We’ve hit the 6 week mark and it feels like ages since we left the US and the comforts of home. We’ve been busy in the last few weeks – moving about every week and trying to see the sights in our down time. We’ve met some great new people with some of our favorite stays to date. Here are the highlights.

STAY 3 was Mandeville Gardens. https://www.wwoof.co.nz/profile.php?profile_id=60456
Our work was in the native plant nursery, mostly weeding and preparing the space for new seedlings. Lest you think this trip is a year-long vacation, here’s photo proof that we’re actually working on occasion.

Our hosts Mandy and John welcomed us like family. Their location was fairly remote, so we spent the week catching up on email and relaxing. Our favorite view was from One Tree Hill, a spot on their property overlooking the river.

STAY 4 felt like a vacation. We spent a week with Allison, helping her pack and move.

Allison on moving day

We had lots of down time to explore the town, admire the scenic coastal drive and the ocean views.

The old gold mining town of Thames, where Allison lived, was full of old buildings like this

These mid-century homes in downtown Thames caught our eye – they were identical in placement and layout and felt like a step back in time

Allison treated us like her own grandchildren and definitely spoiled us. She had an amazing home she generously shared with us and cooked great food each night. Allison also treated us to a day at the horse races to watch her horse in action. A definite highlight!

STAY 5 is with Elspeth at Blackwood Lodge. https://www.wwoof.co.nz/profile.php?profile_id=41362 We have our own flat here, which gives us a refreshing sense of independence. We have much to learn this week from Elspeth’s wealth of gardening knowledge, healthy lifestyle and great vegan cooking. She also has a pool and hot tub, so we’re definitely enjoying ourselves and trying to take in the beautiful scenery in this area.

The veggie garden, our weeding project for the week

The view from Mt. Manganui, a hike we did on our first day with Elspeth. We can see the mount from Elspeth’s living room.

Waihere Falls – the tallest in the North Island. Not that you can tell from this picture.

Waihere Falls

Cole trying his hand at boogie boarding before the weather is too cold

Overall, we finally feel like we’re finding our groove. We’re excited about lessons in gardening and eating we’re being exposed to and the people passionate about healthy living and eating.

Initial carving at Waihere Falls

Cheers!

WHAT WE’RE LOATHING:
> Walking into spider webs. Outdoors or in.
> We are always putting on sunscreen.
> There are constant fruit flies indoors which grow into full size flies from composting.
> Technology is 5-10 yrs behind at best, especially regarding Internet and data useage.
> The letter Z is prounounced “Zed.”
> The expression “sweet as” which is used to describe something cool. We usually think people are commenting on our behinds or that they haven’t finished their sentence. Sweet as…what?!
> Mice & rats are a problem everywhere.