Wednesday, May 12, 2010
THE FINAL BLOG!
Heading to the airport in a few mintues! The time has gone by faster than expected.Farewell New Zealand. Thanks for the unforgettable memories and the trip of a life time. We will be back, and thats a promise.
Friday, May 7, 2010
The NewZealand Book Club
The countryside is a wonderful setting for a book...here are the titles that have kept my mind busy:
There's a Cow in my Garden- Diana Lancaster
The Happy Hooker- Xaviera Hollander
A Million Little Pieces- James Frey
Into the Wild- Jon Krakauer
Tuesdays with Morrie- Mitch Albom
Pyramids of the Mind- Malcolm Southwood
Persian Love- Omar Khayam
Jonathan Livingston Seagull- Richard Bach
The Prophet- Kahlil Gibran
Lunch with the Generals- Derek Hansen
The Evolution Man- Roy Lewis
What Dreams May Come- Richard Matheson
And going in order::::
Living a sustainable lifestyle...I want chickens when I get my own place.
The title says it all, but it's an amazing insight into the life of a madam.
Not my favorite, but oprah liked it. Would be sad to think James was my age when the story took place..too bad he fibbed the bulk of it.
Can't go a few months without rereading this favorite of mine...go Alexander.
Everyone has read it so I don't need to touch on Tuesdays.
Not recommended, its a bit out there, mentions rebirths way too much for my liking.
Translated by Len Bracken, a wonderful series of poems dealing with none other than wine.
I stole both Jonathan and Prophet from Patch...Thanks, they are two of my favorite short reads.
Lunch with the Generals- I am saving for the lay over in Fiji, SIX HOURS.
My favorite new book, hilarious look at ape-men and their discovery of fire.
Haven't seen the movie yet but can't wait.
There's a Cow in my Garden- Diana Lancaster
The Happy Hooker- Xaviera Hollander
A Million Little Pieces- James Frey
Into the Wild- Jon Krakauer
Tuesdays with Morrie- Mitch Albom
Pyramids of the Mind- Malcolm Southwood
Persian Love- Omar Khayam
Jonathan Livingston Seagull- Richard Bach
The Prophet- Kahlil Gibran
Lunch with the Generals- Derek Hansen
The Evolution Man- Roy Lewis
What Dreams May Come- Richard Matheson
And going in order::::
Living a sustainable lifestyle...I want chickens when I get my own place.
The title says it all, but it's an amazing insight into the life of a madam.
Not my favorite, but oprah liked it. Would be sad to think James was my age when the story took place..too bad he fibbed the bulk of it.
Can't go a few months without rereading this favorite of mine...go Alexander.
Everyone has read it so I don't need to touch on Tuesdays.
Not recommended, its a bit out there, mentions rebirths way too much for my liking.
Translated by Len Bracken, a wonderful series of poems dealing with none other than wine.
I stole both Jonathan and Prophet from Patch...Thanks, they are two of my favorite short reads.
Lunch with the Generals- I am saving for the lay over in Fiji, SIX HOURS.
My favorite new book, hilarious look at ape-men and their discovery of fire.
Haven't seen the movie yet but can't wait.
Friday, April 30, 2010
Man oh man. What an amazing Birthday! I must say Garrett went above and beyond to make my birthday great! My favorite part of the day was my hand made birthday card. A creative cluster cuss of birthday love. Thanks to everyone for all the birthday wishes. We have one week left on the farm until we depart for Auckland in hopes of selling Lady Bird. Wish us LUCK, it seems like it will be more difficult than we expected. Tonight should be a very interesting night to say the least. George and all his kids including some neighbors are going on a wild turkey hunt. Without hesitation Garrett and I asked if we could join in on the festivities. Around 50 or so turkeys were caught on their last hunt! 50!!!!!!!!! What am I getting myself into? Nah.... It should be good fun!
Have a great weekend y'all! Cheers... Much Much Love
Have a great weekend y'all! Cheers... Much Much Love
Monday, April 26, 2010
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!...
