Monday 27 February 2012

Waiting for Godot (or bike panniers)

In any case it's a bit dull. I'm starting to feel that Havelock has been seen, but I do need to wait out the disappereance of my cold - at least it seems a bad idea to me to go out biking and tenting with a runny nose, stuffy head and really low levels of energy.
I'm waiting for a new set of bike panniers, the pair i bought on trademe are falling apart - never trust internet slaes unless it's an actual shop where you can send shit back if it's too bad quality. Also, the dear one back home has sent a letter and some Dansih licqourice that should arrive any moment now.
But I really don't have very much interesting stuff to tell about and every time I try to upload pictures everything breaks down. It took me five hours to do the illustrated deer hunting post.
There's really not a lot of pics on it. It's a pain in the bum.

Nah, got to sleep of the cold, go to new exciting adventures and get out there. Something's got to happen.

Deer hunter illustrated

Ok, if you're vegetarian you might want to look away, there will be pictures of large dead animals coming up. But it did have a good life in the forests of Marlborough sounds before we shot it, and we are going to eat it. Deers are pestst in New Zealand anyway, they don't originally belong to the NZ fauna, either does pigs or possums, which is why anybody may go ahead and shoot them.
If you do want to see the dead animals click on the post.

the young ones are locked up, so they don't jump boat

The rest keeps an eye out for piggies

admirable views, technically we're on a part of the Queen Charlotte track. We took good care not to shoot any german tourists. Though they do tend to be nice and fat

Saturday 25 February 2012

Deer hunter

Pig unting is big in New Zealand. I've seen loads of trucks driving by with men in big parkas, boots, beer bottles, and  a bunch of barking dogs and some dead pigs on the back of the truck.  They have at least three magazines solely dealing with pig hunting, pig dogs, guns, pig hunting tours etc. Of course I had to try that.
I mentioned to Shane, who owns the hostel I'm woofing at that I'd like to go pig hunting since it's such a kiwi thing. He immediately picked up the phone, called his brother in law and a arranged a pig hunting tour wo days after. Pigs are hunted with dogs, who roost up the animal and hold it until the hunter takes up on them, and then you usually stab the pig, because if you shoot, you might hit a dog and a good pig dog is quite valuable.

We went into the sounds by boat, up the track, and had the dogs nosing around while we were using the hunting voices and getting explanations on New Zealand wild life and what you can and cannot eat. We didn't find any pig, and agreed that it had been a nice tour anyway, and me, Shane and Madeleine headed back towards the boat. Two minutes after we hear two gun shots and  Billy called over the radio to tell that he shot a stag. We milled back down the track and there was a big beautiful eight pointer. Me and Madeleine waited there, while the guys got a hold of the dogs, that had taken off after a pig, and while waiting we entertained ourselves with a through study of the deer and quite a few pictures.

Guys back again, the biology lesson started, with us holding legs and Billy opening up the animal. Then the fitness challenge commenced, pulling the deer by the horns down to the beach and the boat and up in the boat.
Well back at Picton we had beer to celebrate, went back to Billy's place, weighed the stag in at 236 pound and drove back to Havelock, where we proudly showed off our deer to everyone who was still awake at the hostel. Then we had some more beer.

Poor Nina

I've caught myself a cold or flu or something, and I'm feeling very sorry for myself, being one of these horrible people who do nothing but complain of their misery while ill. I'm pretty sure I'm not dying though.
Anyhow, I'm still in Havelock, so at least I don't have to wear it out on the bike and in a tent. That would be quite horrible.

I'm sharing the wwoofing duties with Madeleine from Sweden and in the afternoon we entertain ourselves with apple picking, kayaking, bike tours, and making up recipes with apples (we picked a lot), glow worm tors and the occasional outing with the locals, even if night life isn't much to boast of here in Havelock.

