Oamaru isn’t much to look at when you first step off the bus, it looks like another basic NZ town until you reach the other side with its amazing Victorian-esque buildings, the cool and exciting steampunk artwork, the beautiful bay and the most adorable and smallest penguins in the world.
I arrived and walked to the I-site to see if they could hold my bag until it was time to check in at the hostel, unfortunately they were closed but luckily I was able to leave my bag at the hostel until I checked in. I grabbed what I needed and headed back out to explore the little town.
I headed first towards Steampunk HQ, which is a little museum with various steampunk creations: including cool space and sci-fi installments, several steampunk statues/animals, plenty of interactive parts to which you are encouraged to play with and enjoy, a dress up are to take your photo in Victorian/steampunk outfits and 2 cool trains that look like there straight out of ‘Mad Max’. For only $10 it is definitely worth the money.
Steampunk Steam Engine
I didn’t spend so long here before setting off to look around the Victorian edge of town, very different and unique Victorian buildings to the average New Zealand town. It includes some bars, cafes and there are also a few shops that sell various steampunk/Victorian items. I also saw a man riding a penny-farthing down the street, which was pretty cool.
Victorian Oamaru
I went back to the hostel, checked in and got settled before heading out again to catch the sunset. I walked along the bay towards the Penguin sanctuary.
Sunset on the Wharf
The Oamaru Blue Penguin Colony is mainly for tourism but also used for research and conservation. There’s two viewing periods, one during the day that costs $25 and another in the evening that costs $40. I was there in the evening but from what it sounds like its definitely the better option. The option in the day is just to view penguins in their habitat whilst the evening option lets you view the penguins coming in from their day out fishing, the penguins are ever so small and come in together in groups called rafts. Unfortunately cameras and video cameras are not allowed in the viewing area due to disturbing the penguins.
When I was wandering back around the bay in the dark there was a few people huddled in a certain area, I went to see what the fuss was all about and there were more penguins whom obviously don’t appear to head back to the centre. I watched from a distance as these cool little birds made their way up the rocky bank and into the bushes, when I reached town there were more that headed across the street and into the back of some of the Victorian buildings.
After I finished my travelling the West Coast I headed inland to Wanaka where I spent a few days before heading through to Queenstown. Both places are in the mountains and I will update you on my adventures in both these places as soon as I find the energy to write about them.
I pretty much came to the end of my savings whilst exploring Queenstown so I called up my previous boss from the Pack House and went back to Palmy to rebuild my savings. I was lucky in the fact that I made it back to Palmy and had started working when the dreaded Covid-19 struck the country and we proceeded straight away into lockdown. I was one of those essential workers, which was great because I wasn’t sat in the hostel bored for the 7 weeks we were sat in lockdown and I was working 6 days a week so there was little time to procrastinate.
The New Zealand government have reacted amazingly to the threats of the virus, locking down the country after 205 confirmed cases. On the 19th March they closed the borders to all non-New Zealand citizens and residents before setting in the level 4 lockdown on the 25th March. I think its not only thanks to the New Zealand government but as well to everybody who’s living here, pretty much everyone stuck to the level 4 restrictions which I think helped a great deal after looking at news articles from other countries not taking it as seriously as they should be, especially in the UK.
I am so thankful that I am in a country that has passed hits lockdown state and has only 1 active case of Covid-19 left, this however could change with the restrictions lifted or mutation within the virus. but I am now at the point where I have begun to travel again, which leaves me practically speechless as this country is amazing and I’m dreading that final day i will leave.
Ive sort of come up trumps with this virus as I was able to work during a time when a lot of people couldn’t even leave there homes. Pretty early into the lockdown the NZ government announced that anyone currently still in the country and with their visa ending between the 2nd of April and the 9th July would automatically receive an extension to there visa until the 25th September. I fell straight into this category with my visa ending on the 11th June. Lucky me!
After my long trek and first tramping experience on the Heaphy Track I booked a room in a hostel in Westport, had a look around and then lay down and relaxed and did some research as to what would be my first stop along the West Coast. I decided that I would first go to Punakaiki for 2 nights and then decide where to go from there.
I got the bus to Punakaiki the next day. It’s a small town with only a tavern, a café and an information centre. I checked into the hostel and then headed out to explore with an American guy I had met on the bus. My first stop was the very popular tourist spot, Pancake Rocks and it was pretty busy when We arrived.
Snuck over the barrier for that perfect shot
Pancake rocks Is a heavily eroded limestone area where the sea bursts through blowholes during high tides.
Pancake Rocks
Unfortunately We went at low tide and missed the blowholes.
Staircase carved into the Rock
We wandered back towards the hostel stopping at some caves to look around before walking along the coast to the hostel. We relaxed for a little and then walked North out of town to a small walking track that lead to a beach with a huge cove and some more caves.
The next day I ventured to the river and hired a kayak, I kayaked up the river having to get out at certain points to walk it as there were rough rapids and a low water level.
Relaxing in the calmer waters
I got about an hour away before I turned back and cruised back down the river, the rapids weren’t too big but I almost crashed a few times into large rocks. I relaxed on the beach until I managed to cut open my toe and then headed back. The sunset on the beach that evening was pretty nice to watch.
