windows for some sign of life, looking at pictures to see if we recognized them from what we remembered on their WWOOF profile.  Then we began collecting visual data to decide if we were in the right place.  They had a stroller just outside the back door which means it was probably used recently...but we don't remember them having any kids?  There's 2 sleep-outs just outside their side patio, perfect for wwoofers.  There's a cake on the counter with the numbers 1 & 2 - either a 12th or 21st birthday?  We even checked the mailbox for a name on a piece of mail.  Finally we gave up and decided to wait by our car and soon after there they were, turning down the dead end intersecting road that sure as hell wasn't Bibby.  We were certainly relieved to be creeping around the right house, at least.

From left: Judy, Bron, Kerry & Lexi, me & Steve

Kerry and Bron are very laid back people and love the small town life.  They never lock up anything, usually leaving the keys in the ignitions of their cars.  Kerry says he loves the fact that when he goes to town to pick up milk it can take him an hour because he always runs into someone he knows.  Bron has lived in the area for quite some time and knows everyone in town.  Working at the local BP service station keeps her caught up with everyone and gives her a chance to meet a lot of people just passing through.  Kerry is a social worker who works with clients of all ages who have suffered traumatic brain injuries.  They bought their property 10-15 years ago and originally moved into the large shed that was already on their property after transforming it into not only a livable space, but a pretty cozy home.  While there, they worked on the small house that they moved onto the property: fixing & painting it, adding additions, & making it the proper (and beautiful) home that it is today.

Kerry and Bron have 3 children.  Michael (22) lives in Hastings with his girlfriend, Sian & their daughter, Lexi.  Kerry and Bron are crazy about Lexi and see her as often as possible.  Michael does roofing and has a lot of carpentry skills.  Their middle son, Alex (21 - this explains the candles) is working on his apprenticeship as a butcher and has been dating his girlfriend, Roe for about 5 years.  They also live in Hastings and are a very friendly, fun-loving couple with a great sense of humor.  Their youngest son, Ethan (19) lives 4 houses down with 2 young flatmates and works at BP with Bron.  Ethan loves to drink and party with friends, heading to Napier's clubs several nights of the week (needless to say he made us feel very OLD).  Most of Kerry & Bron's family live very closeby.  Kerry's mom lives just a few houses past Ethan's.  Gran, as they call her, reminds me very much of my own Grandma and is very sweet and talkative.  She still works part-time and loves it (even the night shift) and is very positive about most things in her life.  Bron's mom passed away this past year and her father lives just up the hill.  "Pop" is a jolly guy who wants to buy a campervan and travel their country (a dream that he and his wife shared).  

Kerry & Bron's friends Judy & Ralph also live just up the hill and stop by at least once a day (usually more).  They have been friends with them for 25+ years and are their partners in their fledgling business venture, B&J Organics.  Bronwyn always wanted to grow flowers for market while Judy was interested in heirloom garlic as well as other unique veggie varieties.  After many early morning meetings over coffee and smokes and a deal on a huge shadehouse falling into their laps, B&J Organics was born.  Now in the planning and planting stages, Bron & Judy talk about what needs to be done and when and Kerry organizes the WWOOFers needed for each job.  The ladies do most of the day-to-day seedling planting and work on the compost while Ralph takes on the bigger projects with help from Kerry and the WWOOFers.  Eventually they will have spuds, tomatoes, pumpkins, peppers, melons, garlic, flowers & more (usually several varieties of each plant, many of which are heirloom).  Their goal is to make their little block of land a viable organic farm that will not only feed their family but finance itself through sales at the local market.  While WWOOFing at Kerry & Bron's, Steve and I have helped move a glasshouse from a friend's property to theirs, chipped hundreds of bricks that we used to lay a floor in the glasshouse, planted spuds, sowed tomato & pumpkin seeds, Steve used a rotary hoe to dig up new veggie rows, and he caught and helped move 3 guinea fowl to their new home at Kerry & Bron's.  They named the male Steve after his courageous catching act (we later found out that a friend of Kerry's has a big scar across his face from a guinea fowl talon who wasn't interested in being caught), and the females Carly & Elizabeth.  

On Thursday Oct. 28th, we were invited to be a part of Kerry's 46th birthday dinner.  Gran treated the 4 of us, Pop, Ethan, Alex & Roe to a meal at Breaker's, a NZ chain that serves burgers, sandwiches, steaks, fries and shakes (like a slightly less cheesy Red Robin).  Kerry treated us all to one drink at the bar as well.  It was a great meal and very appreciated by both Steve and I because it was our first dinner out in New Zealand!  Afterwards we went to a lovely house where Gran was house-sitting for tea and chocolate cake & apple bars.  It was really nice to be part of the family event.

Kerry was also very interested in our Thanksgiving tradition, so we planned to make the meal with all the trimmings on Saturday and invite everyone to share it.  We set a big long table in the dining room where the 13 of us (Steve, me, Kerry, Bron, Gran, Pop, Michael, Sian, Lexi, Ethan, Judy, Bron's sister Kristen & her husband Julian) squeezed around it (just barely).  Bron and Steve took the reins in the kitchen with a big turkey, mashed spuds, green bean casserole, honey glazed carrots, stuffing with pecans & cherries, cranberry sauce, buttermilk biscuits, gravy, NZ kumara, pumpkin pie with honey ginger whipped cream & apple pie all on the menu.  It may have been the best Thanksgiving meal I've ever had.  And it felt like a real Thanksgiving, too!  The weather was unseasonably chilly that day, so everyone was wearing cozy sweaters and we picked a big harvest-colored bouquet for the centerpiece.  We even made little placeholders with turkeys & cornucopias on them and later went around the table and said what we were each thankful for.  Everyone really appreciated the meal and our tradition.  The buttermilk biscuits were new to everyone and were much enjoyed, as opposed to the pumpkin pie.  Many of our kiwi guests commented on how nice it was to spend a day thinking about what you're thankful for and enjoying such a delicious meal with family and friends.  