Monday 20 February 2012

The work of a wwoofer

In case it's slipped anybody by, I'm working three hours a day at my hostel in exchange for a free bed. The owners is a couple, Shane and Asha with Jack at three and Curtis the toddler plus Woody the dog.
We've already settled into a very nice routine, Paul from France, Madeleine from Sweden and me, being the willing workers, getting up at 7-7.30 unlocking doors and checking that no one has used up all the loo paper during the night or made themselves sandwiches all over the kitchen. Then we go for a brisk morning walk, speed set by Madelien, who's very determined to get in shape.
Then we have kitchen and bath room and guest rooms to clean, beds to make and laundry to do and hang. Last couple of days we've been painting the fence of the sun deck (and ourselves) as well.

Then we've determined that it\s the wwoofer's duty to toast themselves on sunny days, because girls in bikinis will attract more costumers. Or maybe go canoing or swimming in the river depending on Shane's daily plan for entertainment. If it's raining we read and write and occupy ourselves on the internet. Paul actually does some real computer-fixer-thingies work during the day.

Evenings are occupied by general silliness, and ensuring guests feel welcome by encouraging sharing of travel stories as well as making communial pancakes.

Things are pretty good around here, despite the unemployment situation. Who needs money anyway, if they rather can be happy?

Saturday 18 February 2012

Lazy Sunday lovely Sunday

It's raining gray mist over green mountains, we're drinking tea and reading random books from worn out shelves, traipsing out on little tours for milk & chocolate, meeting already familiar faces, hanging clothes to dry inside, everything is already sparkling clean, potatoes cooking on the stove, paint is drying, meditating on the movement of veil tails in the fish tank, quietly tapping away on silent Sunday.

Friday 17 February 2012

Not a barmaid

Well, I quit my job because the boss yelled and swore at me. And I don't find that acceptable. I'm fine with people telling me how to do a job I'm new in, but I'm not fine with them giving me no instructions whatsoever and then abusing me for not doing what he wanted me to.

In any case, basic HR usually involves letting people now how you would like your business to be run, what the job of new employees involves and how you want that to be done. Then of course a bit is up to personal initiative and experience and such. When someone walks through the door saying "I've done this a long time ago, so I would need some time to get into it again, but I'll give it a good go, if you give me the opportunity" and you employ them, then you do that HR thing particularly well, don't you? Or is that just me?

Anyway, backpackers out there, stand up for yourself, don't take abuse -  and don't take a job at the Irish bar i havelock, it's called Lennys.

And daddy, I may very well need some money - not right now though - but if that's the standard of NZ employers, I hope you agree that standing up for myself  is better than being sworn at by the boss.
I'd like to pay it back, when I get home to Denmark at some point and can get a job where employers actually appreciate your work, cause travelling New Zealand isn't really an essential part of survival.

On the other hand the couple I'm wwoofing for managing my hostel are very nice. They support my decision and we're drinking a good riesling on that tonight.

Tuesday 14 February 2012

Time out in Havelock

I did what I have been postponig for a really long time and checked the balance on my bank account. It's not quite in my favour. I'm by no means starving, but there's not quite enough money to both stay here untill May and buy a ticket going back home. Matter of fact, there's not quite enough to actually just stay here untill May. So I went and asked for some work, and strangely enough, the Irish pub in Havelock apparently was the right place to ask. At least they are giving me a chance tonight, despite that it's close to ten years since I was a waitress last, and I have no idea what a flat white is. Some kind of coffee with milk I guess. I know how to draught a beer and deal with drunk people, and I guess that'll count for something.
Havelock is by the way, the green lipped mussel capital of the world and has around 400 inhabitants. Well, 401 now. It's quite pretty and there's absolutely nothing to spend your money on, except going on a splurge at the local Four Square (superette for the non-kiwis) or going binge drinking with the mussel fishers. Eh, maybe I can even actually get around to send off some articles and get some money of that. We'll see.

Daddy, if you get a letter, you'll know what it'll say.

Thursday 9 February 2012

Queen charlotte track

Got food, map, bike, batteries, band aids for the sore toe - marlborough sounds here i come!

Monday 6 February 2012

Pictures galore - from Napier to Wellington

Cape Kidnapper

The girl and the bike

Napier waterfront

Looking for dead Swiss heroes in Napier - we found him, his name is Jakob Lauper

Following the route of Scandinavian immigrants in NZ - Norsewood

Being stared out by the llamas on the road

the long road

Beware of the ghost house!

