Monday was the start of my last week on the farm. I was only ever intending to stay for a couple of weeks but by the time I leave I would have been on the farm over a month. The weather at the start of the week was really good which meant the farm had completely dried out. The owner was also away Monday and Tuesday which meant we were running the farm alone, not that he does anything anyway. This meant we were able to tidy the place up a bit and we even managed to paint a few of the fences which made it look a bit cleaner.
By Wednesday I had the afternoon off and I decided I would go geocaching as I haven't really properly been since I left home. Nearby the farm there was a mountain bike trail which had a load of geocaches along it so I decided to take a bike and find some of them which other than being extremely wet and muddy was a successful afternoon. There was even a geocache right outside the farm!
On Thursday I went round and fixed a few of the broken things round the farm, the main one being this gate which the pigs keep lifting off the hinges to get in together. I basically just wrapped loads of wire round it which now means if they get it off the hinges it won't topple over. I also finally managed to fix the guinea pigs cage which the goat repeatedly keeps breaking by jumping on it when it climbs off the roof. By Friday the weather turned and luckily with it only my half day I didn't have to work all day but the rain was just persistent which meant I was stuck inside all day.
Saturday was an interesting day as the owner decided he was shutting down the farm park. Apparently the government are cracking down on people employing backpackers in return for food and accomodation and say the hours worked should effectively equate to what the accomodation and food is worth. In my case I probably work more hours than what I get in return which I suppose is a good thing for me in terms of future employment, but in terms of the animals it's a bad thing as many are now going to be shot dead as they can't be looked after. Apparently he is going to keep the llama trekking and the wacky stays accomodation, but shut down the farm park which with respect doesn't really bring in much money. It was a sad day though because many of the animals I've been looking after are now going to die.
Sunday was my last day and I had the afternoon off. I'm definitely going to miss the animals, and things like waking up to the sheep and goatie outside my room in the morning for me to stroke them (a couple even give me their paws). I'll even miss Peppa Pig who despite being extremely annoying is funny because she always gets her cream cakes in the morning and loves being rolled upside down to have her belly rubbed. It was also nice to say goodbye to Bambi, Pony, Donkey, and Wallaby before they die, and I'll obviously miss the llamas too. In the afternoon in just sorted out a few things before I left to head south the next morning.
Tuesday, 27 June 2017
Wednesday, 21 June 2017
Kaikoura Week 3
Come the start of the week it came to our attention that some of the animals on the farm had lice which isn't a good thing. Bambi the deer had pulled loads of fur out and the Pony and Donkey kept scratching on the fence, as well as the small goat. We therefore had to assume every animal had lice. This meant we had to remove all the straw and thoroughly clean out all the paddocks which was easy enough, but the difficult thing was giving the animals this liquid stuff we had to rub on their skin, with Bambi and Goaty a nightmare to catch. Goaty always climbs on things and throughout the week broke the roof of the rabbit and guinea pigs cage, and got stuck on the roof of the feed room because we cleared all the leaves off the netting he uses to get up there meaning he wouldn't jump down.
It nice by Wednesday to have an afternoon off after the start to the week and I just went and relaxed down the beach as it was nice day. By Thursday the farm was starting to drastically dry out. The thing with Kaikoura is the ground is predominantly stones beneath the surface which means water drains away quickly. We did however have to rake up leaves which seems to be a job we constantly have to do but the trees are almost bare now which is good.
Friday was another afternoon off although in the morning we had to cut Pony, Donkey, and Bambis feet which was challenging. In the end we had to call a professional out because it just wasn't happening. They are funny in the afternoons though when we let them out into the paddock because they're best friends and Bambi just chases Pony round the field and Donkey just runs round in circles because he doesn't know what's going on. I had another relaxing day in the afternoon though because I have pretty much run out of things to do in Kaikoura in terms of walks and the bikes at the farm aren't really good enough to get me further a field.