How stressful to be the only one around to celebrate a birthday. Pressure was on but thankfully we pulled through. Breakfast was a success thanks to Alton Brown and his French Toast (I can't wait to watch the food network back at home, they only show rachelray out here...blah). Mimosas were simple enough. Adair wanted to go to TE MATA CHEESERY for some lunch. It was a beautiful day and the cheese plate Adair ordered was AMAZING. Heaps of cheese and some yummy chutneys. The cheese was all local and real smelly. We came back to the farm and started making pizzas. I made some dough earlier in the day and it was ready to start knocking back. Adair made the tastier of the two pizzas. Hers was as follows: Lamb sausage with apricot, topped with roasted capsicums, onions, and two cheeses (gouda and havarti ?? i think). Instead of a red sauce she made a her own garlic spread using goodies from the garden. IT was sooooo good. Since it was her birthday she got to boss me around and tell me how to make my pizza. The ingredients weren't my first choice, but the pizza turned out to be delicious, unreal how good. Mine was as follows: home made pesto, though not fully a basil pesto, more so heaps of spinach and sarrow and mint. It was topped with wild smoked salmon and pear, some roasted garlic and a small sprinkle of cheese. We barbequed the pizzas and enjoyed them with a salad over a candle lit setting. WOW>where did I learn all this?? Who would of thought I could be so romantic. We finished with banana splits with sparkler candles. Her Birthday was special, and I hope she had fun.
Before her birthday we set out on our last roadie...It didn't last long. Apparently they take a little planning, which to our surprise, neither of us did any. Our first clue was when we stepped into the car and both asked WHERE TO, followed by a JINX. After some unassuring laughter, we decided to just head north. We made it half the distance we wanted and stayed in Rotorua. This was our third visit to the town. We had every intention of heading to Auckland, then further north to Paihia. Then we remembered that petrol doesn't come cheap and it would be some $400 worth of it to get anywhere near where we wanted. We were spoiled by sharing the price of petrol with our friends Tom and Jeremy. After a long night in Rotorua discussing the logistics of our trip to come, we woke up and headed to Auckland. We had the intention of handing out flyers to hostels and other postboards (anybody want to buy a car?). We made heaps of copies, and only passed out three. Auckland is a dirty place, nothing fun to offer the two of us, and we scurried out. Instead of continuing on to Paihia, we went back to Rotorua. Rotorua is along the THERMAL HIGHWAY...aka HOTPooLS. It is a serious tourist trap. The hotpools are mainly owned by the local maori, and they are a rip off. But, if you are keen enough on finding one, a short bush walk leads you to some amazing secrets. We found two amazing hotsprings, one with a hot waterfall, the other with two streams, one hot one cold. We spent the next two days at the pools. We met some crazy and some fun people. We gave ourselves facials using the mud (in which the local shops sell at about $50 per application). I think Adair had five facials in five hours. Our skin has never been so nice.
We came back to the farm earlier than expected. The weather in Hawkes Bay is something like San Clemente..always perfect. While the rest of the country is either in a drought (Auckland and north) or being flooded (the whole South Island), Hawkes Bay offers slight breezes, and a perfect temperature of 24 degrees C. It wasn't a hard choice for us to forget about the roadie and come back to paradise. We now see why people don't get out of Southern California much.
Since we have been back.....
Ken left for Europe. He is on a two month holiday and left his farm to a friend. So now we are working for George, from Scotland. He has four kids, all teenagers. The oldest is out of the country, the second is keen on horses. She breaks them, trains them, sells them, buys another. The third is a runner. He breaks all the local records and has all the flash coaches looking after him. The youngest is a mountain biker. Such a lively group, it has been only a few days but heaps of fun. George really doesn't make us work at all, so we pittle around doing whatever odd job we can find.
