Good evening, I have bad news I am in Jail - again!
Apologies for the long delaying in writing this blog but as you will read I've been quite busy recently. I managed to get to Christchurch by bus but got no further!
I arrived back at Jailhouse Accommodation I settled back into life in Christchurch.
During the few days in Jail I found out the hostel needed a new Night Manager as the existing person had to leave suddenly. I was interested in the role and so threw my name into the hat for the job.
I spoke to the management team and started a trial. The trial period involved a few hard days cleaning and learning about the Jailhouse. Once this had been completed I then shadowed the reception team for around 7 days to learn the ropes before taking over my first night shift alone.
The role is working 5 nights a week in exchange for a private room. Working hours are 18:00 - 22:00 and 08:00 - 09:00 while being on call between 22:00 - 08:00.
I have agreed to stay here for a few months and so expect to be in Christchurch til at least July 2008. This means that my overall plans have changed a little with my departure to Australia and the Pacific Islands being delayed slightly.
As I am staying for a few months I took the decision to apply for a Working Holiday Visa to allow me to get a part time job (during the day) to earn some pocket money. This sounds simple enough but as I'm already in NZ it is a complex task. I've had to pay for the visa application and have a thorough medical check (costing £140) before the application can be approved. I'm still waiting and expect that the decision may take around another 2-3 weeks. I have applied for a IRD number and opened a NZ bank account - so I've been quite busy really!
The hostel staff is a real international mix with many European nations represented. There is a good atmosphere and always something to do. I went to see a Super 14's Rugby Match as the Canterbury Crusaders were playing at home. The match was very entertaining if not a little one sided.
I have enjoyed going to see Jack Johnson in concert, his voice was amazing and much better live than on a CD. I have been to the beach, spent a lot of time in the beautiful botanic gardens and been running regularly round the parks.
The hostel has good Internet, free DVD's, Sky TV (plenty of British sport being watched!) and even a Cinema room, so little chance of getting bored. The facilities combined with the constantly changing guests makes for a fun and interesting time.
My blogs may now become slightly less interesting (as if they could!) but I will aim to write every couple of weeks to update you with the latest goings on and job update.
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Friday, March 14, 2008
Hunting invisible Geese
Hello Ladies and Gents,
Since I last wrote I have enjoyed a weekend out in the wilds of central NZ hunting invisible Canadian geese and have left Birchmore Farm.
The hunting weekend was really interesting and made all the better by going with a good group of guys.
We had many meetings (at the Irish Bar) in preparation for the big event. I had to complete a large amount of shopping, begging and borrowing to obtain all the equipment that I needed to go.
Hunting is very serious out here and all the guys had professional gear and an assortment of weapons. Rations were vital and so a great deal of unhealthy food and alcohol were taken and consumed.
We left on Friday morning, before sunrise, and joined a convoy heading south to the entrance to the private Clarence reserve (largest farm in NZ) where we were hunting. En route to the reserve we enjoyed our final taste of civilisation - a breakfast pie by the side of the road in Kaikora.
Transport from the entrance of the reserve to our are was difficult as 4x4's with trailers could not get through. Therefore the six guys (including me) that went had 3 4x4 vehicles and 3 quad bikes. I was then made aware that I would need to ride one of the quads the 40km off road to where our hut was.
Having not ridden a quad since I was 12, this was a bit of a challenge. The terrain was tough with steep inclines and sheer drops off either side of the narrow rock/mud tracks. However the views and mountain landscape was stunning and we soon dropped down from the heights into the river valley. This then led to numerous river crossings which led to very wet feet, even through the gators. Along the way if an animal was spotted we stopped and hunted; quails and rabbits were shot and we then continued with our slow progress.
On arrival at the first hut, a wardens hut, we opened a celebratory beer and toasted the moment in the warm morning sun.
Since I last wrote I have enjoyed a weekend out in the wilds of central NZ hunting invisible Canadian geese and have left Birchmore Farm.
The hunting weekend was really interesting and made all the better by going with a good group of guys.
We had many meetings (at the Irish Bar) in preparation for the big event. I had to complete a large amount of shopping, begging and borrowing to obtain all the equipment that I needed to go.
Hunting is very serious out here and all the guys had professional gear and an assortment of weapons. Rations were vital and so a great deal of unhealthy food and alcohol were taken and consumed.
We left on Friday morning, before sunrise, and joined a convoy heading south to the entrance to the private Clarence reserve (largest farm in NZ) where we were hunting. En route to the reserve we enjoyed our final taste of civilisation - a breakfast pie by the side of the road in Kaikora.
Transport from the entrance of the reserve to our are was difficult as 4x4's with trailers could not get through. Therefore the six guys (including me) that went had 3 4x4 vehicles and 3 quad bikes. I was then made aware that I would need to ride one of the quads the 40km off road to where our hut was.