Saturday it was a really nice day and that meant quite a few customers visited. By busy I mean about 10 people throughout the day although it's nice when there's customers because you can get out of working and talk to them instead. We did have to clean the guinea pigs and rabbits out though. It was nice in the evening though to have a few beers and watch the rugby which is obviously big in NZ, and with the Lions winning it shut a few of the kiwis up after the Highlanders had beaten the Lions midweek. It should be interesting when it's the first proper test match next week. Come Sunday I had another relaxing afternoon down the beach.
It nice by Wednesday to have an afternoon off after the start to the week and I just went and relaxed down the beach as it was nice day. By Thursday the farm was starting to drastically dry out. The thing with Kaikoura is the ground is predominantly stones beneath the surface which means water drains away quickly. We did however have to rake up leaves which seems to be a job we constantly have to do but the trees are almost bare now which is good.
Friday was another afternoon off although in the morning we had to cut Pony, Donkey, and Bambis feet which was challenging. In the end we had to call a professional out because it just wasn't happening. They are funny in the afternoons though when we let them out into the paddock because they're best friends and Bambi just chases Pony round the field and Donkey just runs round in circles because he doesn't know what's going on. I had another relaxing day in the afternoon though because I have pretty much run out of things to do in Kaikoura in terms of walks and the bikes at the farm aren't really good enough to get me further a field.
Saturday it was a really nice day and that meant quite a few customers visited. By busy I mean about 10 people throughout the day although it's nice when there's customers because you can get out of working and talk to them instead. We did have to clean the guinea pigs and rabbits out though. It was nice in the evening though to have a few beers and watch the rugby which is obviously big in NZ, and with the Lions winning it shut a few of the kiwis up after the Highlanders had beaten the Lions midweek. It should be interesting when it's the first proper test match next week. Come Sunday I had another relaxing afternoon down the beach.
Wednesday, 14 June 2017
Kaikoura Week 2
By Monday the farm was an absolute mud bath and the rain persisted to the point where we had to stop working by lunchtime because it was just silly. We did however still have to feed the animals at 3.15. Due to the adverse weather, Mt Fyffe which I climbed a few days previously had gone from having a few patches of snow on to being absolutely caked in the stuff which became visible on Tuesday when the sun finally came out. With Tuesday being an afternoon off I was considering doing a walk into the Kowhai Valley which runs behind Mt Fyffe between that mountain and the much higher mountains behind. I instead decided to have a relaxing day however taking advantage of the nice weather to relax down the beach, as well as playing mini golf on the free course in town.
Wednesday was another sunny day and it was unbelievable how quickly the farm dried out, all be it there was still a fair bit of mud. The afternoon was spent cleaning out the rabbits and guinea pigs which involved driving to the local woodwork place to steal some wood shavings for their bedding. Come Thursday it was the two Czech people's last day, as well as the other woofer leaving the next morning. After doing my morning duties I headed down to the caves where they supposedly did tours, although it was closed. I did sit in the cafe there for a bit though before heading back to the farm. In the evening to say goodbye we had a beer tasting evening seeing as Czech Republic is the birthplace of beer. We also tasted their homemade drink Slivovitz which was interesting and it was a really nice way to say goodbye.
By Friday we were down to just 2 of us and after the morning it was down to just me. A new person did arrive in the afternoon however who was British which was nice. On Saturday it was another intense morning with just 2 people doing the morning duties when it's normally done with 4 people. I did have the afternoon off however although the weather was a big grotty so I just cycled into town and looked round some of the shops and sat in one of the cafes just to get out. I also went and visited the seal colonies again as it's always nice watching the seals. By afternoon another 2 woofers arrived who were also British and from the south coast which makes a whole farm of southerners now including the owners.
On Sunday I had another afternoon off and with it finally being a nice day I decided to do a walk into the Kowhai Valley. There is officially a 2-3 day hike which goes through the Kowhai Valley, over the saddle, then through the Hapuku Valley, and I was just doing a small section from the Kowhai end. The path essentially followed the river which meant I wore wellington boots, although when arriving at the start it said the path was closed due to earthquake damage. I decided to just go for it however and to be fair there was a fair bit of earthquake damage. The terrain was extremely challenging with the fallen trees and unstable rocks from landslides but the main issue was the river level which was probably higher than usual due to the rain.