The next day I walked to the end of town to start hitchhiking, my aim of the day was to get to Greymouth, which was only 40 minutes away, but there were some sights I wanted to stop at along the way. I was only waiting around 15 minutes before I first got picked up by a local who told me there was some cool beaches to look for greenstone on, having nothing planned for the day I was dropped off and spent some time looking for greenstone, I found very little but it was a cool experience. I then hitchhiked to Runanga that is home to the Coal Creek Falls, I was dropped off not far from the entrance and then I headed down the track for 30 minutes before arriving at the falls and stopping to take in the views and to rest.
Coal Creek Falls
I returned to the roadside and got picked up pretty quickly by a couple heading in my direction, they dropped me off just outside my hostel in Greymouth.
I checked in before heading into town to explore. It’s a pretty small town local shops and businesses. I looked around and then headed back to the hostel to chill out. The hostel provides free bikes and kayaks so the next morning at high tide I took a kayak onto the river, through a lake and then down to the harbour side.
Reflection in the lakeDown in the Harbour
It was peaceful and pretty and a good view of the surrounding hills. I returned hoping to grab a bike and head out for the day but unfortunately there wasn’t one available that was working, I attempted to fix one but didn’t have any luck. I then decided I would just take a walk to the beach.
I walked around 2km out of town before hitchhiking to Hokitika, I got picked up after about 20 minutes of waiting. I arrived in Hokitika and went to the I-site to see what I could do. I had planned that morning to meet my friend Jessie who I had met back in Palmerston North as I was heading South and he was heading North we thought it would be a cool spot to meet up. He picked me up and we headed 25km out of town to visit Hokitika Gorge, the walk was extremely short once we had arrived and lead over a swing bridge to the beautiful views of the gorge and the amazing milky blue color of the water, we spent some time here before returning to town and checking in at the hostel.
Hokitika Gorge and swing bridgeJessie and me
When we arrived at the hostel we were shown to our room. I then bumped into my friend Janna whom I had met when I was working in Tauranga. I knew she was on the south island but wasn’t exactly sure where about’s she was, so that was pretty cool.
Large driftwood sign
I headed out with Jessie and we went for a swim in the sea and a walk along the beach. We then retuned to the hostel to chill out. Later that evening Jessie, Janna, 2 others and me headed out to watch the sunset at Sunset Point and see the Glow Worm Dell once it had got dark.
Sunset Point
The next morning before we all headed off in our different directions we went for an early morning swim in the sea at 7am.
I checked out of the hostel and walked over the bridge out f town and started hitchhiking to a small town called Heri Heri, practically in the middle of nowhere. The guy who picked me up offered to drop me on the roadside or in this little town, I opted for the town as it was a lot further down the road but first we had to drive to a farm as he was working as a farming consultant. Once he had finished he dropped me off. I waited maybe 40 minutes before getting picked up again by a farmer who was heading home, he took me all the way to Franz Josef which was my destination for the next 2 nights.
I dropped of my gear at the hostel and then headed out to treat myself for my tea. I had a large burger and chips and then took a walk around the small town before heading back.
The next morning I headed off to the Glacier, the start of the track is about 45 minutes walk from town, I could have booked a shuttle but chose to walk. I arrived at the head of the track and headed down towards the glacier. It only took about 30-40 minutes to get there, I then sat down and took in the views for around 30 minutes before following the track back, I then took another track down to Peter’s Pool where you can see a cool reflection of the mountains. Unfortunately you can no longer see the glacier from the pool as it has receded back to far up the valley. I then walked back to Franz Josef to which I relaxed in the sun for a while.
Franz Josef GlacierPeter’s Pool
Unsure of where I was heading next I did some research and decided to head to the remote town of Haast next, I chose to get the bus to Haast, as the weather didn’t look too promising for the next day.
I took my bus the next morning, the driver was pretty cool and it felt more like a guided tour as he explained the local area and we stopped off at some awesome lookouts and beaches. When we arrived in Haast it was raining pretty bad so I headed straight to the hostel. It carried on raining most of the afternoon so I decided to stay indoors. The next morning I had 2 hours before my bus arrived and the owner of the hostel offered me a bike so I could head out and see the beach, the only reason I planned to stop here. I took the bike out but it was still pretty overcast but had a good ride to the beach and back.
Haast Beach
When the bus arrived I jumped on, left the West Coast behind and headed for Wanaka.
I began my journey with a shuttle bus from Takaka to the first hut at the beginning of the track, the Brown Hut. The bus arrived at 12pm and I got off the bus, grabbed my bag and headed off straight away.
Looking back at the shuttle after heading off
The first part of the track is a winding route that is on a gradual slope climbing up 915m, the track is mainly through the bush and is a pretty cool walk with great views of the valleys and hills in the distance.
Valleys in the distance
I walked around 3.5 hours up and then stopped at the Aorere Shelter, which is the first campsite you could stop at, however I had booked into the Perry Saddle, I chilled out and ate my lunch before heading off to my final destination for the day. On the way I stopped of at Flanagan’s Corner viewpoint to take in the views, supposedly you can see Mt Taranaki on clear days but unfortunately it was pretty overcast. I arrived at Perry Saddle Hut and set up my tent before taking a walk around.
