March 12, 2008 Woofing on a farm near Wellington
James and I have finally left Hamilton/Dinsdale after a boring week with me hanging out while James worked this restaurant job. It was an 8 hour drive to the woofing farm so we split it up and stayed at a hostel in Wanganuni on the west coast. On the way we stopped by Paul’s house in Palmerston and broke in to get my computer and some clothes. The drive was really fun though, winding roads along mountainsides. About ¾ of the way through the trip we figured out how to raise the antennae for the radio so before that we had no music.
Our woofing farm is out in the middle of nowhere, a good half hour from the nearest town. Super nice couple, 3 daughters, and heaps of farm land. They’re an organic farm (but not hippies!) raising about 700 sheep, dairy and beef cows, and 150 red deer. So cool to be helping out on the farm though, the owner/dad Ian is so nice saying thanks after everything we do. He really appreciates our help as it makes jobs go twice as fast with 2 extra sets of hands. Seems like most of the jobs are 2 person jobs too. Right after we first got here, he had just jumping on the hay on the tractor and going down and feeding some sheep! We’re staying in the sheep shearing shed off the house. Perfect little setup with bathroom and everything. The deal is we work during the day with them for 4 days and then we have 3 days off to go explore around the area a bit. We help out and they feed us and set us up with a place to stay. They are shearing sheep next week so it would be cool to get the chance to see that. The work isn’t even that hard and James and I are really interested in how to run a farm like this. Today we worked from 8 to 4 but with breaks and lunch and breakfast. Here’s what we did today: feed some sheep, painted windows frames on the shearing shed, nailed some clamps on fences, and set up electric fences for sheep and cows. It all went pretty quick. It would get monotonous if you did it everyday though. Guess that’s just farm life though.
When we were off that afternoon, the dad, Ian took us to a swimming hole that was nearby. Nice to cool off, but chilly. Back at the house, before dinner, we took a dip in a homemade hot tub that Ian has set up. It’s an actual tub heated underneath by a wood fire oven. Awesome and ultra relaxing to sit out there in the yard with a glass of wine. Such a treat. Oh and for dinner! This is def noteworthy! We had the most delicious venison I’ve ever had. Sorry Nanc and Tom! It was organic, from the farm, and just so tasty. Barbequed and marinated in a special family recipe. Oh it was so good! Perfect end to a great day.
March 13, 2008 Wharerata farm woofing
This morning we woke up early to travel with Ian and Heather 2 ½ hours north up to the town of Fielding. They bought a shop up there and it desperately needed painting and some sprucing up. In the morning we went to this farm show (like a boat show with all the new products and companies or a home show) called Field Days that was being held in the town. It was filled with crazy rednecks. Well, I’m not even sure if they count as rednecks here…ummm. A bunch of tractors, ATVs, farm equipment, a few Alpaca’s, sheep, and cows, but not too much that excited us really. James and I wandered around for a few hours until we were bored and then walked into town to meet up with the painting crew. Paint crew, it was only James, Heather, Ian, and I. We managed to paint half the walls this neutral brown and set up an office area and we were done at about 9 that night. Got back about midnight and I was totally wiped. Long day.
March 14, 2008 Wharerata farm woofing
Slept in a bit this morning after a long night last night, but got right back to work on the farm. James and I drove a car around following Ian in the tractor and helped out on the farm. We moved fences, laid out hay, chased down a few loose cows, and spent all afternoon straightening a crooked fence in the sheep shearing area. Hard work, but a good day. They are so appreciative of our help. It was a low-key dinner, watching some TV that night, nothing to write home about.
March 15, 2008 Wharerata farm woofing
So we worked three days and now we’re off as it is the weekend and they have prior commitments. Pretty sweet! Slept in this morning, did some laundry, and we were off exploring. The family had a canoe polo (must be a crazy sport!) game of one of their daughter’s to go to, so we had the house to ourselves. We will have 3 days off and then work another day and then be off to somewhere else. We drove about a half an hour south to Lake ferry to try some beach cast fishing. People around us were catching sharks, but we didn’t get a bite. Well ‘we,’ I was snoozing. Scenic little spot though. Right where a lake opened up into the ocean, in a valley surrounded by tall mountains. After the unsuccessful fishing bout, we headed another half hour to the next village to Cape Pallister. Neat lighthouse on a hill and a seal colony! Oh I love the seals. Stoked I finally got to see them. They are so lethargic and huge. Fun to watch them from a distance…they smell! Also in this small fishing town, there is a huge beach and everyone takes their boat out of the water with a bulldozer. It looked so silly. All these bulldozers trailering boats lined up the beach. I drove us home in the late afternoon and I did good. I’m getting so much better at driving manual. I only scared James once. I have this bad tendency to look down when I shift gears, look away from the road, and slightly turn the wheel. Minus that one significant problem, I’m getting better. Tonight its another low-key evening and we might go on the boat water skiing with the family tomorrow if the weather is nice. That would be fun. I haven’t skied in forever.