The path initially followed the cliff face which looked precariously unstable with a large amount of sediment ready to fall so I got past that quickly in case of a landslide. It then followed the river initially on a 4wd drive track before it completely disappeared and I just had to follow the river. I was glad I chose to wear wellington boots. Before long the valley became more like a canyon and I had a few complex rock formations to climb over which were pretty slippery but I managed it. The river got more like rapids further up but I managed to climb up this cliff face and avoid them to get further up stream before it got a bit too challenging to continue. I had lunch here before turning heading back the same way to the start. All in all it was a nice walk but I probably shouldn't have been in there.
Wednesday was another sunny day and it was unbelievable how quickly the farm dried out, all be it there was still a fair bit of mud. The afternoon was spent cleaning out the rabbits and guinea pigs which involved driving to the local woodwork place to steal some wood shavings for their bedding. Come Thursday it was the two Czech people's last day, as well as the other woofer leaving the next morning. After doing my morning duties I headed down to the caves where they supposedly did tours, although it was closed. I did sit in the cafe there for a bit though before heading back to the farm. In the evening to say goodbye we had a beer tasting evening seeing as Czech Republic is the birthplace of beer. We also tasted their homemade drink Slivovitz which was interesting and it was a really nice way to say goodbye.
By Friday we were down to just 2 of us and after the morning it was down to just me. A new person did arrive in the afternoon however who was British which was nice. On Saturday it was another intense morning with just 2 people doing the morning duties when it's normally done with 4 people. I did have the afternoon off however although the weather was a big grotty so I just cycled into town and looked round some of the shops and sat in one of the cafes just to get out. I also went and visited the seal colonies again as it's always nice watching the seals. By afternoon another 2 woofers arrived who were also British and from the south coast which makes a whole farm of southerners now including the owners.
On Sunday I had another afternoon off and with it finally being a nice day I decided to do a walk into the Kowhai Valley. There is officially a 2-3 day hike which goes through the Kowhai Valley, over the saddle, then through the Hapuku Valley, and I was just doing a small section from the Kowhai end. The path essentially followed the river which meant I wore wellington boots, although when arriving at the start it said the path was closed due to earthquake damage. I decided to just go for it however and to be fair there was a fair bit of earthquake damage. The terrain was extremely challenging with the fallen trees and unstable rocks from landslides but the main issue was the river level which was probably higher than usual due to the rain.
The path initially followed the cliff face which looked precariously unstable with a large amount of sediment ready to fall so I got past that quickly in case of a landslide. It then followed the river initially on a 4wd drive track before it completely disappeared and I just had to follow the river. I was glad I chose to wear wellington boots. Before long the valley became more like a canyon and I had a few complex rock formations to climb over which were pretty slippery but I managed it. The river got more like rapids further up but I managed to climb up this cliff face and avoid them to get further up stream before it got a bit too challenging to continue. I had lunch here before turning heading back the same way to the start. All in all it was a nice walk but I probably shouldn't have been in there.
Thursday, 8 June 2017
Kaikoura
By Monday I had got used to the daily morning routine which consists of feeding the animals first, then replacing their waters, then poo picking, then preparing their meals for the afternoon feed and next mornings feed. It was slight chaos though however as the male pig had taken out one of the gates over night and was inside the same area as the female pig which isn't good. We separated them eventually although we did have to somehow patch up the gate so it couldn't happen again. In the afternoon we just had to change some of the animals straw as the previous days rain had waterlogged it a fair bit, with feeding at 3.15 which is part of the daily routine.
Tuesday was my afternoon off so after the morning routine and with it being a really nice day I decided to do the peninsula walkway. I did this when I last visited but since the earthquake there has been some dramatic changes in the geology with parts of the seabed raising 2 metres and the south island getting up to 5 metres closer to the north island! It was a nice walk which I cycled in places and I was able to see a few of the seal colonies which was nice. There were also greats views of the snow-capped mountains which make up the back drop of Kaikoura. Tuesday was also the day the husband returned to the farm so it was nice to meet him.