The Friday before we left, Kerry invited us to come to his work with him.  We arrived at the Stewart Centre bright and early before anyone else and Kerry showed us around.  Housed on the local college campus, the Stewart Centre is a bright and colorful space surrounded by school buildings and young people.  Soon the clients started arriving and we were introduced to a diverse group of people who have suffered brain injuries at some point in their lives.  Their injuries could be as diverse as the people themselves - from auto accidents to shaken-baby syndrome to brain hemorrhages.  Each one of the people at the center lead a normal life like you or I until their brain injury occurred.  It is definitely a humbling experience seeing them overcome their daily frustrations and enjoy life to the fullest.  By mid-morning, most of the clients had arrived and it was a busy, lively atmosphere with many people playing music on computers, checking out the newspaper, or playing with games the center provided.   We were asked to talk to the women's group and tell them about our WWOOFing experience.  Steve did most of the talking much to the relief of myself and we answered many of their questions before they left to learn some things about horticulture at a nearby college building.  Steve and I set off to explore the nearby town of Taradale before heading back for lunch, provided daily by Kim from the Stewart Center to the whole staff and all of the clients.  After lunch, it was time for sport.  The whole gang (including Steve & I) piled into a big van and headed to the Hastings Sports Center for an afternoon of badminton and basketball.  For the basketball game, the Stewart Centre clients (about 9 or 10 of us) were up against 4 young high school boys who were part of a program to keep troubled kids off the street and involved in something instead of letting them drop out of school.  It was a really fun game and everyone involved seemed to really enjoy it.  

Top 5 things learned at Kerry & Bron's...

1. Have LOTS of windows - Kerry & Bron's whole dining room was surrounded by floor to ceiling windows and it was so nice to have the sunshine pouring in all day (and with a beautiful garden outside, you hardly have to decorate - nature's got it covered).

2. Stand united! - This was advice given to us by Kerry and Bron for our future as parents - because if your kids know they can get to one of you, it's all over.  It's you verses them.  Keep the united front and peace will remain a possibility.

3. There are 2 types of people - Too polite to be honest, and Too honest to be polite.  Well I can definitely think of people that fall into each of those categories.

4. Enjoy a freshly bathed dog while it lasts - because by day 2 it will have rolled in sheep shit.
5. Be thankful - We are so lucky to be enjoying this trip and like Kerry said, "it has been an awesome exchange of culture, friendship and learning."
Plus one from Steve...
6. Cook from scratch - If you take a good look at most recipes (such as the one's in our new Edmond's cooking book - thanks Kerry & Bron!!), you'll find that a lot of things require simple ingredients and aren't too difficult to whip up.

Kiwi Culture

It's only been two months since arriving in the land of Kiwis but we've picked up on so much of their culture that we reckon it's time to share what we've become accustomed to. Certainly we could have chosen from a list of countries like India or South Africa whos cultures are so completely different from our own that the experience would have been nothing short of rich and educational. Instead we thought it best to stay somewhere within our comfort zone and WWOOF in a country where English is a primary language and there isn't as much possible danger... which brought us to New Zealand. Even though the country is occupied by a majority of white, English speakers who also watch TV, use the Internet and eat Subway, there are many idiosyncracies that provide us with the cultural exchange we'd hoped for.

I've divided this post into the following sections:

1. How Kiwis live
2. How Kiwis eat
3. How Kiwis speak

DISCLAIMER: Being that we're only eight weeks and one island into the trip, there will be many additions to this post which will most likely warrant follow-up posts before the trip is through. I've become frustrated knowing that this post is incomplete, but I've gotten over it.  It's also important to note that these are observations we've made from the folks we've met thus far. I'd hate to be unjust to the rest of the population.

How Kiwis live

Kiwis are known for there can-do attitude and sense of adventure. They take pride in this. New Zealand is also quoted to be the "adventure capital of the world," inventing activities such as bungee-jumping. (The term "bungy" is Kiwi slang for an elastic strap). Their most recognizable skyscraper, Sky Tower in Auckland (the one that looks like Seattle's space needle), offers bungee-jumping off of their observation deck - right in the heart of the city! And with all of the well-kept scenic reservations, beaches, and native bush, New Zealand offers extraordinary outdoor recreation.

One thing we've gathered from talking to our hosts is that they tend to shift (move homes) a lot. Studies have show that the typical Kiwi moves every seven years. That proved correct for Colleen, the host who shared that information. Colleen and Mark uprooted their bakery in Auckland and moved out to Te Puke to farm kiwifruit.  Perhaps one reason why Kiwis are more keen to pack up and shift their lives somewhere else is that benefits such as health care are taken care of by the government, making them less afraid to leave their jobs. It might also be safe to say that Kiwis are just more restless than most Americans and prefer to mix it up.