Our time here is short and we are taking in all the experiences we can
See yall sooner than I want
Much love
How stressful to be the only one around to celebrate a birthday. Pressure was on but thankfully we pulled through. Breakfast was a success thanks to Alton Brown and his French Toast (I can't wait to watch the food network back at home, they only show rachelray out here...blah). Mimosas were simple enough. Adair wanted to go to TE MATA CHEESERY for some lunch. It was a beautiful day and the cheese plate Adair ordered was AMAZING. Heaps of cheese and some yummy chutneys. The cheese was all local and real smelly. We came back to the farm and started making pizzas. I made some dough earlier in the day and it was ready to start knocking back. Adair made the tastier of the two pizzas. Hers was as follows: Lamb sausage with apricot, topped with roasted capsicums, onions, and two cheeses (gouda and havarti ?? i think). Instead of a red sauce she made a her own garlic spread using goodies from the garden. IT was sooooo good. Since it was her birthday she got to boss me around and tell me how to make my pizza. The ingredients weren't my first choice, but the pizza turned out to be delicious, unreal how good. Mine was as follows: home made pesto, though not fully a basil pesto, more so heaps of spinach and sarrow and mint. It was topped with wild smoked salmon and pear, some roasted garlic and a small sprinkle of cheese. We barbequed the pizzas and enjoyed them with a salad over a candle lit setting. WOW>where did I learn all this?? Who would of thought I could be so romantic. We finished with banana splits with sparkler candles. Her Birthday was special, and I hope she had fun.
Before her birthday we set out on our last roadie...It didn't last long. Apparently they take a little planning, which to our surprise, neither of us did any. Our first clue was when we stepped into the car and both asked WHERE TO, followed by a JINX. After some unassuring laughter, we decided to just head north. We made it half the distance we wanted and stayed in Rotorua. This was our third visit to the town. We had every intention of heading to Auckland, then further north to Paihia. Then we remembered that petrol doesn't come cheap and it would be some $400 worth of it to get anywhere near where we wanted. We were spoiled by sharing the price of petrol with our friends Tom and Jeremy. After a long night in Rotorua discussing the logistics of our trip to come, we woke up and headed to Auckland. We had the intention of handing out flyers to hostels and other postboards (anybody want to buy a car?). We made heaps of copies, and only passed out three. Auckland is a dirty place, nothing fun to offer the two of us, and we scurried out. Instead of continuing on to Paihia, we went back to Rotorua. Rotorua is along the THERMAL HIGHWAY...aka HOTPooLS. It is a serious tourist trap. The hotpools are mainly owned by the local maori, and they are a rip off. But, if you are keen enough on finding one, a short bush walk leads you to some amazing secrets. We found two amazing hotsprings, one with a hot waterfall, the other with two streams, one hot one cold. We spent the next two days at the pools. We met some crazy and some fun people. We gave ourselves facials using the mud (in which the local shops sell at about $50 per application). I think Adair had five facials in five hours. Our skin has never been so nice.
We came back to the farm earlier than expected. The weather in Hawkes Bay is something like San Clemente..always perfect. While the rest of the country is either in a drought (Auckland and north) or being flooded (the whole South Island), Hawkes Bay offers slight breezes, and a perfect temperature of 24 degrees C. It wasn't a hard choice for us to forget about the roadie and come back to paradise. We now see why people don't get out of Southern California much.
Since we have been back.....
Ken left for Europe. He is on a two month holiday and left his farm to a friend. So now we are working for George, from Scotland. He has four kids, all teenagers. The oldest is out of the country, the second is keen on horses. She breaks them, trains them, sells them, buys another. The third is a runner. He breaks all the local records and has all the flash coaches looking after him. The youngest is a mountain biker. Such a lively group, it has been only a few days but heaps of fun. George really doesn't make us work at all, so we pittle around doing whatever odd job we can find.
Our time here is short and we are taking in all the experiences we can
See yall sooner than I want
Much love
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Road Trippin
Welp, we are off on our final road trip! Heading to the Bay of Islands then back to Hawkes Bay in time for my Birthday! We will update some pictures when we get back!
Cheers!
Cheers!
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Our Apologies
From where we left off...