Wednesday was another full day and it was a nice and sunny day, although by Thursday it was raining again which meant my afternoon off was spent inside which sucked. The rain persisted into Friday with the odd shower although I had to clean the teepee which is currently out of action for the winter in terms of their accommodation. I don't think they've ever cleaned the canvas as it was basically green and covered in mould. I used a pressure spray to attempt to clean it but it still looked filthy, just a little less green. Me and the Czech guy also woofing on the farm started watching the complete Lord of the Rings trilogy throughout the week though which was nice.
Saturday was a much nicer day and after my morning duties I decided to attempt Mt Fyffe which is a 1602m peak overlooking Kaikoura. It says online it is an 8 hour return walk from the car park which was 8km from the farm, although when I spoke to the person in the I-site they said they knew 75 year olds who could do it in 6 hours return. I made it to the car park by midday but that still only gave me about 5ish hours daylight. The path was effectively a 4wd track which zigzagged up at first to this lookout which gave me my first views of the peninsula. It then continued up where before long I had views of the taller snowcapped mountains behind Mt Fyffe, as well as some views of the Kowhai Valley situated between the snowcapped mountains and the Fyffe range. The path eventually got to a hut.
From here I entered the cloud and the temperature dropped drastically, the path now being effectively frost with even some snow about. I eventually managed to get above the clouds and into the sun and when reaching the summit got some spectacular views of the Kaikoura Peninsula and the mountains behind. I even managed to get up in 2 and a quarter hours which meant I had rocketed up! The descent was pretty straight forward and I was able to just let myself go, completing it in just an hour and quarter which meant I got back to the farm in daylight which was good as I didn't fancy cycling down country roads at night. It was a really good hike though.
Sunday was a full day on the farm and after the morning routine I carried on with the teepee. With it being bank holiday weekend (they have a bank holiday for the Queens birthday in NZ) the farm was busier than usual which meant a fair few people came to visit which was nice. It was a nightmare however as we had to catch three piglets which we were selling and they wouldn't go where we wanted them. The rain didn't help either which throughout the week had made large parts of the farm an absolute quagmire. We had to give up in the end.
Tuesday was my afternoon off so after the morning routine and with it being a really nice day I decided to do the peninsula walkway. I did this when I last visited but since the earthquake there has been some dramatic changes in the geology with parts of the seabed raising 2 metres and the south island getting up to 5 metres closer to the north island! It was a nice walk which I cycled in places and I was able to see a few of the seal colonies which was nice. There were also greats views of the snow-capped mountains which make up the back drop of Kaikoura. Tuesday was also the day the husband returned to the farm so it was nice to meet him.
Wednesday was another full day and it was a nice and sunny day, although by Thursday it was raining again which meant my afternoon off was spent inside which sucked. The rain persisted into Friday with the odd shower although I had to clean the teepee which is currently out of action for the winter in terms of their accommodation. I don't think they've ever cleaned the canvas as it was basically green and covered in mould. I used a pressure spray to attempt to clean it but it still looked filthy, just a little less green. Me and the Czech guy also woofing on the farm started watching the complete Lord of the Rings trilogy throughout the week though which was nice.
Saturday was a much nicer day and after my morning duties I decided to attempt Mt Fyffe which is a 1602m peak overlooking Kaikoura. It says online it is an 8 hour return walk from the car park which was 8km from the farm, although when I spoke to the person in the I-site they said they knew 75 year olds who could do it in 6 hours return. I made it to the car park by midday but that still only gave me about 5ish hours daylight. The path was effectively a 4wd track which zigzagged up at first to this lookout which gave me my first views of the peninsula. It then continued up where before long I had views of the taller snowcapped mountains behind Mt Fyffe, as well as some views of the Kowhai Valley situated between the snowcapped mountains and the Fyffe range. The path eventually got to a hut.
