zealand hoppin'

in the last week, i traveled many places. partly because i'm so indecisive. i hate when i spend so much time thinking and thinking about the best decision, when really i should just DO.

since i have arrived in New Zealand, i stayed in and around Auckland (the big city) for 2 weeks. for the last 4 days that i was in Auckland, I went WWOOFing in a little town called Titirangi. The best thing i love about WWOOFing is that in exchange for some hours of work, you have everything that you need (food, accomodation, someone to drive you places). the food part is a special bonus. one day for lunch we had only salad. the salad was crisp, fresh, and organic. it had nuts, sunflower seeds, tomatoes, sugarbeet, lettuce, lemon juice, carrots, feta cheese, avocado, balsamic vinegar...all fresh from his garden...truly heaven.

you also learn a lot from the host family just from living and talking to them. i still can't believe i ended up in a Thai meditation center, feeling completely foolish in jeans and a bright orange patterned white shirt (while everyone else was in all white) and not being able to speak Thai. but it was an experience that i could keep in my story list. david also told me some things about organic farming...how to farm so that you don't need chemicals and still keep the bugs off. i find myself becoming more interested in how things are produced and made without the use of crazy chemicals after reading 'cradle to cradle' (a d-lab book).

The major downside to WWOOFing is that you don't make any money. it seems to me that for any activity or experience, the more learning that is involved, the less pay that it gives. i've been here for 2 weeks and i haven't made any money, just spending. So i decided to go on a quest for a job.

I first headed to Wellington, the capital city of New Zealand. I was hoping to get in touch with Charlotte (a kiwi i met when i volunteered in ecuador a few years back), but no reply. I then hoped to get an interview from an mri company that an MIT alum hooked me up with, but no reply. well then, there was nothing keeping me in Wellington. I hopped onto the ferry to cross from the North Island to the South Island the next day.

i just want to say here that the interisland ferry ride was the most beautiful,stunning ferry ride in the whole world. my favorite part was passing through the narrow Queen Charlotte Sound. you really feel as if you're in a part of the lord of the rings; amongst secluded islands, mountains, green wilderness, turquoise blue waters, and a bright blue sky. it's like an endless postcard stretched before your eyes.

i hopped on my tour bus and headed for Nelson. along the way, we stopped by a vineyard and did some free wine tasting. i wish i could've done some wine tasting, but i knew that going through those windy roads with alcohol wasn't good. luckily, next to the wine shop was an olive oil shop, and there was free olive oil tasting as well. mmm...the garlic olive oil...and lemon olive oil...

the trip to the vineyard inspired me to work on one. most backpackers in New Zealand end up in the harvesting industry because it's seasonal, and suitable for making money in a short time. depending on the season, you'll pick different fruit! the season right now is for grapes, so the vineyards are dying to find people. I took the bus from Nelson to Blenheim, and here I am! in Koanui Backpackers, where they said they would help arrange vineyard work for me. now i just have to wait for Monday to come. in the meantime, I'm going to make some extra money housekeeping at the backpackers.

the backpackers environment here in Blenheim is a bit new for me. i feel a bit secluded because most people who are here have been here awhile (they are working), and have formed their groups. this is the first time i've encountered this in NZ. usually it is really easy to meet people in backpacker hostels because everyone is new to the place, and trying to figure out their situations, so there is a lot to talk about. but i'm sure after some time here, i will figure this place out too.

cheers!
mw