New Zealanders drive on the left side of the road and thankfully we've become accustomed to it rather quickly.  I'd have to say that the strangest part of the whole experience is sitting in the passenger seat on the right side of the car!  What's nice about New Zealand's roads is that they make use of roundabouts and use very few intersections involving stoplights or stop signs.  Roundabouts allow for a nice flow of traffic with less chance of accidents.  The golden rule is that you give way to traffic on the right of you.  This rule makes perfect sense in most situations except for this: if you're making a left-hand turn, you must give way for opposite traffic making a right-hand turn (see image).  This rule has earned me a few angry hand gestures because I can't grasp its importance.  If I'm making a simple left-hand turn - which is sharp, mind you - why couldn't the traffic making a right (wide) wait for me to complete my quick turn?!  The rule doesn't apply when there's traffic behind me, so if there's no one following me then would it hurt them to wait the extra three seconds?!  I hope the rumors are true and this law is abolished because it bugs the hell out of me!  (Can you tell?)

Some other things to note about the Kiwi way of life:

• It's quite common for New Zealanders (and Australians) to have an overseas experience, or "the big OE."  This typically involves an extended holiday (vacation) some time between the teenage years and the thirties, most typically after graduation from university.  Often times this will be a working holiday such as teaching english in Japan or South Korea.  Obviously we love this concept being that it's exactly what we're doing right now!
• Kiwis dislike Aussies.  Nobody has given me a clear explanation of why, for I don't think they have a reasonable answer.  It could be that the Aussies take credit for celebrities like Russel Crowe and have rougher accents.  Or because of the global recognition of Australia over neighboring nations in the South Pacific (prime example: some refer to this part of the world as Australasia). Who knows?  Whatever the reason, it's quite hilarious and reminds me of a certain rivalry we have in the Buckeye state.
• This is rugby nation.  The All Blacks are the worshiped national team (and just as commercial as any NFL team).  There's also the New Zealand Rugby League with teams representing the major regions in NZ.  The Rugby World Cup 2011 will be held in Auckland next September.
• The commercials have been very entertaining and creative.  This one has especially struck a chord with us every time we've seen it:

How Kiwis eat

I have never drank so much tea before in my life!!!  Tea when you wake up, tea for breakfast, tea break, tea for lunch, tea after lunch... maybe not that much, but at least 4-5 times a day.  I've become so accustomed to it that I crave it now!  All of that tea drinking creates the need for an electric kettle (or jug) in every kitchen.  It's so convenient to fill up your jug and flick the switch for boiling water in a matter of minutes!  No stove, no microwave.  As far as coffee goes, cafes serve up espresso coffee in the form of a short black, long black, flat white, latte, mochaccino and cappuccino.  Some basic coffee is served using a plunger (french press), but is typically served using instant or freeze-dried coffee grounds.  I've gotten used to the instant stuff but it doesn't compare to the fresh ground coffee I'm used to.

Desserts are HUGE in New Zealand!  Pavlova, trifle, hokey pokey, the list goes on and on!  I don't think there's been a dessert that has let us down - and we've had one at just about every meal.  Our host's Kerry and Bron were gracious enough to give us their Edmond's Cookery Book - the definitive and classic cookbook that's a necessity in every Kiwi kitchen!  We told them that we'll be preparing Kiwi meals and desserts for our grandchildren out of that book.

Perhaps it's just the midwestern life I've grown up with, but I've never seen people eat pumpkin the way Kiwis do.  They chop it up and add it to their roast veggies (roasties), and even make a delicious pumpkin soup.  At our practice Thanksgiving with Kerry and Bron, we made a pumpkin pie and it astounded people (disgusted some) that we consume pumpkin in a sweet way, not savory.  I think that Carly and I will be doing a lot more than just carving pumpkins when we return to the states.

Sure, Kiwis have McDonalds and Burger King, but some popular, traditional takeaways (fast food) for Kiwis has long been fish and chips as well as a variety of savory p

ies.  Think chicken pot pie, then substitute in some beef, cheese, gravy, etc.  They're quick, delicious, and horrible for you... the way takeaways should be!

One last thing that's important to note is that the majority of beef and milk is derived from grass-fed cows as opposed to our grain-fed, hormone-injected cattle like in the states.  Unfortunately the same doesn't necessarily go for the majority of poultry and pork farming, but regulations are a topic of conversation which shows promise.

How Kiwis speak

The kiwi accent can be many things: warm and welcoming, adventurous, rebellious, fun.  We probably don't notice it as much any more, but every once in a while we notice new words or phrases that wouldn't sound right if we said them.  Kiwis use what we would consider very British words such as "bugger" and "bloody" or Australian terms such as "crikey" and "mate."  It seems like every day we're picking up on something new, and every day I delay posting this blog.

Here is a list of words commonly used by Kiwis (thus far):

• “P” = crystal meth
• "Holiday" = vacation
• "Primary school" = elementary/middle school
• "College"= high school
• "University" = college
• "Cooly Bag" = cooler
• “Torch” = flashlight
• “Mince” = ground beef
• “Nappy” = diaper
• “Flat” = apartment
• “Shifting” = moving (to a new house OR moving your entire house!!)
• “Ute” = pick-up truck
• “Togs' = Swimsuits
• “Fortnight” = 2 weeks
• “Jolly” = silly (“that jolly cat!”)
• “Heaps” = used often for “lots” or “tons”
• “Tea” = Not only the hot drink that they drink heaps of, but also refers to a meal like dinner. This confused us greatly for a while.
• “Chook” = chicken
• “Push chair” = stroller
• “Trundler” = cart (shopping, golf, etc.)
• “Biscuits” = cookies
• “Zip” = zipper
• “Wah” = beer bong
• “Pudding” = dessert
• "Cheers" = thanks, good luck or goodbye
• “Boot” = trunk of the car
• “Bonnet” = hood of the car
• “Jandal” = flipflop
• “Mozzie” = mosquito
• “Capsicum” = bell pepper (green, red, yellow)
• “Courgette” = zucchini
• “Zed” = letter 'z', as in N Zed
• “Bits” = pieces, stuff
• “Roster” = work schedule

Some common phrases:

• “Do up” = put on ('Do up your seatbelt')
• “Get stuffed” = screw you
• “Good on you” = good for you
• Adding “as” after “sweet” or “cool” is common. i.e., “That movie was sweet as!”