From here I entered the cloud and the temperature dropped drastically, the path now being effectively frost with even some snow about. I eventually managed to get above the clouds and into the sun and when reaching the summit got some spectacular views of the Kaikoura Peninsula and the mountains behind. I even managed to get up in 2 and a quarter hours which meant I had rocketed up! The descent was pretty straight forward and I was able to just let myself go, completing it in just an hour and quarter which meant I got back to the farm in daylight which was good as I didn't fancy cycling down country roads at night. It was a really good hike though.
Sunday was a full day on the farm and after the morning routine I carried on with the teepee. With it being bank holiday weekend (they have a bank holiday for the Queens birthday in NZ) the farm was busier than usual which meant a fair few people came to visit which was nice. It was a nightmare however as we had to catch three piglets which we were selling and they wouldn't go where we wanted them. The rain didn't help either which throughout the week had made large parts of the farm an absolute quagmire. We had to give up in the end.
Thursday, 1 June 2017
Christchurch and Kaikoura
Monday was the start of my job searching around Christchurch, and I initially hoped I could just walk into tradestaff which is the agency that gave me labour work in Auckland and get a job. They unfortunately said I needed a driving license which made me unsuitable for the job. I think they were just being awkward because the Auckland office knew I was a backpacker and gave me a suitable job with that knowledge, and the person on the reception at Christchurch seemed like they couldn't be bothered to accommodate me even though other people in my hostel in Christchurch were working for tradestaff without a car. I therefore spent the rest of the day just looking up other jobs.
On Tuesday I hadn't yet heard anything from anywhere so I decided to go out for a walk to the Port Hills which is home to Christchurch Gondola. I walked up the top however as there was a popular path called the Bridle Path up to the top, which linked Christchurch to the small port of Lyttelton before they built a tunnel. I didn't go down to Lyttelton however, instead admiring the views which one way was of Christchurch City and even the Southern Alps. And the other way Lyttelton Harbour and the Banks Peninsula. I also visited the small information centre at the top of the gondola which was interesting, before heading over castle rocks to get a better view of Christchurch. I then headed down back into Christchurch not getting back to the hostel until dark with the daylight hours now well and truly into winter.
By Wednesday I still hadn't heard anything from any jobs anywhere. The issue is in terms of work in Christchurch is there's a lot of construction work, but the alternative is only really retail and hospitality and employing a backpacker in low season probably isn't ideal for them. I therefore contacted a few more agencies to try and find labour work, and also broadened my search a bit. By Thursday the opportunity arose to do some voluntary work on a farm in Kaikoura, so I had to make the decision whether to continue searching for work in Christchurch, move elsewhere in search of work, or do some volunteering in Kaikoura. I opted for Kaikoura
Kaikoura is a small town located about halfway between Christchurch and Picton (the place you catch the ferry to North Island). It's particularly popular with wildlife enthusiasts due it's abundance of marine life including whales, dolphins, and seals. In November 2016 the town suffered a massive 7.8 magnitude earthquake and eversince the main route north to Picton has been closed due to landslides, meaning a journey to Picton now takes about 9 hours instead of about 2 hours. In addition to this the main route south is also closed meaning the only road to Kaikoura is an inland mountain road, making the town particularly inaccessible since the earthquake. I managed to get there though despite this.
My job in Kaikoura is on a farm park just outside the town. I have to stay a minimum of 2 weeks but I'm not sure how long I'll stay yet, because to be fair Kaikoura is a nice place. The farm is supposedly run by an English couple from Bournemouth but the husband is currently in the UK and filing for divorce from the wife who has run off with a local Kiwi guy so it's slight fun and games. In return for food and accomodation I have to every morning feed the animals, clean out their areas, and prepare their meals which takes a couple of hours. And then 4 days a week spend a few hours in the afternoon doing so called project work which could be anything. There's 4 volunteers on site so we work in pairs.
Leaving Christchurch early Friday morning I was in Kaikoura by half 10 and was picked up by the owner who seems really nice. I was shown round the farm which includes Llamas, Pigs, Sheep, Donkeys, a Wallaby, Deer, Goats, and lots of birds, rabbits, and guinea pigs, as well as a 3 legged dog and 1 eyed dog. I even have my own bedroom which is like this gypo hut all to myself, as well as a bathroom, kitchen, and lounge area which I share with other volunteers. The farm is open to the public and also has holiday accommodation including a teepee, yurt, and train carriage. I spent the afternoon tidying up the cottage area.