Having not ridden a quad since I was 12, this was a bit of a challenge. The terrain was tough with steep inclines and sheer drops off either side of the narrow rock/mud tracks. However the views and mountain landscape was stunning and we soon dropped down from the heights into the river valley. This then led to numerous river crossings which led to very wet feet, even through the gators. Along the way if an animal was spotted we stopped and hunted; quails and rabbits were shot and we then continued with our slow progress.
On arrival at the first hut, a wardens hut, we opened a celebratory beer and toasted the moment in the warm morning sun.
After what seemed like hours (and it was!) we got to the area that we'd been allocated to hunt and found a new hut to stay in. The hut was only opened in August 2007 and was in great condition, with 12 bunks and benches and worktops to prepare food on. The location was stunning as it was on the banks of the river (our bath) and surrounded on all sides by mountains.
Soon after unpacking had a skinny dip in the river, very invigorating but cold. Then started the serious activity of scoping out our area for good hunting ground. It was quickly established that we had not been fortunate with our area and so we set off on quads to look further afield. After little success on our scouting mission we returned to the hut and enjoyed beer and food while relaxing in the sun. This soon became the activity of choice for most. In fact this became the activity for much of the weekend as it became apparent Geese were few and far between. We went out hunting at night and had a great success when spotlighting from the 4x4. Rabbits and Hares were shot in number along with one Possum.With the lack of artificial light the sky at night was a fantastic black canvas splashed liberally with a brilliant array of stars.
The weekend continued along much the same lines with hunting becoming more varied, ducks and goats were shot, but soon it was time to head home retracing our tracks back out of the reserve. The journey again took a fair while and even had time to include an accident! Thankfully no one was injured as two of the 4x4s hit one another as the front vehicle stopped suddenly as the driver thought that he'd seen a Goose. The result was that two of the party stayed an extra night and were recovered home the following day. Overall the whole weekend was a fantastic experience and very tiring. It gave me the opportunity to meet new people and see things in a different light - very worthwhile.
Once back at Birchmore Farm I felt that it was time to move on as I had been at the farm for two weeks. I felt that I wanted to head south and managed to locate a small farm and vineyard slightly further south towards Kaikora where I arranged to stay for a few days. My hosts were a semi retired Christian couple who had recently moved back to NZ from Australia and begun an Organic vineyard. The work was very different hear to Birchmore and focused on tending to the small vines and gardening. Jan and Talbot were excellent and friendly hosts, who welcomed me and I spent a good few days with them.
I'm now moving further south (just booked a bus!) and heading back to Christchurch again before venturing further south to explore more of NZ. I'll update you as and when I have further news but I'm still having a fab time!
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Fun at the Farm
Howdy folks,
I am writing from a cafe in Blenheim NZ as the farm that I’m staying at has dial up Internet connection. I m happily settled in Blind River at Birchmore Farm and despite the remote rural location I’m having a great time.
The farm is located around 35km (south) from the nearest town, Blenheim and you must travel for all necessities. Birchmore is the only livestock farm around here and is utterly surrounded by rows and rows of vines. Wine is the big business in this area with more and more existing land being planted and vine culturists everywhere. The coast is around 4km to the east but the sea is not suitable to swim in. The remoteness leads to fantastic sunrises and clear night skies with brilliant bright star spotting.
The farm deals in small livestock and I’ve been introduced quickly into the farm life which centres on feeding/moving/mating (with one another not me!) the animals. My favourite animal so far is the large Essex Sow who is somewhat intimidating but much nice than most of the Essex girls I’ve met. The whole thing is very reminiscent of the BBC series "Jimmy's Farm".
Soon after I arrived and had met my host, Barb, I realised that I left my wallet in Trevor and so had to make an unscheduled trip to Blenheim the following day to pick up. Barb is a really friendly and accommodating host, not afraid to call a spade a spade and with a wicked sense of humour.
As part of Helpx I’m expected to complete a certain number of hours per day in exchange for food and accommodation. I’ve really enjoyed completing a real variety of tasks and meeting all suppliers, wine makers and friends. The tasks have been from simply weeding the garden, feeding animals, catching sheep, driving round utes and moving sheep, dealing with dying ducks, helping at the farmers market, looking after neighbours animals, chain sawing logs, picking up shopping, picking up animal food etc.
One of the funniest moments was when a ram was brought to the farm to impregnate the ewes, not wanting to do this when being transported from one trailer to another the ram made a dash for freedom. As I was very close I ended up in some sort of ram rodeo until we managed to calm him down.
Barb had a contract with a local vineyard to house workers for the harvest and so I am living with vine culturists from Moldova, Spain and Germany. The farm has a real international flavour.
Excellent food and good fresh country air has led to me feeling good with plenty of energy until my head hits the pillow at night and the lights immediately go out! We have been to Blenheim to an Irish Bar (they’re everywhere don’t you know!) called Paddy Barry’s and enjoyed drinking the black stuff and participating in the weekly pub quiz.