So for those of you who thought we might return with Kiwi accents, doubtful. But rest assured that we'll return with some new habits, new recipes, and new slang.

Cheers!

WWOOF #3: Vine to Glass

We arrived at Cardoness Lodge after a frustrating search brought on by the wrong directions from Google maps. A 5-star lodge in the middle of wine country, Cardoness Lodge is a small, pristine bed and breakfast with just 3 rooms that are rented for over $300 a night. We were the only ones staying at the time and had a beautiful room with all the perks (comfy super-king bed, TV, DVD player, towel warmers, and our own little deck overlooking the vineyard). Sarah and her husband Neil run the lodge with the busiest time of year running November through May. Our time in the lodge was a nice break and allowed Steve and I quite a bit of privacy, but sometimes things seem better than they end up. The perfect pristine nature of our room meant constant worry about the dirt we drug in from the vineyard and the lack of common space outside the kitchen didn't allow for much quality bonding time with our host. With bad weather during much of our stay, we rotted our brains with too much tv and a movie nearly every night. We found that we much preferred the feeling of being a part of the family and lounging with our hosts after dinner, talking and playing games. However, we did learn quite a bit about the long, hard days of grape-growers.

Sarah and Neil's son Chris runs the vineyard. After a short career in finance, he retired at the age of 39. He told us that he had always wanted to work on the land growing something because in finance he worked with money which “isn't real, it's just numbers.” During his last years working for a bank in Singapore, he took correspondence courses through a New Zealand university to complete his studies in viticulture. While finishing his work in Singapore, he and his family bought a property in one of New Zealand's most famous wine-growing region and started a vineyard (they are originally from the UK). Although Chris had learned a lot of theory through his coursework, he said he has learned the most from his hands-on experience in the vineyard. He grows 4 varieties of grapes: Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Syrah (known in the US as Shiraz), and Viognier. A large portion of the grapes grown on their property go to a winery down the road, Trinity Hill. The remainder make wine for Chris's label Ash Ridge.

Chris believes that the location where you grow your grapes is the most important foundation for wine-making. The stony soil and dry climate of Hawke's Bay are perfect for vineyards. Because Chris believes in choosing a location and soil that is of the highest quality, he is attempting to convert his crop to organic. He believes that the herbicides and sprays used to kill the weeds and bugs are terrible for the soil and are doing him no favors for the future of his grapes. Chris said that most organic vineyards convert for philosophical reasons since an organic wine yields no greater profit than a non-organic one. However, since the market's interest in organic wines is steadily increasing, it will eventually hurt you to be in the non-organic section of the wine shop so Chris sees it as a necessary change to stay ahead in the marketplace. Like Colleen and Mark's kiwifruit orchard, it would take them 3 years from when they begin organic practices to become certified and they would have to follow an array of strict rules to maintain it.

Chris is very involved in every step of the grapes' growth in his vineyard and can tell just by taste when they are ready for picking and wine-making. He is currently working on a gift package similar to one he remembers receiving 20 years ago in France at a winery in the Loire valley. In addition to a little gift basket with several bottles of wine & some information about the vineyard, you get your own row in their vineyard! A small plaque is placed at the end of your row with your name on it (perfect for a visit to the vineyard and lodge for photo opportunities), and a sense of ownership has been purchased! It is your row for a full year and with it you receive updates about the growing season and can even be invited to the vineyard for pruning weekends or at harvest – if they can predict it with any certainty (which is unlikely). They are also building a cellar door to be opened in November. A cellar door is a place for wineries to show off their wines with tastings and bottles for sale. Some offer small platters or fine dining. Others have art exhibitions or sell other products like olive oil, dressings, and cheese. The wine tastings are usually free and most cellar doors offer a good variety of their wines if not their whole selection. Every cellar door has it's own vibe and the people and wine usually compliment the atmosphere.

During our time at the vineyard, Steve and I did shoot-thinning 5 hours per day. Shoot thinning is the process of ripping new shoots off the vine's canes to reduce the number of grape bunches grown per vine (and the total crop load), so they can all ripen fully by the end of the season. This is a type of pruning done in the spring to avoid overcropping, or when the vines are carrying too many bunches of grapes. If the vine is growing too much fruit, it can't get enough nutrients throughout the plant for the grapes to ripen fully by the end of the season. This type of pruning will be done throughout the harvest, later dropping bunches of grapes. It is important to get the number of bunches left on a vine just right so the ones left over don't get too ripe because they need to reach the perfect Brix (sugar) levels as well. Many vineyard managers choose between quantity and quality depending on the winemaker's standards.