We are still living on the farm. Poor old guy can't get rid of us. We made ourselves comfortable in our loft, practically moved in, and are pretending to be proper kiwi farmers. We wake up, drink tea and have toast or eggs. We work till 1045ish, have more tea, then continue working till lunch, where we have another cup. Our work is more of the same, some painting,cleaning, move this, do that, pick this, plant that. blahblah. We spend our afternoons relaxing, taking advantage of the wineries. Some of the workers even recognize us. Dinners have been amazing, fresh veggies, fresh lamb, lots of pumpkin and potatoes. During the week, I spend some time at the dojo. DAD, we were taught the arm bar and triangle backwards (both from closed guard). I have learned a new technique, it will blow you away. During the time I am gone,Adair winds down and gets her first free seconds away from everything/body. No big deal, she just relaxes with a glass of wine out in the country with beautiful views all around her...don't be jealous.
Things we have kept busy with..
Day as a winemaker. Clearview vineyards, Hawkes Bay. We spent the morning with the owner and two winemakers learning about the business and process. We picked our own chardonnay grapes, pressed them in an old school press. We compared this juice with the same grape picked the day before. We learned about BRIX tests, along with how to use refractors and other instruments to test sugar levels. After, we enjoyed an amazing lunch with everybody. The meal was amazing, I had eggplant, Adair fish, and they provided the wine. We were the youngest by at least twenty years. OH well.
Backpack. We hiked from Ocean Beach north towards Cape Kidnappers. We followed the beach and having to chase the tides, made our way up to an old whaling station. IT was heaps of fun and we didn't see a soul while we were out. Adair did amazing for her first backpack.
Easter. Nothing.
Things to come...
We are staying here until the 18th, then headed on a roadie. We plan to head north to Pahia, Bay of Islands. That was the first place we explored outside of Auckland. We think it's appropriate to have our final destination the same as our first. We come back to Ken's farm on the 26th, in time for ADAIR'S BIRTHDAY > I love this time of year, for a solid month plus some, I can tell everyone I am dating an older woman...how sexy. We come back to the farm for only a week or so, then we are off for good.
This trip has been shorter than we anticipated. It went by so fast, we return in a months time. CRAZY. Good thing our visas are good for a year if we have any last minute change of heart.
Miss everyone.
Happy Birthday Hilary.
Congrats KIMI, hope everything went perfect.
If anyone gets the chance, we highly recommend the movies BOY and THIS WAY OF LIFE
We are still living on the farm. Poor old guy can't get rid of us. We made ourselves comfortable in our loft, practically moved in, and are pretending to be proper kiwi farmers. We wake up, drink tea and have toast or eggs. We work till 1045ish, have more tea, then continue working till lunch, where we have another cup. Our work is more of the same, some painting,cleaning, move this, do that, pick this, plant that. blahblah. We spend our afternoons relaxing, taking advantage of the wineries. Some of the workers even recognize us. Dinners have been amazing, fresh veggies, fresh lamb, lots of pumpkin and potatoes. During the week, I spend some time at the dojo. DAD, we were taught the arm bar and triangle backwards (both from closed guard). I have learned a new technique, it will blow you away. During the time I am gone,Adair winds down and gets her first free seconds away from everything/body. No big deal, she just relaxes with a glass of wine out in the country with beautiful views all around her...don't be jealous.
Things we have kept busy with..
Day as a winemaker. Clearview vineyards, Hawkes Bay. We spent the morning with the owner and two winemakers learning about the business and process. We picked our own chardonnay grapes, pressed them in an old school press. We compared this juice with the same grape picked the day before. We learned about BRIX tests, along with how to use refractors and other instruments to test sugar levels. After, we enjoyed an amazing lunch with everybody. The meal was amazing, I had eggplant, Adair fish, and they provided the wine. We were the youngest by at least twenty years. OH well.
Backpack. We hiked from Ocean Beach north towards Cape Kidnappers. We followed the beach and having to chase the tides, made our way up to an old whaling station. IT was heaps of fun and we didn't see a soul while we were out. Adair did amazing for her first backpack.
Easter. Nothing.
Things to come...
