Monthly Archives: September 2011

Long walks on the beach

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Yesterday was yet another beautiful day, so it was time for another walk. I walked along the beach in Ohiwa this time, and had company as well – Marion, from France, a fellow traveller who is also staying with a host family here in the Opotiki area. She’s staying in Ohiwa, so we walked the beach from her host’s place, which has the kind of view I doubt I could get tired of:

For some reason I didn’t take a picture of the waterfront facing area and patio, but it was even nicer. I’ve enjoyed staying with my hosts here in Opotiki, but I certainly don’t have these kinds of views (I look at hedges and an evil banana plant).

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Front Page News!

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Up in Canada, a few of you may be aware of a sporting event going on down here in New Zealand. A little one called the Rugby World Cup (RWC). The opening ceremonies on Friday even made the front page of TSN (for a few minutes).

It certainly isn’t a big deal for Canadians (I am rather impressed that TSN2 is showing the games at all), but for Kiwis, this is THE biggest sporting event they have ever hosted. Similar to the FIFA World Cup, the RWC is held every 4 years, with one nation playing host to the games. The games are played all over the country at various times of the day for the round robin play, then focuses on the main stadiums for the playoffs. So pretty much wherever you are in New Zealand, you aren’t too far away from a major international Rugby game.

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Spring has sprung

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I had assumed that New Zealand followed the North American convention/dates for seasons, simply with opposite seasons, so following the equinoxes it would be Spring by around September 23rd this year. However, turns out I was wrong. Spring is already here! Rather than use a constantly changing date (though only by a few days either way), the Kiwis and Australians simplify things and simply have each new season start on the 1st of the month of the equinox. So I’m about 8 days behind in realizing all of this. Always said I was a bit slow in the head.

The weather has stayed wonderfully warm and sunny, and today I went on a hike up to the site of an old Maori Pa in the nearby area of Ohiwa.

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To crush your enemies, see them driven before you,

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And hear the lamentation of their…Chokos.

3 days, nearly 10 hours of work, several kilometers worth of vines cut and 100s of chokos later, I’ve finished the task of eradicating the vast majority of the choko infestation. It was the first job I’ve done that actually got me to break a sweat. Not that I minded though, it was actually very fun – you can see the machete like implement in my right hand (it’s curved saw blade) – it’s what I used to cut through all the vines and trees. Since they were very much dead and brittle, it made for a very satisfying display of carnage when chopping through the vines.  I figure by the end of it, I’ve probably cleared over 500 chokos. They will be burnt in a sacrificial fire later, unfortunately after I leave. Next up, window washing, in other words, fun with ladders and spiders. The ladder part doesn’t bother me, the spider part does.

Kudos to those that get what the title is referencing.

False Advertising

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This isn’t one hour later I’m talking, but 5 days. The wonderful…odour has gotten less noticeable, but next time I’ll just go with the tried and true method.

Around and about

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With my free time here in Opotiki, I haven’t been up to too much really. Simply relaxing with my host family and going on walks with the wife on the surrounding roads. She goes for a 30-60 minute walk each day (and it’s FAST), so I’ve decided to join her. Just a couple of pictures from the nearby area that I’m staying, which I get to walk around. Good exercise!

I don’t have too much planned for the next couple of days, mostly just a few more walks. Come Monday though, weather permitting, I’ll be setting off again, a bit in both directions really. But why say now what that would be? I’ll just use pictures I’ve taken to describe them for now.

Money well spent

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When WWOOFing, the host provides you with all the needed tools/equipment to do the job. So that ranges from pruning shears, shovels, baskets, rakes, or whatever else might be required to do work. That often includes gloves, especially when working outside. Much like most people’s houses, these gloves are often various sizes and various states of decay. My hosts have all provided the gloves necessary, and they’ve done the job, but it’s something I figured I might want to look into myself. 10 minutes and $8 later, I found a pair I really really liked:

Protects my hands, water resistant and rubberized grip, much better tactile feedback and maneuverability AND I look good while wearing them. What’s not to like? Once I had finished the pressure washing, they came in VERY handy.

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