It seems on my trip I keep running into pregnant dogs and this did not change on the farm with Barb and me babysitting a neighbour’s pregnant bitch until she (Bess) finally gave birth to five gorgeous puppies on Saturday evening.
Sunday was the Blenheim Farmers market and I helped out on the Birchmore stall, it really showed how popular and central to the towns these markets were (compared to UK) as many people flocked round. We were selling a range of products from Sausages, eggs, bacon, steak, cakes, jams, curd and marmalade and beans.
I have been invited on a biannual Goose Hunt this weekend for three days on New Zealand’s largest farm and will involve camping and staking out the Canadian Geese. The geese are a notorious pest over here and this is an organised hunt on controlled land that most Kiwis’ have never seen. I keep getting told how privileged I am and that I’m going to be the camps bitch. On Sunday the hunters came to a neighbour’s field and honed their shooting skills on clay pigeons. I had a go and I hit one with only my second shot, however my lasting memory will be the wide array of guns on show and enjoying a good few beers after the shooting had ceased round the back of the utes; not to mention the sore should I had the day after.
Must go soon as need to head back, 6 long tailed sheep are still missing and we need to take two young calf’s to a new home. I am really enjoying it here and it’s nice to take a break from the lifestyle of travelling (packing, unpacking, moving, arranging trips). Future plans are unclear but my first experience of helpx has been positive and so I would like to continue if possible.
I am writing from a cafe in Blenheim NZ as the farm that I’m staying at has dial up Internet connection. I m happily settled in Blind River at Birchmore Farm and despite the remote rural location I’m having a great time.
The farm is located around 35km (south) from the nearest town, Blenheim and you must travel for all necessities. Birchmore is the only livestock farm around here and is utterly surrounded by rows and rows of vines. Wine is the big business in this area with more and more existing land being planted and vine culturists everywhere. The coast is around 4km to the east but the sea is not suitable to swim in. The remoteness leads to fantastic sunrises and clear night skies with brilliant bright star spotting.
The farm deals in small livestock and I’ve been introduced quickly into the farm life which centres on feeding/moving/mating (with one another not me!) the animals. My favourite animal so far is the large Essex Sow who is somewhat intimidating but much nice than most of the Essex girls I’ve met. The whole thing is very reminiscent of the BBC series "Jimmy's Farm".
Soon after I arrived and had met my host, Barb, I realised that I left my wallet in Trevor and so had to make an unscheduled trip to Blenheim the following day to pick up. Barb is a really friendly and accommodating host, not afraid to call a spade a spade and with a wicked sense of humour.
As part of Helpx I’m expected to complete a certain number of hours per day in exchange for food and accommodation. I’ve really enjoyed completing a real variety of tasks and meeting all suppliers, wine makers and friends. The tasks have been from simply weeding the garden, feeding animals, catching sheep, driving round utes and moving sheep, dealing with dying ducks, helping at the farmers market, looking after neighbours animals, chain sawing logs, picking up shopping, picking up animal food etc.
One of the funniest moments was when a ram was brought to the farm to impregnate the ewes, not wanting to do this when being transported from one trailer to another the ram made a dash for freedom. As I was very close I ended up in some sort of ram rodeo until we managed to calm him down.
Barb had a contract with a local vineyard to house workers for the harvest and so I am living with vine culturists from Moldova, Spain and Germany. The farm has a real international flavour.
Excellent food and good fresh country air has led to me feeling good with plenty of energy until my head hits the pillow at night and the lights immediately go out! We have been to Blenheim to an Irish Bar (they’re everywhere don’t you know!) called Paddy Barry’s and enjoyed drinking the black stuff and participating in the weekly pub quiz.
It seems on my trip I keep running into pregnant dogs and this did not change on the farm with Barb and me babysitting a neighbour’s pregnant bitch until she (Bess) finally gave birth to five gorgeous puppies on Saturday evening.
Sunday was the Blenheim Farmers market and I helped out on the Birchmore stall, it really showed how popular and central to the towns these markets were (compared to UK) as many people flocked round. We were selling a range of products from Sausages, eggs, bacon, steak, cakes, jams, curd and marmalade and beans.
I have been invited on a biannual Goose Hunt this weekend for three days on New Zealand’s largest farm and will involve camping and staking out the Canadian Geese. The geese are a notorious pest over here and this is an organised hunt on controlled land that most Kiwis’ have never seen. I keep getting told how privileged I am and that I’m going to be the camps bitch. On Sunday the hunters came to a neighbour’s field and honed their shooting skills on clay pigeons. I had a go and I hit one with only my second shot, however my lasting memory will be the wide array of guns on show and enjoying a good few beers after the shooting had ceased round the back of the utes; not to mention the sore should I had the day after.
Must go soon as need to head back, 6 long tailed sheep are still missing and we need to take two young calf’s to a new home. I am really enjoying it here and it’s nice to take a break from the lifestyle of travelling (packing, unpacking, moving, arranging trips). Future plans are unclear but my first experience of helpx has been positive and so I would like to continue if possible.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