Tent all set up
There was a small mountain spa further down the hill, which turned out to be just a small stream at the bottom of the hill but worth the 10-minute walk to get to it.
Walkway to mountain spaMountain Spa
I chilled out and relaxed that evening before cooking my tea of which I failed pretty badly at as I boiled way to much water for my sachet of soup that it was pretty much still water after it was added, but if anything it is a lesson learned. I then went back to my tent and went to sleep, getting ready for the biggest and longest day of the trek.
DAY TWO
Day two arrived, I awoke around 3am freezing cold so I chilled out and I had my breakfast and then a small nap after I had warmed up. I packed up my tent and set off at around 10am to get to the James Mackay hut later that day.
Valley stretches out
I walked for about 1.5 hours through fields of golden grass and marshland, the valley here begins to widen around the Gouland Downs and you can see for miles. After 1.5 hours I arrived at the first hut, took a short break and then headed back off down the track before coming to some caves to which I explored a little before continuing on my journey.
Start of the caves
I got to Saxon Hut an hour later and ate lunch, whilst I ate I watched a Takahe (endangered bird) search for his dinner.
Takahe
I finished up and continued on my way. There’s an old pole with old and new boots tied on or nailed to it along the way, which looked pretty awesome.
Boot pole corner
Todays hike was 24.2km and you could see pretty far across the hills in the distance and I crossed plenty of streams and brooks.
I arrived at today’s destination at about 4pm, set up my tent on the decking provided which took longer than I expected, as I had to use rocks instead of pegs.
The area was pretty misty so there wasn’t much of a view. I cooked up my evening meal of mashed potato, peas and chicken with 3 Germans I had met on the track. We ate and then headed of to bed for the evening.
DAY THREE
In the morning I awoke, it was still pretty misty but you could see the mouth of the river, which is where I was heading for the day, I ate and then packed up my tent once again and headed off around 08:45. This was my most favorite day, not because it was practically all downhill but that it was through what looked like an enchanted forest and where I first met the famous West Coast sandflies.
Drooping treesMagnificent Trunks
There were some swing bridges to cross, one of which was 148.8m long and the largest suspended deck bridge built by the Department of Conservation.
One of many swing bridges
There are sections on this part of the track that after heavy rain can be pretty flooded especially at high tide but luckily the day turned out to be pretty clear and sunny.
At this point you’re walking along the edge of the river and occasionally there would be a large clearing or small path down to a beach.
I was amazed at some of the trees in this forest as they are extremely large and magnificent. Further along I found a small cave which I went in as far as I could, unfortunately for me I later found out that the 3 Germans I met managed to get in further which just meant wading through a little water, but managed to see glowworms further into the cave.
Sitting in the cave entrance
Anyhow I arrived at the final hut, the Heaphy Hut at around 13:30 and set up my tent to dry it, as it was pretty wet from the previous night. I saw a helicopter land at the hut and then take of which was cool to see and according to some people it’s not something you see everyday whilst hiking a great walk. I then ventured onto the beach and had a quick wash in the river, as it had been 2.5 days since I had last had a shower. I chilled out on the beach and attempted to create a large driftwood house, unfortunately when I added the roof it was two top heavy and collapsed, I had spent around 3 hours on this already and decided to pack it in as I was pretty exhausted and had been attacked my hundreds of sandflies.
The only photo I got before it collapsed
The 3 German guys arrived and they showed me a video of them swimming in the river and footage of one of the guys being bitten by an eel, which was pretty funny for me but the guy then couldn’t walk and carry his pack so his mate had to carry both of them.
I cooked up my dinner and then went to watch the sunset at the far end of the beach, down the far end you could pick up the first signal I had seen the past 3 days so that was good.
Sunset on Heaphy Beach
DAY FOUR – FINAL PUSH
The next morning I woke up early and dismantled my tent before heading off at 7am, as I wasn’t sure how long it would take me to arrive at the end of the track and I had a shuttle bus booked at 12:50pm. I headed off through bush and along the rugged coastline of the West Coast, there are so many lovely and deserted beaches along this 16.2km walk to the finish.
Walking next to Palm treesLittle misty in the morning
I sat and ate an early lunch whilst looking out over the ocean. I then continued to the end of the track, checking out some viewpoints and lookouts along the way. I finished with around 1 hour to spare before my shuttle arrived to take me to Westport and to where I would sleep in a bed for the first time in what seemed like a pretty long time.
The past 4 days have been so amazing that I am definitely persuaded and pushing myself to do more multi-day hikes whilst I finish my last few months here in New Zealand. The views and scenery I have seen on this trek are unimaginable and so, so beautiful. I’ve definitely enjoyed every minute even though I’ve come out with a few blisters and hundreds of sand-fly bites.
Now I continue my travels by making my way down the West Coast…
“Don’t be scared to walk alone. Don’t be scared to like it.”
I left the orchard in Motueka to go to Takaka about 45 minutes drive towards the Golden Bay area. I got a lift with one of the sellers who has been working on the orchard and selling the produce in Takaka. When we arrived I said goodbye and walked around 35-40 minutes to arrive at the free camp spot at Waitapu Bridge, a beautiful spot next to a river. I set up my tent and relaxed for a while before heading back to town to explore and buy some groceries.
