I dropped Maa'yan and Tomer off the next evening at their backpacker hostel in Wellington, where they'd stay just one night before heading to the South Island, and I headed up to see what this farm where I'd be housesitting was like.
Rae and Mike and their three daughters, Georgia (15), Olivia (11), and Sophia (9) have a great home! When I walked into the house, there were 7 women and girls in the kitchen starting to put together dinner. In addition to Rae and her daughters, there were two young wwoofers- one German, and one English, and one of Georgia's friends. After introductions, I was immediately put to work, wrapping enchiladas for what turned out to be 11 people (two friends joined the crowd).
It is a busy place! There are wwoofers here throughout the growing season, coming from all over the world to become a part of the family for a couple of weeks. Theirs is one of those families where guests are a part of the fabric of the home. I immediately felt comfortable, and quickly fell into a conversation with Olivia who is a reader! We played the "oh, have you read this?" game for a long time, having fun recalling favorite stories and characters- so sweet!
The other two wwoofers were equally fun- both about 19 and on year-long trips before they start college.
The next morning, Rae gave me a tour of the property. The 100-year-old house (old for NZ!) is on several acres of open fields in a small, secondary valley just outside of Upper Hutt. It is a beautiful spot, surrounded on all sides by small farms, and in the distance green hills- some of it pasture land, others look like tree farms. Rae and Mike have several small to medium-sized vegetable gardens and two highly-productive hoop houses. Opposite the house is a small hen house equipped with about 15 hens and 1 rooster. Tui, the lovable black lab (for those of you who know her- think Annie-Jamie's dog) keeps a good watch over the place, and Tigerlily the cat keeps the mouse population down. All the mice she eats does not make her any fatter though- maybe they just make her longer... she looks like a slinky with legs! 
Oh, and not to forget, the family also has some furry boarders- three brown, part merino sheep, two horses, and one pony. And of course, the geese. The family also has three white geese that waddle around the unoccupied fields eating grass all day and looking pretty.
The next day, the family left for their "holiday" on the South Island, leaving me their car, and the task of driving Chloe, the English wwoofer to the station a day later. This is more of an adventure than it sounds- not only would I need to remember to stay to the left, I would also need to shift with my left hand! For those of you who have had yet to experience this puzzle, it is a bit akin to rubbing your belly and patting your head while riding a bicycle...
But none to worry, I managed just fine after a good test run in the driveway! Chloe got safely to the station, and I back to the house.
But before she left, she, Jana (the German wwoofer) and I had some tree planting to do! For the first few days I worked the full four-hour wwoofing days, and Jana and Chloe and I cooked together. It was great! We cooked big meals, shared travel stories over dinner and watched movies in the evening. It was a nice way of settling in and transitioning into housesitting.
Jana left a few days later- on her bike! She's been cycling all around the country- she's so cool!
Since then I have been on my own with the animals here, but don't worry, I haven't been bored! More on what I've been up to in my next blog. Then I will finally be caught up!!
Rae and Mike and their three daughters, Georgia (15), Olivia (11), and Sophia (9) have a great home! When I walked into the house, there were 7 women and girls in the kitchen starting to put together dinner. In addition to Rae and her daughters, there were two young wwoofers- one German, and one English, and one of Georgia's friends. After introductions, I was immediately put to work, wrapping enchiladas for what turned out to be 11 people (two friends joined the crowd).
It is a busy place! There are wwoofers here throughout the growing season, coming from all over the world to become a part of the family for a couple of weeks. Theirs is one of those families where guests are a part of the fabric of the home. I immediately felt comfortable, and quickly fell into a conversation with Olivia who is a reader! We played the "oh, have you read this?" game for a long time, having fun recalling favorite stories and characters- so sweet!
The other two wwoofers were equally fun- both about 19 and on year-long trips before they start college.
The next morning, Rae gave me a tour of the property. The 100-year-old house (old for NZ!) is on several acres of open fields in a small, secondary valley just outside of Upper Hutt. It is a beautiful spot, surrounded on all sides by small farms, and in the distance green hills- some of it pasture land, others look like tree farms. Rae and Mike have several small to medium-sized vegetable gardens and two highly-productive hoop houses. Opposite the house is a small hen house equipped with about 15 hens and 1 rooster. Tui, the lovable black lab (for those of you who know her- think Annie-Jamie's dog) keeps a good watch over the place, and Tigerlily the cat keeps the mouse population down. All the mice she eats does not make her any fatter though- maybe they just make her longer... she looks like a slinky with legs! 
Oh, and not to forget, the family also has some furry boarders- three brown, part merino sheep, two horses, and one pony. And of course, the geese. The family also has three white geese that waddle around the unoccupied fields eating grass all day and looking pretty.
The next day, the family left for their "holiday" on the South Island, leaving me their car, and the task of driving Chloe, the English wwoofer to the station a day later. This is more of an adventure than it sounds- not only would I need to remember to stay to the left, I would also need to shift with my left hand! For those of you who have had yet to experience this puzzle, it is a bit akin to rubbing your belly and patting your head while riding a bicycle...
But none to worry, I managed just fine after a good test run in the driveway! Chloe got safely to the station, and I back to the house.
But before she left, she, Jana (the German wwoofer) and I had some tree planting to do! For the first few days I worked the full four-hour wwoofing days, and Jana and Chloe and I cooked together. It was great! We cooked big meals, shared travel stories over dinner and watched movies in the evening. It was a nice way of settling in and transitioning into housesitting.
Jana left a few days later- on her bike! She's been cycling all around the country- she's so cool!
Since then I have been on my own with the animals here, but don't worry, I haven't been bored! More on what I've been up to in my next blog. Then I will finally be caught up!!
2 comments:
Thanks for the update! Giorgio, Emma and I enjoyed the photos. Of course Giorgio liked the hot dog cat most of all. Emma and I want to know, why no photo of bubbling mud? New Zealand looks a lot like Hawaii. XOX GLEE
Looks like a fun trip. I envy the warm weather. All you need is a stolen garden gnome for the pictures.
Post a Comment