February 25th, 2009

Sara called last night. She and Gareth are still in Blenheim netting grapes. They are staying at a campsite not too far from the vineyard. They will be done with the grapes today, and are moving on to look for an apple picking job. They are welcome to go back to the vineyard any time they want to. She said she received her first pay check and now has money in her NZ bank acct. Yeah!!!! It was a short conversation and she sounded happy.

February 22nd

Hi Everybody,

We found work! Today we finished our 2nd day of work in Blenheim. We're putting up nets at vineyards to protect the grapes from birds. The days are long, but it beats sitting on the beach all day every day ;) Next week I think we are going to give apple picking another shot. Jazz apples are just about ripe and they will need more pickers. It will ideally pay better than this net clipping job. Ok. My computer is freezing and driving me nuts, so I'm going to go. This country seriously needs to improve its telecommunications!

That's all for now.

~Sara
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February 15th, 2009

Hello familia,
The hike up Gordon's Pyramid and Mount Arthur were pretty awesome. The first day was cool and misty, so we hiked through the forest to a cool (and free) rock shelter which was an overhang with a fire pit, axe, bucket for water and four mattresses.
There was another one on the way that looked like it belonged to the Lost Boys in Robin Hood. If we end up working in the area, we will definitely go back for a night there too. (And yes, we are still looking for jobs. There are a few part-time ones in town here, but we're holding out a few days for the apple-picking.)
The second day, the weather was beautiful. Couldn't have been better. We hiked through the tablelands (grasslands), a bit of forest and then to Gordon's Pyramid. Next we went up Mount Arthur, a fairly tall, open mountain made from karst. From the top we could see Golden Bay, Tasman Bay and Nelson. It was breathtaking.
Then we drove back in town for a movie in the tiny theater here. The guy working handed us two glasses and a jug of water saying that it was hot in the theater. We got into it and it was one small room with two rows of cushioned benches. In it were two other Canadians and a Kiwi with a giant chocolate birthday cake. We sang happy birthday and then were fed two huge pieces of the most chocolatey birthday cake I have ever eaten in my life. The movie was also great (In Bruges...I recommend it).
Love, Sara

February 12th, 2009

Lately, Gareth and I have been hanging out in Motueka. We're waiting for jobs. The season starts Wednesday. Last night we stayed at the coolest backpackers place ever. It was basically accomodation in a greenhouse with grapes hanging from the ceiling, an indoor fireplace and hammocks. Only $15 too. The cheapest place we've seen yet.
We saw Able Tasman National Park and did a bit of walking around there. Then we went to Farewell Spit at the northern tip, but the weather was miserable (hence the hostel stay).
Tomorrow we are going hiking in Mount Arthur in Kahurangi National Park. Talk to you soon!

~Sara

Click on the Green words

I just wanted to let you know that you can click on the green words in the blog, and you will be connected to websites with information about that city/area. Some people didn't know that so I wanted to put a note out. Happy reading. Jone

February 4th, 2009 On The Move Again

Hello Family,

So, I think you all have seen the blog so you kind of know what we've been up to. We'll add a few more pictures asap. We went to Milford Sound, saw glow worms at a funky little hostel, then went to Queenstown to hike the Ben Lomond Track (Dad, you should definitely consider this one when you're here...it took us about 5 hours but it is incredible) and Mount Arthur near Glenorchy.

Then we went to Wanaka to visit Puzzling World and the Paradiso Cinema. The weather wasn't great so we didn't end up hiking, but it was clearly a really nice spot. The drive from Wanaka through the Haast Pass was beautiful even though we couldn't see the mountain tops. Then we headed up to the Fox Glacier and were going to hike to Welcome Flat Hut (a locals favorite with a natural hot spring) but the rivers were really high and it was pouring rain so we decided to pass on it.

Then we met up with a friend of a friend named Ned who is a glacier guide on the Franz Joseph Glacier. We stayed in his drive way in our car for a few days and explored the area. On his days off he took us up the glacier to the a hut. The hut was really nice too. It had two bunks and was stocked with pots, pans, tea, books and playing cards. Ned was also smart enough to bring wine so we had a nice evening.

The next morning we were going to hike up a few mountains, but woke at 5am to heavy rain and clouds so we went back to bed. When we got up the rain had stopped, but the clouds were still really low so instead we went exploring the 'Pinnacles' on the glacier and found some incredible features. We found an iris that was huge and so blue. We'll post the pictures of it. On the way back down the glacier we met up with two other guides on their days off so we got some serious service. They carry these huge pick axes and carve steps into the glacier to make it safe for people without experience. They must have worked three times harder than Gareth and I who were just sauntering along, but they were still moving so much faster than me!

Today we are in Punakaiki at Paparoa National Park. We've seen the Pancake Rocks and I'm not sure what we are doing this afternoon. We're looking forward to starting work hopefully on an apple farm in a few weeks! I love you all! Take care. I think of you a lot!~Sara
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