On Saturday it was my half day although come afternoon it was raining which meant I stayed at the farm and played games with my volunteer partner. We did however cycle into Kaikoura late afternoon despite the rain to see one of the seal colonies before it got dark. The farm is basically located 4km from the town so it's walkable but the farm owners have bikes you can use to get around in our free time which is useful. Come Sunday I had got to know the daily routine with the feed times at 8.15am and 3.15pm, and it seems like a nice little job for the time being.
On Tuesday I hadn't yet heard anything from anywhere so I decided to go out for a walk to the Port Hills which is home to Christchurch Gondola. I walked up the top however as there was a popular path called the Bridle Path up to the top, which linked Christchurch to the small port of Lyttelton before they built a tunnel. I didn't go down to Lyttelton however, instead admiring the views which one way was of Christchurch City and even the Southern Alps. And the other way Lyttelton Harbour and the Banks Peninsula. I also visited the small information centre at the top of the gondola which was interesting, before heading over castle rocks to get a better view of Christchurch. I then headed down back into Christchurch not getting back to the hostel until dark with the daylight hours now well and truly into winter.
By Wednesday I still hadn't heard anything from any jobs anywhere. The issue is in terms of work in Christchurch is there's a lot of construction work, but the alternative is only really retail and hospitality and employing a backpacker in low season probably isn't ideal for them. I therefore contacted a few more agencies to try and find labour work, and also broadened my search a bit. By Thursday the opportunity arose to do some voluntary work on a farm in Kaikoura, so I had to make the decision whether to continue searching for work in Christchurch, move elsewhere in search of work, or do some volunteering in Kaikoura. I opted for Kaikoura
Kaikoura is a small town located about halfway between Christchurch and Picton (the place you catch the ferry to North Island). It's particularly popular with wildlife enthusiasts due it's abundance of marine life including whales, dolphins, and seals. In November 2016 the town suffered a massive 7.8 magnitude earthquake and eversince the main route north to Picton has been closed due to landslides, meaning a journey to Picton now takes about 9 hours instead of about 2 hours. In addition to this the main route south is also closed meaning the only road to Kaikoura is an inland mountain road, making the town particularly inaccessible since the earthquake. I managed to get there though despite this.
My job in Kaikoura is on a farm park just outside the town. I have to stay a minimum of 2 weeks but I'm not sure how long I'll stay yet, because to be fair Kaikoura is a nice place. The farm is supposedly run by an English couple from Bournemouth but the husband is currently in the UK and filing for divorce from the wife who has run off with a local Kiwi guy so it's slight fun and games. In return for food and accomodation I have to every morning feed the animals, clean out their areas, and prepare their meals which takes a couple of hours. And then 4 days a week spend a few hours in the afternoon doing so called project work which could be anything. There's 4 volunteers on site so we work in pairs.
Leaving Christchurch early Friday morning I was in Kaikoura by half 10 and was picked up by the owner who seems really nice. I was shown round the farm which includes Llamas, Pigs, Sheep, Donkeys, a Wallaby, Deer, Goats, and lots of birds, rabbits, and guinea pigs, as well as a 3 legged dog and 1 eyed dog. I even have my own bedroom which is like this gypo hut all to myself, as well as a bathroom, kitchen, and lounge area which I share with other volunteers. The farm is open to the public and also has holiday accommodation including a teepee, yurt, and train carriage. I spent the afternoon tidying up the cottage area.
On Saturday it was my half day although come afternoon it was raining which meant I stayed at the farm and played games with my volunteer partner. We did however cycle into Kaikoura late afternoon despite the rain to see one of the seal colonies before it got dark. The farm is basically located 4km from the town so it's walkable but the farm owners have bikes you can use to get around in our free time which is useful. Come Sunday I had got to know the daily routine with the feed times at 8.15am and 3.15pm, and it seems like a nice little job for the time being.
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