We are staying here until the 18th, then headed on a roadie. We plan to head north to Pahia, Bay of Islands. That was the first place we explored outside of Auckland. We think it's appropriate to have our final destination the same as our first. We come back to Ken's farm on the 26th, in time for ADAIR'S BIRTHDAY > I love this time of year, for a solid month plus some, I can tell everyone I am dating an older woman...how sexy. We come back to the farm for only a week or so, then we are off for good.
This trip has been shorter than we anticipated. It went by so fast, we return in a months time. CRAZY. Good thing our visas are good for a year if we have any last minute change of heart.
Miss everyone.
Happy Birthday Hilary.
Congrats KIMI, hope everything went perfect.
If anyone gets the chance, we highly recommend the movies BOY and THIS WAY OF LIFE
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Friday, March 12, 2010
kiwi farm life
Gooday y'all. Since we last left off. Coromandle was beautiful, perfect weather. Oh and there was a tsunami. We were staying a hundred meters from the beach, someone woke us up and warned us of the doom to come. We packed up our tent real quick like and went to the shore to watch.... but nothing came. We took off southbound and ended up in Gisborne for the night. Once again, ANOTHER tsunami. Once again, we went to the shore to watch...and again nothing. Instead of the supposed monster wave, the tide came up three extra meters real fast and went back out to leave a really low tide. BORING. We left Gisborne and headed further south along the coast. There, we encountered the monster waves. But let me backtrack...We left Gisborne and headed to Napier. We had a semi-promised job waiting for us picking fruit. Apparently, everyone goes to Napier to pick apples. We decided that instead of getting paid the minimum fourteen NZD per hour, we chose to work for free in return for some food and a roof. We signed up for FHiNZ (Farm helpers in New Zealand) and started making calls to see if any farms could use two useless helpers. We lucked out and met Ken, a sub sixty something year old outside Napier by forty some kilometers. He farms cattle and sheep. We help out with simple chores, he provides food for three meals a day, sometimes beer. OH, and we have our own house. No big deal. Two bedroom, kitchenette/living room and deck. We work from eight thirty to one, with one tea break. Our work tends to be gardening, weeding, mowing, house, cooking. We make our own jams and Adair made a bomb quince jelly (awesome with stinky blue cheese). In our afternoons we go wine and cheese tasting (tastings are free, have I mentioned that yet?). I recently found a juijitsu club. It has been a while since I got on a mat but its really fun. The instructor, third degree black belt in the Gracie BJJ system, is extremely nice, gave me a gi to work out in, and let me teach one class. At home, we are exploring with new foods, including lamb liver and kidney. Fresh liver and kidney, extremely fresh, though we will spare the details. Adair is spending a ton of hours in the kitchen, cooking Ken and I amazing dinners. Corn chowder has been my favorite.
We recently went up to Ken's other farm, much larger and a few hours away up in Taihape. We helped weigh sheep and seperate them into different paddocks. Threehundred plus sheep were the right weight to be sold, the other lambs were left to get fatter. Taihape was a step back in time, true kiwi farmers, no more than twelve street lights in town. It was beautiful, but we did have some adventure dealing with clustercuss flies (swarm flies). They had got into the rooms, hundreds and hundreds of them, Big Horse flies. Other bugs attacked us through the night, but we survived to bear the wounds. We are back on the other farm (near Napier) and Ken has left to Auckland. He left us a list of chores and trusts us to take care of the farm, all thousand sheep and some eighthundred heads of cattle. RIGHT. We will report later, oh and ps, We are going to fly a plane.
We recently went up to Ken's other farm, much larger and a few hours away up in Taihape. We helped weigh sheep and seperate them into different paddocks. Threehundred plus sheep were the right weight to be sold, the other lambs were left to get fatter. Taihape was a step back in time, true kiwi farmers, no more than twelve street lights in town. It was beautiful, but we did have some adventure dealing with clustercuss flies (swarm flies). They had got into the rooms, hundreds and hundreds of them, Big Horse flies. Other bugs attacked us through the night, but we survived to bear the wounds. We are back on the other farm (near Napier) and Ken has left to Auckland. He left us a list of chores and trusts us to take care of the farm, all thousand sheep and some eighthundred heads of cattle. RIGHT. We will report later, oh and ps, We are going to fly a plane.