Old NZ
To hell with rules, sleep on rooftops! Wellington Station by night

Napier to Wellington

I landed in Wellington yesterday after a week on the road form Napier - I'm up on a total distance of over 600 km now. Pretty well done if I may say so myself. From Eketahuna I continued to Masterton and Carterton, where I stayed the night at the campsite, and got a tip about Martinborough having a fair. Hence I continued to Martinborough with a stop at Aoteroa Stonehenge, whoch must be one of the worst toursit traps I've ever seen.
Quoting the kiwi couple who also came to see it "I think I just got ripped off!". It's pretty alright made, but it's really just a huge compass made of concret slabs, and not terribly interesting. The ghost house on the hill nearby makes for a much more dramatic spectacle, and let's face it, Stonehenge is interesting because it's so old and was an incredible feat for the time. Nowadays anyone with basic math skills can calculate a Stonehenge.

Well settled at the campground in Martinborough I splurged on a delicous steak from the local butcher Friday evening and saw the market on Saturday, which was rather filled with random knick-knack, whereof a little to much was made in China, and the stuff which actually was local craftmanshipwas far out of my price range when it comes to souvenirs. Instead of loading up more stuff on the bike, I continued towards Featherston, stopped by the Domain camp by Lake Wararapa, which has a lawn filled with kids on quad bikes, a loo and no drinkable freshwater, so I decided it was a bad campsite and continued into town. There I asked the local hippies having a garage sale if they knew about a place to put up a tent, and within fifteen minutes they'd set me up in their old camper in the yard. I've rarely meet sucha nice family; they've quit wotk, bought a big campervan, stuffed all the kids in there and now travel NZ. The smallest one is India who's just two weeks and the oldest is Tor at twelve. Then there's also Leif, Paris and Galilei. Next door is Uncle Leo and his two kids, who also where happy to have strage biker passing by, and we had a big fire, G&T's and white wine and I ended up staying two days.  That was pretty great, and it really proves that biking was and is a good idea, I'd never met such great people if I was just whizzing by in a car. Hopefully we'll catch up on the South Island.

And now I'm in Wellington, here I ran into Bjørn that I shared a hostel with in Napier, and had a coffee date with Hedy, who also had come to Martinborpugh for the fair. It's quite nice that NZ ins't any bigger than that, you actually do get around to meet up with people.
Tjhe adventures of Wellington so far has been a ramble aroudn town, Te Papa museum, which is huge and diverse and very interesting, and sleeping on the rooftop of the hostel (no, that's not allowed but we did it anyway) along with a 24 year old Candaina guy, who told tales of travelling Africa, while I wondered why I spent so many years reading books at university. So generally pretty good so far.
The plan from here is to get my grubby hands on a Pedallers Paradise - South Island and get on a ferry on Thursday and then go explore the south. And yes, my dear, buy a ticket to Fiji.

Masterton - and random rambling abut food

Delayed publishing - this was written on Friday I think.

On the bike again, and having a muserum & internet stop in Masterton. It's quite nice, the museum and i found a booklet on Scandinavian immigrants, that I'm looking very much forward to read in the evening. Cmap sites usually have year old copies og reader's digest and OK! magazine (aussie's answer to se & hor for the Scandinavians)

The towns are quite close to each other here, so I think I'll continue to Greytown before I call it quits for the day. It's only 11 km more, and I have bottle of wine in the pannierbag to keep me going and the camp sites are uausally cheaper and nice in smaller towns. Oh, and the wine is for dinner when I've finished biking, not for drinking while on the bike.
I stocked up big time on food before leaving Napier, but here's lots of wineries and farm shops and I really did not need food for the full week before heading out, there are shops in between Napier and Wellington, and cafes, and bars, and restaurants and pubs and tearooms, so there's no risk of starving. It's really just a matter of how cheap or expensive you're going (self made sandwiches at rest stops on the road side is of course cheaper than the pub meal) and checking the route. I might need packing food for a week somewhere on South Island, and it's good knowing I can do that, but there's really no need to overload when I pass be a zillion road side fruit stands and cosy little country pubs a day, even though I go through quite a lot in just one day. Biking makes you hungry. It makes you happy too though.