After practicing on his 3 rows of Viognier, we got to work on the money makers – the young Chardonnay crop. Chris's goal for each vine was to have 20 shoots – 4 at the base and 8 on each side. They should be as evenly spaced as possible and you should attempt to leave the shoots that grow straight up. Sounds easier than it actually is. Remember that every plant is different – some with way too many or not enough shoots often leading you to decide between good spacing or good numbers. The vines are only about 2 feet high so you are either bending over or crouching at every plant – many of them forcing you to kneel down to get an up close look. There are about 75 plants per row and between the both of us, we would complete 9 rows each day (a little over an hour per row). Needless to say our necks and backs were quite relieved when the work day was over and a glass of wine brought about a whole new appreciation. Our bodies were still willing to put in an extra row each for a free bottle of Syrah on our last day, however.

Top 5 things learned at Cardoness...

1. Appreciate every sip of wine – the amount of work that goes into creating a bottle of wine from the vineyard to the winery is tremendous and there are so many people involved in the process.
2. Do up your veggies – A little butter and cheese can turn those boring greens into something quite tasty. Who knew?
3. Wine is not intimidating – everyone has a different palate and tastes something different. Do a lot of trying and see what you like – you don't have to taste the hints of gooseberry or peppery spices listed on the label to enjoy it. After all, it is just a drink to be enjoyed with friends or someone special.
4. Constructive criticism and appreciation are important – I always knew the latter but not everyone is a fan of the criticism part. Only by knowing what you are doing wrong will allow you to do better. There's nothing worse than wondering whether you are doing a good job or not.
5. Vineyard work is not easy – Isn't it strange that those that work the most labor intensive jobs that no one really wants to do, get paid the least? Thank you vineyard workers for putting in the shit work for us to get drunk. :)

WWOOF #2: Feels Like Home

After a cold and rainy drive southeast from Katikati to Te Puke (the Kiwifruit capital of the World!), we arrived at a lovely house at the end of a long tree-lined driveway surrounded by kiwifruit orchards. Colleen immediately greeted us with her spunky and boisterous personality, rushing us inside - out of the weather. After getting settled into our room and being shown a bit around the house, our mouths watered as smells of Colleen's cooking filled the air. Meat. It had been awhile and we were looking forward to it - a homemade version of hamburger helper. YUM. We shared our first meal with Colleen, her husband Mark, and Colleen's mother, Daphne. Daphne can be a bit forgetful, but she is always eager to help out around the kitchen and is generally in a pretty great mood.

Between calling people “silly sausages” and “cheeky monkeys,” Colleen always talks with her hands and often her whole body – imitating a cocky politician or the “Zoolander” look (the namesake for their gray cat). She seems to have endless energy and you hope that a conversation with her will never end because it is always interesting and filled with laughter. Mark – on the other hand - is laid-back and quiet (both in number of words and volume of speech). His sense of humor quietly surprises you between Colleen's animated stories. He seemed to be amused by us the majority of the time, especially when he was telling us stories that we were never quite sure about.

Staying with Colleen and Mark will definitely be one of the highlights of our trip. Each day we woke up and had fresh bread with manuka honey or homemade jam or fresh eggs and farm-raised bacon. We helped out with some household chores and then got to work outside – gardening, weeding, digging, planting, etc. The work was more than reasonable and the weather held up for the majoirty of our days outside. We worked a few extra hours during the week in exchange for the weekend off and spent our last Saturday baking everything under the sun with Colleen – orange marmalade, lemon honey, and pavlova. We ended many nights playing games at the dinner table, watching movies, and always with a cup of hot cocoa. We even spent a few nights in the hot tob (or spa in kiwi-speak) under the stars.

Colleen told us that on average, NZlanders move on average once every seven years. When she added up the number of homes she and Mark have owned, she agreed that yes, they have owned just that many. After buying the property they now own about 6 years ago, Colleen's parents moved in and Colleen and Mark soon after. Former bakers (among other things), the two bought a company that buys bulk ingredients (spices, dried fruits, dairy, etc.), repackages them into more practical amounts, and sells them to local restaurants and cafes. Colleen runs the day-to-day business with a staff of 4 – securing more clients and making sure everything is going smoothly from the orders to the deliveries. Mark is in charge of keeping the property up to snuff, mostly their large kiwifruit orchard. With no prior experience growing kiwifruit, Colleen and Mark started their orchard from scratch a few years ago and it's output is increasing every year. Eventually they hope for the kiwifruit to be profitable enough to be their sole income and allow them to sell their food distribution company.

A few notes on: THE HISTORY OF KIWIFRUIT...

• The first kiwifruit seeds were brought over from China in 1904 and wasn't exported until 1952!
• Originally named the “Chinese Gooseberry,” the NZ market changed it to “Kiwifruit” after their native bird, the kiwi, which is also brown and fuzzy.
• There are 2 commercially grown kiwifruit at this time – gold and green. The gold are sweeter, ripen quicker, have a thin & less fuzzy skin & are a slightly different shape (they have a little tail). The green are what you see in the American grocery stores, but they are working on cultivating them to be less fuzzy to appeal to public tastes, so go buy some kiwifruit and show them we like them just the way they are!
• Kiwifruit actually have more vitamin C than oranges, loads of potassium, and heaps of fiber!

A few notes on: GROWING KIWIFRUIT...