Waitapu Bridge Free Camp
Later when I was in the free camp I heard my name shouted, I looked around to see someone else I had been working with at the orchard who had left 2 days prior to me. I sat down with her and her friends and played a few games of cards.
Later that evening I relaxed and watched the sun set.
Sunset at the free camp
I woke at around 3am freezing cold, now when I bought my sleeping bag I opted for the lightest one, as I would be carrying it around a lot with me. Big mistake but oh well, I’ll just have to wear more clothes at night.
I woke up and cooked some noodles for my breakfast before another mistake arose. So the free camp has just toilet facilities with no access to running water, not that I’m complaining mind as I had 2 nights free camping there, but as I cooked my noodles and drank some water I realized I was pretty much empty on the waterfront, I had a small amount left for my morning walk to the springs.
Camp Kitchen
It was only around 1 hours walk each way, and then some more time to walk around the springs, the springs are so beautiful, the water is so clear and mesmerizing. Unfortunately it is prohibited to swim or to even touch the water as it is New Zealand’s largest spring and obviously they don’t want the water tainted with the human touch.
Springs
After I returned from the springs, dehydrated with the lack of water, I rested a little before walking into town, at this point I bought another 1L water bottle as I did not want to be in that situation again, I then filled them both before going to the library to book my campsites and shuttles for the Heaphy track.
I returned to the free camp and made sure I was reasonably packed so I could leave the next day.
I was pretty cold again during the night, and I will have to figure something out before I leave for my great walk. Anyhow I awoke, got changed and packed up my tent, I left the free camp around 10:00 and walked over the bridge to the road that heads towards my destination, Wharariki Beach. I’d booked into a campsite for 2 nights at $20 per night. I then started to Hitchhike hoping to get as far as I could. I was only waiting for around 15-20 minutes before a couple from the Netherlands picked me up and took me all the way there, which was amazing. Once I arrived I waited until check in at 12pm and then once again pitched my tent, ate some lunch and then went to explore.
From the campsite the beach is around 20 minutes walk, it’s a pleasant walk with good views the whole way. When you reach the beach it looks amazing, silver sand dunes all over the beach, huge rocks with archways that just look great.
Wharariki Beach
I spent around 2 hours here, the wind was pretty violent and sprayed sand almost constantly in my direction. I wandered around and even found a place where there was some 3G but then the wind picked up more than it was before and I got a whole face full of sand, which blinded me temporarily. I then began to walk back to the campsite and rested there. I showered, recharged my electrical appliances and began writing this blog. There is little Internet here; there is Wi-Fi available but at what seems like a huge cost, 100mb for $10.00. So I will just learn to live without for the next 2 days.
The next day I took a walk to farewell spit, it was a pleasant walk and only 7km to the spit and around 10km to walk around the track. You can’t go on some of the spit as it is protected and you can only access these areas on the guided tours. It was a lovely walk, again the sand dunes looked so beautiful and stretched really far across the beach. I intended to walk back across the hills and past a lighthouse but after walking around 17km already I was pretty tired and hitchhiked back to the campsite.
Farewell Spit
The next morning I left at around 08:45 and started walking towards the main road, the first car I saw, I held up my thumb and fortunately I got a ride about a third of the way, after I was dropped off I waited around 30 minutes and was picked up and taken another third of the way, and then eventually got back to Takaka on my 3rd and final pick-up. When I arrived, I went to a campsite and saw they had cabins available, to which I jumped at the chance as the weather forecast looked rainy for the next 2 days and I didn’t want to get my tent wet before I start New Zealand’s longest Great Walk.
Morepork cabin
My final day before leaving Takaka, I visited a local tourist attraction called Labyrinth Rocks and spent some time finding my way through the maze of rocks before heading back into town to buy the last bits I needed for my trip. I also bought some long underwear to hopefully solve my problem with waking up cold in my tent every morning.
Tuesday morning I had a lie in and then headed out to explore Wellington, I took an electric scooter to the bottom of Mount Victoria and then climbed to the summit, it only took around 30 minutes and the views from both the walk upwards and the top overlooking Wellington CBD and the harbour were to say the least, pretty amazing.
View from Mt Victoria
You get a pretty good 360 degree view from the top and from there I saw a beach that didn’t look too far away, as it was sunny and still pretty early in the day I decided I would wander down the other side of the mountain, unsure of where exactly I was going but on an adventure none the less. I managed to find my way to the bottom of the mount and through a residential area, around an hour or so later I arrived at the beach. In front of me lay Lyall Bay a beautiful beach with glistening blue water, the beach is right next to the airport but still peaceful and relaxing. plenty of people surfing and swimming in the sea.
Lyall Bay
I then took a scooter back around the mount along the waterside and returned to the city centre. I walked through town and then grabbed something to eat for lunch and started to walk up towards the botanical gardens, it took me a little over 20 minutes to walk to the top, but when I reached the top I was exhausted and decided that I would leave walking around the gardens to another day and possibly take the cable car up next time.