James and I have finally left Hamilton/Dinsdale after a boring week with me hanging out while James worked this restaurant job. It was an 8 hour drive to the woofing farm so we split it up and stayed at a hostel in Wanganuni on the west coast. On the way we stopped by Paul’s house in Palmerston and broke in to get my computer and some clothes. The drive was really fun though, winding roads along mountainsides. About ¾ of the way through the trip we figured out how to raise the antennae for the radio so before that we had no music.
Our woofing farm is out in the middle of nowhere, a good half hour from the nearest town. Super nice couple, 3 daughters, and heaps of farm land. They’re an organic farm (but not hippies!) raising about 700 sheep, dairy and beef cows, and 150 red deer. So cool to be helping out on the farm though, the owner/dad Ian is so nice saying thanks after everything we do. He really appreciates our help as it makes jobs go twice as fast with 2 extra sets of hands. Seems like most of the jobs are 2 person jobs too. Right after we first got here, he had just jumping on the hay on the tractor and going down and feeding some sheep! We’re staying in the sheep shearing shed off the house. Perfect little setup with bathroom and everything. The deal is we work during the day with them for 4 days and then we have 3 days off to go explore around the area a bit. We help out and they feed us and set us up with a place to stay. They are shearing sheep next week so it would be cool to get the chance to see that. The work isn’t even that hard and James and I are really interested in how to run a farm like this. Today we worked from 8 to 4 but with breaks and lunch and breakfast. Here’s what we did today: feed some sheep, painted windows frames on the shearing shed, nailed some clamps on fences, and set up electric fences for sheep and cows. It all went pretty quick. It would get monotonous if you did it everyday though. Guess that’s just farm life though.
When we were off that afternoon, the dad, Ian took us to a swimming hole that was nearby. Nice to cool off, but chilly. Back at the house, before dinner, we took a dip in a homemade hot tub that Ian has set up. It’s an actual tub heated underneath by a wood fire oven. Awesome and ultra relaxing to sit out there in the yard with a glass of wine. Such a treat. Oh and for dinner! This is def noteworthy! We had the most delicious venison I’ve ever had. Sorry Nanc and Tom! It was organic, from the farm, and just so tasty. Barbequed and marinated in a special family recipe. Oh it was so good! Perfect end to a great day.
March 13, 2008 Wharerata farm woofing
This morning we woke up early to travel with Ian and Heather 2 ½ hours north up to the town of Fielding. They bought a shop up there and it desperately needed painting and some sprucing up. In the morning we went to this farm show (like a boat show with all the new products and companies or a home show) called Field Days that was being held in the town. It was filled with crazy rednecks. Well, I’m not even sure if they count as rednecks here…ummm. A bunch of tractors, ATVs, farm equipment, a few Alpaca’s, sheep, and cows, but not too much that excited us really. James and I wandered around for a few hours until we were bored and then walked into town to meet up with the painting crew. Paint crew, it was only James, Heather, Ian, and I. We managed to paint half the walls this neutral brown and set up an office area and we were done at about 9 that night. Got back about midnight and I was totally wiped. Long day.
March 14, 2008 Wharerata farm woofing
Slept in a bit this morning after a long night last night, but got right back to work on the farm. James and I drove a car around following Ian in the tractor and helped out on the farm. We moved fences, laid out hay, chased down a few loose cows, and spent all afternoon straightening a crooked fence in the sheep shearing area. Hard work, but a good day. They are so appreciative of our help. It was a low-key dinner, watching some TV that night, nothing to write home about.
March 15, 2008 Wharerata farm woofing
So we worked three days and now we’re off as it is the weekend and they have prior commitments. Pretty sweet! Slept in this morning, did some laundry, and we were off exploring. The family had a canoe polo (must be a crazy sport!) game of one of their daughter’s to go to, so we had the house to ourselves. We will have 3 days off and then work another day and then be off to somewhere else. We drove about a half an hour south to Lake ferry to try some beach cast fishing. People around us were catching sharks, but we didn’t get a bite. Well ‘we,’ I was snoozing. Scenic little spot though. Right where a lake opened up into the ocean, in a valley surrounded by tall mountains. After the unsuccessful fishing bout, we headed another half hour to the next village to Cape Pallister. Neat lighthouse on a hill and a seal colony! Oh I love the seals. Stoked I finally got to see them. They are so lethargic and huge. Fun to watch them from a distance…they smell! Also in this small fishing town, there is a huge beach and everyone takes their boat out of the water with a bulldozer. It looked so silly. All these bulldozers trailering boats lined up the beach. I drove us home in the late afternoon and I did good. I’m getting so much better at driving manual. I only scared James once. I have this bad tendency to look down when I shift gears, look away from the road, and slightly turn the wheel. Minus that one significant problem, I’m getting better. Tonight its another low-key evening and we might go on the boat water skiing with the family tomorrow if the weather is nice. That would be fun. I haven’t skied in forever.
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