• The kiwifruit vines are male or female. There are about 4 females per male and the girls produce all the fruit! The males are just around for pollenation – done by honeybees hired by the kiwifruit farmer for a short time in the spring.
• Not only are the kiwifruit trees specifically spaced depending on sex, they are cut & new plants are re-grafted onto their stumps after 2 years. This allows for strong growth in the root stalk & beautiful kiwifruits up top.
• 
  One kiwifruit tree can produce 2000-3000 fruit.
• The orchards must be carefully tended to make sure that the fruit is growing to export standards & all the trees are healthy & disease-free. The vines are thinned and pruned several times throughout the growing season.
• The fruit is not picked until it reaches the right Brix level (sugar level tested in the lab) and is tested for the black seeds (all should be black), passing maturity & quality tests.
• Colleen and Mark hire a team of 20 plus people in May/June to pick all the kiwifruit in their orchard – and they do it in just 3 days!
• It would take 3 years for Colleen and Mark's orchard to convert to organic. In doing so, they would produce much less fruit and have no guarantees that they would break even because of the low profits growers make. (Colleen and Mark do work hard to use as many natural fertilizers as possible, anyway).

A few notes on: HOW KIWIFRUIT GETS TO YOU!

• Mark was kind enough to organize a tour of their packhouse one morning so that we could get a close look at where the fruit goes between the orchard and our stores at home.
• 
  Colleen and Mark work with a family-owned packhouse called Trevelyan's. They have a close personal relationship with their Grower Representative, Dave (also our tourguide), who they see nearly 50 times a year! This is not a common thing between growers and packhouses, nor do I assume it common for a packhouse to be so welcoming to curious young WWOOFers as to give them parting gifts when they leave – thanks for the beanies, Dave!
• Trevelyan's works on behalf of the growers to get the best price for their kiwifruit from Zespri, the global marketing and distribution company for all of New Zealand's kiwifruit.
• Zespri judges each grower's kiwifruit on a range of factors – size, shape, dry matter (this affects the sugars & taste), flavor profile (the fruit is put into 1 of 3 catergories – Y, T, ot M – Trevelyan's uses the words “Yummy,” “Tasty” and “Mush” to simplify it), etc.
• Zespri works with customers in Japan, Europe, the US, and other countries to distribute kiwifruit to their market. Japan will only accept Y fruit and pay a premium for it. New Zealand gets all the Class 2/non-exportable/“reject”fruit in their own stores.
• Other rejected fruit (10-15%!!) becomes NZ's stock feed (lucky stock). A rejected fruit could be barely bruised, mishapen, a little too big or small, have a small blemish...most problems are nearly unnoticable, but as the fruit ripens and travels, it can cause bigger problems for the whole bunch.
• Kiwifruit is packed & re-packed throughout the season & is often randomly tested by Zespri.

We feel very fortunate to be acquiring so much information. It can be a bit overwhelming at times, but our hosts are gracious enough to reitterate any important details I may have missed along the way.

Having said that, here are the top 5 things we've learned at Colleen & Mark's and would like to adopt:

1. Eat more kiwifruit - Not just because it's a delicious and healthy superfood, but because now I know the hard work that goes into a growing season and will be looking for Colleen and Mark's grower number on our shelves back home!
2. Provide Kiwi (spectacular) hospitality – I hope that I can give any future guests such a warm welcome, pleasant and comfortable stay, and lasting memories to boot. If everyone was more welcome to meeting strangers, what a world it might be.
3. Drink more hot cocoa before bed – it's the perfect sleepy drink and late-night treat (have one from Northstar for me, will you Columbusites?).
4. Ask lots of questions – You find out so much if you just ask and when people find out you're interested, they are happy to help you learn more (thanks again for the visit to Trevelyan's, Mark!)
5. Go for it - So far I have got the impression (and this has also been confirmed by Kiwis themselves) that NZ-landers as a whole are go-getters. They are not the type to be scared of failure or of trying something new, no matter their age, income, or knowledge base. If they want to start a business, they do it. If they want to build a food forest, no problem – just give 'em a few years. A kiwifruit orchard with no prior knowledge working with the fruit? Sure, why not? Ukelele lessons, theater, belly-dancing, cheese making classes – they do it all, young and old. There's very little fear or self-doubt – and you know what? It usually works out. And if it doesn't, it will next time. I greatly admire this attitude and fearlessness and hope that the tiny seed of it that I think I possess grows into a full-out kiwi ambition!   

Mission Statement

In the time leading up to our departure for NZ we had countless conversations with people about the adventure we planned to take. So many times did we give reasons for our decision, state expectations of our trip and assume what it was going to be like. We hyped this trip up in our own minds and in those of our family and friends. Truth be told, we had no idea what this trip had in store for us. All we had were one-way boarding passes and a few emails.

It's been a month since we arrived in New Zealand and the trip has rendered itself amazing. Neither Carly nor I could have ever expected to see what we've seen, meet the people we've met, or learn what we have learned. There has been a surprise around every corner and we are having the time of our lives. The WWOOF scheme has proved itself (so far) to be an extraordinary method of travel so long as you don't mind getting your hands dirty and your feet wet. Feeling at home with a host for about 10 days and then moving on to a new part of the country is a great pace. Coming to NZ simply was the right choice.

There are many reasons why we decided to take on this adventure: to stray from the norm, to cut loose, to change pace, to witness first-hand the beauty of New Zealand and to experience new things.  One month into the trip and I can say that we've achieved all of those things, but I can pinpoint an underlying theme that the average "vacation" doesn't necessarily provide: learning about the foods we consume and the effects of our consumption on the community and environment. I think I can call this our mission statement.  From the kiwifruit orchard to the vineyard to the food forest, Carly and I are focusing heavily on what it takes to put food into our bellies.  The time spent at our first host's permaculture domain taught us about how we can continue to feed ourselves while reducing the effects on the environment.  We feel enlightened and will be bringing many lessons back home ready for practice!