I returned to the hostel and then later met up with a friend and went for a short walk along the waterside and then to a bar on Cuba Street, spent some time drinking and playing pool, met some locals and then sat down to eat. When the waiter had brought out our food and we had started eating another waiter then brought out the same plates of food to us, we hadn’t realised that it was a 2 for 1 deal so we both paid $21 for two plates of pork ribs with chips and coleslaw. I obviously didn’t eat it all and shared it to some others in the bar but christ thats a pretty good deal. Also the jugs of beer only cost $10 so you can’t go wrong there. I returned home at around 11pm and went straight to bed.
I awoke at around 1:45am when an Irish guy stumbled into the dorm room pissed out of his head, literally just slurring his words and being loud as ever, he climbed up to the top of his bunk and pretty much descended into sleep straight away. Anyway, around 1-2 hours later I was awoken again by his mate who had woken up beneath him, I then heard the sound of running water, I looked down and saw liquid pouring out of the mattress above and down onto this guy below, the guy above had just pissed himself in his sleep and the urine was sinking through his mattress down and splashing the guy beneath him, I was about half asleep at this point but couldn’t help but laugh. I mean in all honesty it was fucking disgusting, who needs to get that drunk. The guy beneath him was his travel mate so I think perhaps he was more understanding as he didn’t wake the guy up and say anything, although if you’ve pissed yourself and your still asleep chances are you won’t be waking up. I think his mate then just decided to just have a shower and sort out his bedding.
I’ve always detested being on the top bunk, but now I hope that I’m always on the top to save myself from this utter nightmare. I don’t even know what my reaction would be if this ever happened to me. Im unsure if the guy even knows if it happened, I’m sure his mate will inform him though. There was only one girl in the room and I’m pretty sure she moved rooms this morning, I do not blame her.
I have 2 weeks here in wellington, I’m unsure whether to get a job and stay longer or to just relax and then head to the South Island.
I woke early Thursday morning excited to get ready, catch the shuttle and hit the slopes, much to my disappointment due to high winds and rain, the mountain was closed. I left the hostel and went to the ski rental shop I had rented my gear from, I explained the situation and they said that there is no charge for the rentals if the mountain isn’t accessible, so that was brilliant. I then decided to hire a bike and cycle the Old Coach Road, this is something I had planned to do whilst I was here. My original plan was to ski on Thursday and Friday and cycle the Old Coach Road on Saturday before my time here was up and I move on, on Sunday.
I rented my ski gear from TBC, its in the Centre of the town and was recommended by the hostel I’m staying at. I’m staying at LKNZ Lodge and it gives you a 10% discount on rentals if you show your hostel key. So that was a bonus. It was also pretty cheap already compared to other places I had looked at, $80 per day for the whole package: skis, boots, poles, jacket, trousers, helmet, goggles and gloves. And then it obviously gets cheaper to each day you add on to it. Its a lot more expensive on the mountain, costing $148 per day fro the whole package.
On the Thursday I also rented my bike from TBC, I paid $50 for a full suspension bike and then a further $15 for a shuttle transport from Ohakune to Horopito. The Old Coach Road starts at Horopito but you can start in Ohakune and cycle there and back. It took me around 2.5 hours to cycle, this included stopping to take photos and sightsee and having some lunch. It’s a pretty easy ride, lots of downhill and only a little uphill, that being if you start in Horopito anyway.
Starting point: Horopito
The story of the Old Coach Road began in the early 1900’s with the arrival of the railway in Ohakune. The North Island Main Trunk Line had made its way north from Wellington and south from Auckland until just 35km separated the two railheads. Until the tracks were completed a small bridleway through the dense Tongariro Forest became a vitally important connection between the two major cities on the North Island, hence the Old Coach Road.
Carrot Park is located at the entrance to the town and features carrots and a collection of vegetables brought to life with arms, legs and faces. They have a potato, a brussel sprout, a parsnip, a swede and a carrot. You can visit yourself to find out their names. There’s also a carrot themed playground, a small outdoor gym, a picnic/ BBQ area and a bush walk along a little stream. Towards the end of the park there is a BMX track to show of your skills.
The weather wasn’t to good on Friday and the mountain was closed again so I had a lie in and relaxed in the hostel for most of the morning, it gave me the chance to book the next place I plan to visit. I went out for something to eat and then took a walk along the river. A route which leads down towards the train station and lower part of town, it seems almost a ghost town down there, a few hostels and motels, a nice looking restaurant and then a few of empty shops and bars. There’s also a museum but it was closed when I got there.
Ohakune Station
Saturday, I awoke at around 5am and eagerly checked the mountain report, obviously I was up to early and there wasn’t an update yet, at around 6:30 it said that half the lifts were open and when I arrived at the mountain around 9:00 they put out on the speaker that all the lifts were open to which there was a huge cheer from everyone queuing for the first lift. I took the mountain shuttle from the far end of the carrot park, you can purchase a ticket from the parking meter before you board and they leave every hour. There’s also another stop further down the other end of town close to the train station.