Friday, February 26, 2010
P.S.
Nick T-good luck with the poker, hope to see you soon
Ali/Hil-the New Zealand accent is nothing like the one yall practiced, nice try though
Curtis-how's school?
Nick-how's it being the only child/Explorers
Janelle/Scott (but mainly scott)- You oughta be jealous of the mntbiking. THanks for everything
Shaun-IT IS like the Land Before Time
Daniela-the beard is on its way, and beautiful..and youll like it
Surprise C.F.-(you know who you are)-we collected better sea shells than you
El Jefe-camow from g -miss you from a
all others- cheers
Mom/Dad (Both sets)- we are safe, filled with good food,good wine, bad beer and great memories. Love you
Ali/Hil-the New Zealand accent is nothing like the one yall practiced, nice try though
Curtis-how's school?
Nick-how's it being the only child/Explorers
Janelle/Scott (but mainly scott)- You oughta be jealous of the mntbiking. THanks for everything
Shaun-IT IS like the Land Before Time
Daniela-the beard is on its way, and beautiful..and youll like it
Surprise C.F.-(you know who you are)-we collected better sea shells than you
El Jefe-camow from g -miss you from a
all others- cheers
Mom/Dad (Both sets)- we are safe, filled with good food,good wine, bad beer and great memories. Love you
summary in short...
-from Queenstown we headed to the West Coast to Fox Glacier.
-Hiked up the Fox Glacier
-Drove Fox Glacier to Picton, ferry from Picton to Wellington, Wellington to Rotorua. STRAIGHT...(blagh)
-Went to some hot springs while the boys went Luging
-Rotorua to Hot Water Beach/Cathedral Cove
-Cathedral Cove to Auckland, dropped off boys at midnight, then drove to Beachlands
-Slept in car for first time in Beachlands
-Went to Duders beach and wine tasting at Twilight
-Twilight manager offered her shower and laundry, we chose to only use shower...we then shared a glass of wine with her and her husband. Joy (the manager) opened a bottle of Pinot Gris. Earlier that day while tasting, Adair mentioned it was her favorite-How nice of her to remember and open a whole bottle for us.
-Second night in car
-Drove back to Coromandel (Cathedral cove etc), met Kiri and Ross
-Stayed with Kiri Ross and son Cory on farm
-Milked cows
-Ate fresh lamb (slaughtered that day, on site, which Kiri and Ross raised themselves)
-Stayed two nights on farm
-More wine tasting (Its free out here)
-Went up to Coromandel Peninsula, all dirt roads, Ladybird didn't see pavement for three days
-Back to Whitianga (that's where Kiri's farm is)
-Kayak
-Off to Napier sooner or later
much love
-from Queenstown we headed to the West Coast to Fox Glacier.
-Hiked up the Fox Glacier
-Drove Fox Glacier to Picton, ferry from Picton to Wellington, Wellington to Rotorua. STRAIGHT...(blagh)
-Went to some hot springs while the boys went Luging
-Rotorua to Hot Water Beach/Cathedral Cove
-Cathedral Cove to Auckland, dropped off boys at midnight, then drove to Beachlands
-Slept in car for first time in Beachlands
-Went to Duders beach and wine tasting at Twilight
-Twilight manager offered her shower and laundry, we chose to only use shower...we then shared a glass of wine with her and her husband. Joy (the manager) opened a bottle of Pinot Gris. Earlier that day while tasting, Adair mentioned it was her favorite-How nice of her to remember and open a whole bottle for us.
-Second night in car
-Drove back to Coromandel (Cathedral cove etc), met Kiri and Ross
-Stayed with Kiri Ross and son Cory on farm
-Milked cows
-Ate fresh lamb (slaughtered that day, on site, which Kiri and Ross raised themselves)
-Stayed two nights on farm
-More wine tasting (Its free out here)
-Went up to Coromandel Peninsula, all dirt roads, Ladybird didn't see pavement for three days
-Back to Whitianga (that's where Kiri's farm is)
-Kayak
-Off to Napier sooner or later
much love
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