We hope that you've enjoyed the pictures on Facebook and the blog posts thus far.  Internet is quite limited in New Zealand so we're not always able to upload photos - but we'll do the best we can.  As of right now we have hosts scheduled through the beginning of December.  At that point we'll be at Celtic Organic Winery at the south of the North Island, near the nation's capital Wellington.  We hope to settle and make a little $$$ through the holiday season before crossing over to the South Island.  Nothing is certain, of course, and we're ready for anything.  All we can do is live in the moment.

But we sure do miss you.

WWOOF #1: A learning experience

Well if there was a place that we were going to learn a lot about our mutual give and take on this earth, I think we found it at Rex and Jo's. These two lovely people moved on to their current property last November and have hosted over 35 wwoofers this past year and have planted over 200 trees, not to mention all the veggie gardens and other projects they have under their belt. They are very passionate about permaculture, a concept that I remember trying to read up about on wikipedia before I left which I quickly decided was over my head and I would just have to learn once I arrived. What it basically boils down to is working mutually with the land to replenish it's needs so that it will replenish you. They are essentially building a "food forest." They design their food forest according to the layers of a natural forest and how each layer's relationship allows "a diverse community of life to grow in a relatively small space." Each element has multiple functions - some examples of this are the sheep grazing on a paddock that is unusable for growing, and therefore providing shit for the compost. Or instead of planting large pines as shelter trees from the wind, planting feijoa trees (a native NZ tree) which provides shelter but also produce delicious fruit and pollen for the bees!

Planting trees

They are very serious about every element of their design plan and see each "problem" as a solution or resource. For example, dandelions are not a weed. They are delicious in a salad and fantastic nitrogen fixers for the soil. Plants like carrots and marigolds are dynamic accumulators, meaning they have long roots which mine the minerals way down in the ground and bring them up to the soil or sometimes even manufacture more healthy minerals! Many dynamic accumulators are often considered weeds as well. Most of it sounds pretty simple and obvious but there is a lot of planning that goes into it and it can become pretty scientific when it comes to testing the soil pH or observing the micro-climates that exist within one property.

If you are interested in learning a little more about permaculture from someone who is a lot more knowledgeable, there is a good video here...

"Better Than Chocolate Cake"

We have been eating all kinds of new and different things. Rex and Jo are primarily vegetarian (Rex eats meat only when it's served at a dinner party or something) and like to include as many raw vegan meals as possible into their diets. My body is quite confused by this change of pace and hasn't always reacted favorably, but I'm sure it is thanking Rex and Jo for what I refused to ever give it. I certainly don't mind the raw vegan desserts we have had the chance to try, however. We have had a chocolate mousse type dessert that was made mostly of avocados and cocoa and a "cheesecake" made from soaked cashews. YUM. Some interesting things we have eaten at Rex & Jo's that are NZ born-and-bred...

• Tamarillos - also known as a "tree tomato," this fruit is sweeter than a regular tomato (think a tomato meets a kiwi)
• Feijoa - I have only tried a dried one, but they are amazing, like candy! when fresh, they are a small green fruit with a flesh and pulp similar to a guava
• Gold Kiwifruit - another kind of kiwi that hasn't made it too far outside NZ because it ripens more quickly, it is just like the green kind but a little sweeter, and the skin is much less furry (it is common to eat these skin and all like an apple).
• Kumara - NZ's sweet potato, 3 different varieties are grown throughout the country. It was a staple food for Māori (the native people of NZ) before European contact. Very tasty.

We even learned a new way to say grace that some Japanese wwoofers taught Rex and Jo.  "Itadakimasu" (pronounced EE-tuh-dah-kee-MOSS) means thank you, but to EVERYONE who had a hand at getting the food to your plate (farmers, drivers, supermarkets, god, cook, etc.). Steve and I liked the idea of stopping for a moment to think about and be grateful for how your food got in front of you before slurping it down and joined in this grace before each meal.

Rex and Jo are into a lot of "hippie-dippie" ideas as well that aren't quite as concrete as planting and gardening. Yoga is something we are all familiar with, but ideas like Reiki, EFT, and Heartmath are all pretty new to Steve and I. It mostly has a lot to do with being one with the energy that surrounds you and self-healing through those means. But there were some helpful concepts about our relationship with time and stress that I thought most of us back home could spend some time considering. For example, considering what energy drains in our lives are affecting our happiness. The worst energy drain is what we truly value out of sync with where our time & energy go. Most people's time priorities look like this:
1. Work
2. Primary Relationships & Family life
3. Mundane chores of everyday life
4. Social Responsibilities
5. (if there's any time left over) Ourselves
So basically, the only way to make more time in your life is to say NO - schedule less, cancel appointments (self-management instead of time management). To befriend the present moment and go with the flow.

Well it's a cool concept in any case.

A little masonry experience never hurt anyone

We have done a lot of different work on their property including...digging lots of holes (both for posts for wind cloth & the retaining wall and for planting trees, etc.), weeding, cutting & stacking wood, planting trees, mulching, chipping bricks, cutting chicken wire, laying brick & mortar for the greenhouse foundation, building a compost pile, cleaning up & organizing, building a retaining wall near the water tank, etc. A lot of the work awakened some muscles that have been lazily chilling out for quite some time and some of it was more exciting than other parts, but all of it made you feel like you put in a good day's work and got you nice and ready for a good night's sleep.