It takes around 20-30 minutes to get to the Turoa Plaza from Ohakune. When I arrived at the mountain I bought my day pass and started to queue for the first lift. It was such nice weather and very sunny so I made sure I applied plenty of sunscreen, I was way to warm in my jacket so after the first 2 runs I took it off. I started to get warm in just my fleece so In the end I was skiing in my t-shirt, a little chilly whilst going up in the lift but not really that cold. Everyone else was still wrapped up in their jackets and warm clothing.
Turoa ski field
I haven’t skied in around 6 ½ years and I was curious to whether I would be a duck to water or Bambi to ice. Luckily for me I smashed it with only one fall due to going to fast down an icy run at the start of the day, it wasn’t until lunchtime that I realized I was bleeding due to a scrape on my arm from the ice. I bought myself lunch at the ‘Giant Café’ and treated myself to a gin and tonic. I skied for the rest of the day until my shuttle ride back down the mountain at 16:15, by that time the clouds had covered the mountain and I could barely see more then 2 feet in front of me so I wasn’t too fussed of having to leave. It was an amazing day and I was so glad that I got the chance to get up the mountain. It really rounded of my trip to Ohakune.
Where to eat in Ohakune?
The Chocolate Éclair Shop, the shuttle driver that took me to the start of the Old Coach Road told me to go to the dairy (local store) closest to the BP garage, he told me to go and get myself a chocolate éclair as in Ohakune everything is big. When I got my éclair I’m sad to say it wasn’t much bigger than the average éclair you would get, but it was the nicest I’ve ever had, if your in Ohakune then this is a must!
I’ve sort of treated myself since I stopped working and eaten out rather than cooking for myself, I always seem to struggle what to choose in a restaurant and always seem to go for a burger, I’ve had 3 since I got here! The best and obviously most expensive was at ‘The Blind Finch’ it was super good and they have a large range of choices named after different countries. I had the USA because I’m pretty boring when it comes to food, although I could really do with changing that up. The chips (fries) however weren’t that tasty and there were so many of them, possibly too many as I only ate half the bowl. The other places weren’t that bad in all honesty but in one ‘The Mountain Rocks’ I went to add salt and the top came off, pouring salt and rice all over my plate. I’ve always thought of playing this prank on someone but now I will never do that, I ate some pretty salty chips that day.
Mountain kebab shop, the kebab was ok but I found a hair in my kebab, luckily it was towards the end so I enjoyed my kebab before realizing I may have eaten a bunch of hairs.
After spending the day skiing I decided to go to ‘Cyprus Tree’ for my dinner, a rather posh looking place, I had a lamb rump with roasted vegetables and a caramelized onion and blue Stilton sauce. It wasn’t too expensive for the quality of the food. It cost me $45 for the meal and a drink.
I leave Ohakune late afternoon tomorrow and continue with the rest of my adventure!
“A pair of skis are the ultimate transportation to freedom”
I’ve finally finished my job in Palmy but have agreed to come back and help them with a big order in two weeks. . Excited for the aching pain in my hands to stop, the constant trapping of my finger underneath pumpkins, the close falls with sliding on cabbage leaves and the smell of fermented and rotting pumpkins to leave my nose.
I have just over two weeks until I need to return to Palmy and then I’ll head to Wellington. But first, where to go? Skiing, I haven’t skied in 6 years and I’ve decided that after working for 10 weeks and only having 5 days off in total that I deserve a good break and will head first to Mt Ruapehu and Ohakune for a day or two’s worth of skiing. So this will be the first stop on my plans and then possibly to Mt Taranaki and New Plymouth for some more exciting adventures.
Working in Palmy hasn’t been all that bad
in all honesty, I’ve met some really cool people both at the hostel and at
work, the owners of the company are amazing and have done so much for me in my
brief time here. Tony keeps nagging me to go to the dentist, I’ve had my teeth
removed but an old filling has come out recently and he constantly asks me
every day if I’ve booked into the dentist so I will need to get that sorted
before I leave Palmy. They are both extremely caring and supportive and I can’t
thank them enough.
Recently at the hostel a large school group
arrived so a few others and me were upgraded next door to boutique rooms, I had
a double bed with electric blankets, nice furniture, a TV and my own shower and
toilet. I stayed here for around a week and a half before returning to the
hostel. So it was a nice place and I definitely will miss the electric
blankets. Due to all the work I haven’t really seen much of the town but me and
a German guy went to a few of the bars one evening for some drinks and a few
games of pool, it was nice and something different.
Update: Ive arrived in Ohakune, rented my ski gear and will head to the mountain tomorrow. I’m super excited and can’t wait until morning.
I’ve been in Palmy for around 8 weeks now, unfortunately due to my schedule at work, I tend to not have many days off which is a huge difference from when I was kiwi fruit pruning as I couldn’t get enough days of work. Anyhow, I’ve just completed my 28th day in a row, around 2 days a week I only do around 4 hours work and don’t start till 11:30am so have started counting those as days off, but for but the rest of them I’m working full days. Anyway, the whole time (8 weeks) I’ve worked here at the pack house I’ve only had 5 days off.
However, I’ve handed my notice in and will move on with my adventure on the 6th October. Moving on always seems so difficult but its always exciting. Although I am struggling on where to explore next.
