Woofing outside Ohope

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We visited Steve and Natasha again in Tauranga after staying in Napier, Taupo, and Rotorua over a period of about 2 weeks. The weather here is milder than in Wellington.

Pat had a wonderful time fishing with Steve in Tauranga this week. They caught three snappers and one trevallie on a Kontiki, a battery-run torpedo-like machine which would most likely be outlawed in Canada. It's the Lazy Man's fishing technique. It goes out to the ocean, up to about a kilometre I think, dragging as many as twenty-five lines with baited hooks. They were pretty happy with their haul, and Pat said he laughed most of the night watching this thing work. They had golfed earlier in the day, so he was one happy camper that night, with dreams of fish scales and squid bait dancing in his head. Of course we all had some fish. It was 10 pm by the time they were cleaned, and Natasha saved the heads to make Fish Head Soup.

Today is Pat's birthday, and we are staying at an organic farm outside Ohope on the Bay of Plenty. The weather is a balmy 25 or 30 degrees, depending on when the sun comes out from behind the clouds. Pat is at the Ohope golf course at the moment, which is on a peninsula with Ohope Beach on one side of it and the wharf and salt marsh land on the other side. We are looking after an organic farm while the owners are away for a few days during a family illness. Here we have chickens, ducks, two dogs (Smudge is the Fox Terrier, and Lennie is a Hungarian breed looking like a golden lab, who like to jump up and give you a strong HUG around your waist or shoulders). They also have an orchard of Macadamia trees.Pat told her he is in the same business: NUTS!!

Anne told us a funny story about how ducks are not as attentive as chooks when it comes to mothering. The mother ducks didn't herd the ducklings and they were picked off by circling hawks. The next batch of duck eggs were carefully picked up and placed under a "clucking" hen by Anne. When the ducklings hatched, Anne made a small basin of water available for the ducklings to swim in. The poor hen was totally confused by their preference for the water. Eventually she gave in and got into the basin with them to watch over her brood! The image of a hen in a basin of water tickles me, no end.

I highly recommend woofing as a way to "meet the locals" and learn interesting things about the flora and fauna of any given area. And to have a welcome break from the Sight-Seeing Shuffle! Oh, and to just stay in one place and do something worthwhile that makes a contribution. To get down in the soil and commune with nature, or just watch the chickens and ducks try to beat each other to the food you throw them. Or watch the sunset from a hammock,...

We plan to stay at another organic farm outside Tauranga next week, and hopefully Erin can make it up to Tauranga to see the area and meet STeve and Natasha and their two boys - who would be Erin's second cousins, once removed.

It's a tough job, but someone has to do it.

Update: April 25, 2006
I am uploading the pictures I took while we were woofing at Anne and Paul’s place. Today is ANZAC day in New Zealand, like Remembrance Day in Canada. There is a church service being broadcast on television, at St. Paul’s cathedral in Wellington. The prime minister is there, and she just delivered a speech. What in interesting twist on the celebration: in a country which is largely secular, the Veteran’s Day ceremony is in a church, and prayers are being said.

I took many shots of theCheddar Valley Pottery which is just next door to the street which takes you to the Robin’s property. It’s a little gem in the country. Between the two artists, they have such an interesting garden surrounding the old dairy building that it’s fun to wander around looking at the orchard trees and bits of created works lying amidst the foliage.

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