moving onwards

Nothing very exciting has happened since I left Cape Jackson at the
beginning of January. The wwoof hosts at my last few places were nice,
but there was always something missing.

When I first arrived in Takaka, I wwoofed with a woman named Alex. I
worked in the cafe that she owns, washing dishes. Glamorous, I know.
(wwoofing doesn't necessarily mean working on an organic farm). On my
first day, I noticed the setup was like wilg--I had to wash the dishes
before sticking them in the sanitizer. But how different it is!! The
stick everything in the sanitizer, including pots, pans, baking trays,
tupperware, plastic! I kept handwashing all these things, while Yvonne
(Alex's daughter) kept giving me dirty looks and reminding me I have
to run them all through the sanitizer. I wanted to say, 'Well, miss,
do you know that the heat melts the plastic, and releases bad
chemicals? Not to mention the tops and tupperware are all warped. And
the baking trays and cast iron pans have non-stick layers that are
ruined in the sanitizer!' But of course, I didn't say all that. I
nodded my head quietly and stuck everything in the sanitizer. Although
secretly, I continued to handwash lots of things.

I committed to work with her a week, so I did that. In the meantime, I
found another Wwoofing place also in Golden Bay. Takaka and Golden Bay
is where new age and the 70s meet--surrounded by hippies and the
alternative lifestyle. Most of the shops sell organic and natural
products; they smell of incense and decorated with pictures of Buddha
and other art promoting natural healing. There are also signs such as
'Make tea, not war'...

I was attracted to Golden Bay because of its close knit community.
Most people living here are farmers (organic), and everyone knows
each other. They are generally nice, relaxed people, who are actively
involved in community groups and activities that promote a healthy
lifestyle. The region sits between two national parks. Hence, the
landscape is painted by mountains, rivers and ocean, as well as cows,
sheep, horses, and old rusty machinery.

More adventures in Golden Bay to come...