I’m staying at Pepper Tree Hostel, its only around 2 minutes walk from the square (town centre), it’s a sort of quaint little hostel set in a 100 year old villa, one floor, several rooms and pretty cheap considering some of the other places I’ve stayed in at New Zealand. Unfortunately there’s not many people staying here, perhaps because its winter or because there’s nothing much to do here, although I wouldn’t know as I spend all my time working.
Whilst I’ve been in Palmy I haven’t really
done much, I’ve been for a few bike rides whilst I’ve been here, if your in
need of a bike in Palmy you can rent one pretty cheap from Green Bikes, I
planned to be here for 3 months and it only cost me $75 for the whole 3 months.
I cycled along a new cycle way, which is along the Manawatu river and through some woods and to Linton army base, it was a pleasant ride and only around 5km each way, unfortunately when I was returning the chain on the bike I rented snapped and I had to walk back, luckily I had enough time to take it to the shop and get it fixed, I then cycled up to an observatory and sat down to take in the views of the river meandering around the corner. I then crossed the river and cycled the opposite way where I found a bike park in the woods.
Manawatu river
I cycled to Manawatu Gorge which is just next to a small village called Ashhurst, it took around 50 minutes to get there by bike and then I did a short 3km walk around the woodland and gorge, there’s a larger trail you can do but it was 20km round trip and I arrived there just after lunch so I didn’t fancy walking in the dark. There were some beautiful views from the lookout points and a large Maori statue on the trail. The walk wasn’t very strenuous, some steep bits but altogether it was a lovely walk and something nice to do on my day off.
White Horse Rapids (Manawatu Gorge)
I have had some really cool experiences. Jill and Tony the owners of the company I work for are extremely lovely and friendly people. They have been supportive with my issues with my teeth and the problems I’ve had with the manager.
Anyway, I’ve visited their lovely farm and home three times now and had some rather unique and enjoyable experiences with them, they call themselves hobby farmers as they downsized their farm around 3 ½ years ago. They must have 200 or more lambs though. When I first visited I was going mainly to cycle around as the roads are peaceful and the fields go on for miles. Unfortunately by the time I arrived after work that evening, it was dark. Tony cooked me an amazing meal and we had some beers and chatted. The next morning when I’d had a lie in I awake to the most amazing view, hardly anything around apart from fields and lambs. I helped Tony feed the sheep and then picked up around 50-60 fence posts and loaded them into the trailer as Tony drove slowly along the edge of the field.
Sunset on the farm
My second experience felt more unique, I was invited along side another backpacker to stay at their farm and help with some sheep work. When we arrived we went out onto the fields and helped round up the sheep, we then led them to the pens ready for weighing, some of the lambs went straight into the pen whilst some of the others made their way across the cattle grid and towards the house, we just waved our arms and shouted to move them to where we needed them to be. After this we sent them down the race to get weighed one by one, then, we checked to see which lambs were clean and which ones were dirty, we gathered a few in a separate pen and then sent two down the race together so they wouldn’t be able to move, we then used a set of shears and sheared the shit of there bottoms to prevent them from attracting maggots and to make them more presentable for selling at market. This action is called “dagging”. It was incredibly fun to do and the experience was just amazing. After we finished we showered and relaxed and then were cooked an amazing steak for dinner and I had a few gin and tonics because, why not?
Trying my hand at dagging
Recently had another amazing experience, so I was invited to stay again, I went on the Friday night after work and helped with drenching (giving medicine) the lambs on the Saturday. The view from the farm was even better this morning as the sky was clear and I could see both Mt Taranaki and Mt Ruapehu in the distance. Tony got his boat ready and then we then headed to Palmerston for a short 4 hours work making noodles and then at 14:30 we left and made our way to Whanganui where we launched the boat and drove about an hour up the coast before stopping for an hour to fish. Ive never fished before so this was an incredible experience for me. Beer in hand and relaxing with the amazing views and sunset. I managed to catch 2 Snappers and 4 Blue Cod, I also caught two small sharks. From the area we were in you could see amazing views of both Mt Taranaki and Mt Ruapehu.
Unfortunately when we were just bobbing around on the boat and fishing, I got a little sea sick which is just a curse that seems to run through my family. We then returned to the Wharf and then back to Tony’s. Tony showed me how to fillet the fish and then he fried it in breadcrumbs. It was really nice and tasted perfect.
Trying my hand at DrenchingCaught a huge Snapper!
“Nothing ever becomes real till it is experienced”
I arrived in Palmerston North or Palmy (as
the locals seem to call it) around 4 weeks ago now, when I first arrived I
dropped of my bag at my accommodation and then went straight to sign a contract
and learn more about the job. The owner asked if I would like to start that day
and with me having nothing to do, I agreed. Little did I know that I would then
be working for the next 9 days.
My job is in a Pack House, My role is to cut and pack vegetables, now your probably thinking, well that’s easy? It is I guess, unfortunately they need them a certain way, a certain amount of leaves or a certain weight or size. After almost a month now, I’m pretty sure I’m getting the hang of what they want.