There were a few things I was certainly not ready for at Rex and Jo's. For one, our introduction to the compost toilet. What's that, you ask? Basically imagine a wooden box with a toilet seat on top in a small shed outside. You sit on the toilet seat, make your shit, wipe (with toilet paper made from recycled paper of course), cover it with some gerbil bedding and clear outta there. If you have to piss, there is a large bucket provided to take care of that. After a year of sitting on a compost pile (enough time for any of the bacteria, etc. to be eliminated), the human shit can be used as fertilizer around trees and plants that you don't eat. The piss can be used immediately on the new trees to add nitrogen, but in small doses only. Needless to say I was only brave enough to use the compost toilet a handful of times and only because I needed to go number 2 and I could feel the guilt of wasteful water consumption from our hosts every time I flushed the toilet inside (I would say the toilet was never flushed until pissed in 5-6 times). It's definitely taking the "if it's yellow, let it mellow" idea to a whole new level.

They also had some vague opinions about the negative effects of such things as wireless internet, cell phones, and television (none of which they had except a very rarely used cell phone). Keeping informed on global news was of no importance and actually seen as a block for empowering your life in a positive way (since such a majority of it is all the horrible things going on in the world). They believed strongly in enriching one's life through the arts, as their home was a menagerie of instruments - several guitars, 4 ukuleles, and a keyboard. Rex takes a weekly painting class as well as a ukulele class and Jo was re-introducing herself to drawing by focusing on using her right brain to see things differently.

Here's footage of Steve performing some John Lennon songs with WWOOF co-host Rex at the Katikati Bowling Club (sorry, must log in to Facebook):


In the end, it was definitely a transformative experience and one that we will surely take a lot from - both lessons and some unique memories!

A summary of 5 important things learned that we would like to adopt in our future lives:
1. Food Forest. The first plants that will grow on whatever small piece of land we own in our future will be fruit trees!
2. Water conservation. Being mindful of times when the water can be turned off is a good way to not be wasteful with a resource that is not readily available to everyone.
3. Be aware. Look around you and think about things differently. See how a problem can be a solution and how you can make use of waste.
4. Less stress. Everyone has the exact same amount of time in each 24-hour day. Learn to use it efficiently while still finding time for yourself - self-management not time-management.
5. Eat well. And creatively. It doesn't have to be full of sugar and fat to be delicious (but it sure does help). Research new ways to use common ingredients to make something new!

A family photo with Henry the neighbor

Note: I know this post was kind of all over the place, but so many new things were crammed into our brains in the last 2 weeks that it is overwhelming to break it all down. If there is something you are interested in knowing more about throughout our experience, please leave comments and I will try to hit on those subjects in future posts!!!

Hostel Environment

It's been two weeks since we've arrived in NZ and there hasn't been a single blog post to keep you up-to-date, but understand that we've already experienced so much and are finally making time to sum it all up! So here it goes...

The flight was long, of course.  Carly never has a hard time sleeping but I often do when not laying horizontal.  Needless to say I was more than happy to land in Auckland, where we were greeted with rain... and customs.  We had heard about how strict NZ customs can be, so I was sure to hose down the borrowed tent, tarp and even my barely-worn hiking boots before we departed.  While waiting in line, travellers are greeted with a HUGE billboard telling you that it's your last chance to declare any fruit you may have packed away, otherwise you're subject to a $400 fine! We got through without a hitch, but I would be lying if I said I wasn't the least bit anxious about the ordeal.

So we caught a shuttle-bus and arrived happily (and a bit damp) at the Pentlands Backpackers Hostel just outside the city centre.  Being that our Couchsurfing host bailed on us, we opted to spend our first three kiwi nights in the hostel.  This certainly wasn't our first hostel experience, and it didn't really differ from others.  It was a very nice experience and we may return before leaving NZ.  Vinnie (pictured with us to the right) - the duty manager - was delightful and helpful, and the room and utilities were well kept.  Nothing  to complain about.

It's always funny to us, however, how we fit in - or don't fit in - in hostels.  Amongst the revolving international crowd that occupy hostels all around the world, there's always a clique no matter when you go.  There's always a group who seem to be on the same page, and for some reason Carly and I have a hard time opening up.  Perhaps we feel a bit intimidated by their camaraderie, or perhaps we're a bit too shy.  It's a lot like being at a middle-school dance and we're the wallflowers.  We ended up leaving with a few good conversations with some global vagabonds, which is all we can ask for.

Finding a vehicle was our main goal in our three days in Auckland.  We tried a backpacker's car market without any luck, and the car fair that was supposed to be Saturday morning didn't even exist - which we found out after an hour long walk into the city.  Luckily the car fair on Sunday morning had our 1992 Toyota Camry Prominent which we named "Vinnie," an homage to the cheerful Pentlands duty manager.  She purrs like a kiwi kitten, and coughs up a knock-in-the-suspension hairball every once in a while.  Nothing a clockwise turn on the volume knob can't fix!

Finally, after three costly nights at the hostel we were on our way to life on the farm.  Carly and I enjoyed Auckland - it reminded me a bit of the San Francisco Bay Area - but it was time to get out of the city and into the countryside and WWOOF!