EARLY MORNING START WITH PUMPKINS
This job is the same everyday, so when I
first start at 5-5:30am we do around 2 hours of cutting up pumpkins into halves
and quarters, then we cut the butternut squash into halves for around 45-60
minutes, we then take our break for 10-15 minutes, after the break we cut the
squash in halves and quarters and then go back to the pumpkin and make pumpkin
pieces, moving on we start to cut up the green, savoy and red cabbage into
halves and quarters (the red cabbage is possibly the toughest, one guy lasted 2
days at the Pack House before complaining that he thought his wrist was broken
due to the red cabbage, he never came back) all that’s left after this is the
cauliflower halves and florets, this is personally the worst vegetable to cut,
they require you to cut off the bottom leaves and then half it. They constantly
ask for more leaves even when it’s a particular bad cauliflower and has no
leaves to start with. They manager doesn’t appreciate little jokes like “the farmer
didn’t grow enough leaves”.
They have another section of the company where they pack Pea Straw and Lucerne into bags, its very tiring and tends to hurt your back due to the constant bending up and down. First we have to pull apart the bales of straw and then we have to mix up the two types, then we have to push them into 20l and 90l bags, it gets terribly tiring especially as all you seem to hear is “faster, faster” from the manager. I also came out with hundreds of cuts/ scratches on my wrists due to the straw and the sharp edges on the bags. I have not had to do this job for two weeks so I hope that stays the same.
WORKING WITH THE PEA STRAW!
They have recently started to create a new product which is vegetable noodles, an alternative to pasta, they are currently starting with small orders per day but due to the reaction from Countdown (a supermarket in New Zealand) this will be a good product. They have a few choices, they are making Butternut Squash, Zucchini, Beetroot, Kumara and Carrot noodles.
It is pretty tiring being on you feet for
10 or more hours a day. When I first started I was doing your basic 9-5 shift,
however now I start around 5:30am and finish when the order is complete and
this tends to be anywhere between 3-8pm. The breaks are pretty poor in my eyes.
If I start at 5:30am I get around 10-15 minutes break at around 8am or 9am for
a quick breakfast and then between 15-30 minutes at around lunchtime and that’s
it, I have discussed this with some of the newer guys that have just started
and they seem to agree that were missing a break and that its against the law. If
I end up working till 8pm, all I can think about is going back to the hostel
and going to sleep to recharge the batteries ready for another 5am start. I
started working with one day off per week, I have since changed this, as
working 6 days in a row can get a little tiring and when it comes to my day off
I have little energy to do anything.
You have to have good balance for this job,
your working all day around vegetables and once the early morning pumpkin seeds
and excess pieces miss the bins and hits the floor, it becomes excessively
slippy, even more so when you start to add in the cabbage leaves. I have
slipped plenty of times, luckily I have maintain my balance and not hit the
floor.
My second day on the job, not being used
too holding a knife for so long I came out with around 4-5 blisters between my
thumb and fore finger which became problematic when cutting for the rest of the
week.
The manager, he’s one of those guys who seems to have a need to control everything, I’ve had a couple of head to heads with him due to his certain management style. Its definitely different to what I’m use to and when I brought up that there could be cultural differences due to him being from india, he ignored this and started swearing at me. He’s very impatient and rude when it comes to training, he shows you once and then only lets you know when you’ve done it wrong. He also belittles you by talking to you like a child and shouts for no reason whatsoever, I have wondered several times about going to the owners of the company but then think that I’m only a backpacker staying for three months so my concerns may just be invalid. I just tend to pass it off and know that I only have 2 months left and then I can continue my adventure.
Update: after dreading coming into work for
the last week I finally decided to go to the owners after being fed up of
treated like shit, the owners were very sympathetic with the issue and
mentioned that its not the first time he has been spoken to about the way he
talks to and treats people. Also confirmed some of my suspicions of a possible
god complex.
Strangely I haven’t cut myself yet which
seems a little strange for me especially handling a large knife all day. I did
how ever accidently stab one of my colleagues on my first day, I was pushing
some scraps off the table and into the bin whilst I had a knife in my hand, I
mean it wasn’t a massive cut but he certainly felt it. I also recently
“accidently forced my knife into my managers finger”. He definitely wasn’t
amused. It was a genuine accident but due to the way I’m treated by him I’m
quite happy it happened.
The owners of the business are extremely
lovely. I’ve recently had a bad case of toothache in which I had an infection.
I explained to the manager my current situation and asked for the earliest day
off I could have so I could book in for a dentist appointment, this was on
Saturday and the guy offered me to have the Thursday off. On Sunday I explained
that it had got a lot worse and I would need a day off sooner, I even
compromised and said I could come into work at my usual time and just leave
earlier. He said this was a possibility. Later that day the owners were in and
obviously noticed I was suffering a little. I explained the situation to the
owners, the owner then said to me that he would ring his dentist on Monday
morning and see if there was an appointment available for me. On Monday at
around 11am he came to me and asked if I was ready, he had found me an
appointment, he then took me to the appointment, waited for me and then took me
to the pharmacist to collect my prescription of antibiotics and then returned
me to work. He then said to me that if there was anything I needed or if I just
needed to talk to someone that I could call him. Genuine guy and definitely
worth working there just to meet him.
“Jobs fill your pockets, Adventures fill your soul”
Joe Bloggs 