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Published: March 15th 2009
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So Leon picked me up and unlike some of the people that pick me up, i had no question that he was a good guy. We chatted for a little while, I told him a little bit about myself, you know the usual. I asked him if he knew anything about a free campsite (I had heard of one in the book) but he didn't have a clue. But he did say i could just camp out right on his front lawn! I was very thankful to have been so lucky. It wasn't a long ride but when we arrived to Ahipara it was getting pretty dark. He dropped me off in the front lawn to set up camp and drove up his driveway to his house. He told me one of his son Ryan and some friends were coming up that night and he was 21 so after I got my tent up and made some dinner (thai peanut noodles with satayed pork and onion... yum) he invited me up to have some tea!
The inside of his house was beautiful and Cat his wife was very kind. Leon and I immediatly got to talking and id say
we hit it off pretty quick. Like Ralph he also believed that nothing was as it seemed (conspiracy therist) and i loved getting his perspective on this crazy world we live in. It was some time until his son got home but we didn't care, we just talked and talked... Ryan finally arrived around 1 or 2 in the morning at which point we were all pretty tired so I hit the hay.
I knew it was a nice house and everything just by seeing it in the dark but i had a much greater appreciation of it once I saw the incredible view they had of shipwrecks bay and the 90 mile beach! It had to be the nicest house on this longer strip of real nice houses on a hill overlooking the ocean. It was simply incredible. I was so happy i had followed my gut and came here to Ahipara.
I soon found out the Cat was a very succesful real estate agent and they owned a bunch of property which Leon mantained. Leon had also been the one to build the beautiful houses! (there was a guest house on the same property)
Ryan
Flying high!
see me in the sky? and his mates stayed through the weekend and we hung out some... they were just getting away from work for the weekend so they played a bunch of video games and such while I was very excited to be on such a beautiful beach and explored the surounding areas! I found this great cafe down the street a little ways where i hung out at a bunch reading and drinking coffee. I continued to have more awsome conversations with Leon and regardless of how frusterating my whole money situation was I was really living a life a luxury.
Every morning would start with the lady from the bank claling me, trying to help me with my confusing situation... every time there was something else to figure out and with the time difference it always meant calling me back the next day. But after that was out of the way Leon would take me surfing, i would sit in the sun taking pictures, work on this blog and hang out at the cafe.
I felt kind of bad having them put me up like that but i was trying to be very courtious, polite and organized with my stuff.
I would have left if things didn't.... didn't work out so damn well! I was only suppose to hang around a few days before heading to my next farm but I was having all these problems dealing with my card and was just having such a good time learning how to surf and all that. I have now ended up staying here for over a week! I let the farm know that I was delayed and went with the flow...
Surfing was amazing! i thought i would pik up pretty quick because of all the snowboarding ive done but i soon found out why everyone says its one of the hardest sports to learn. It was very physically dmeanding and a great work out. This is a very famous surf spot and pretty all the people that move here do it because of the great surf. The first time i went out the waves were a little big for a first timer and i proceeded to get my ass kcicked by some real big waves. But just like anything the more i did it the better i got and soon was able to get up on my feet and
ride some waves which felt great!
I could tell Leon was happy to have me around so i stopped feeling so bad about them putting me up. Every day I would ask if I could help him with something or another and he always refused until a few days in. He finally said, "well you can help me with some things around the house today if it makes YOU feel better." So i did because it did make me feel better about it! i was happy to help Leon out with the weeding and such. Leon and I had a great time working around the house together, the whole time chatting up a storm. More and more they would invite me to have meals and such with them which was great cause I still didn't know when ill have access to my bank account. Cat was a sweetheart and cooked us some awesome dinners. I gained so much respect for Cat and Leon, they had such a great reltoinship as far as i could see. Leon was such a gentlemen and was always aksing her if she needed anything, running out to open the door for her when she
got home from work and showing his appriation for everything she did for him. It was a beautiful thing.
One day i went to the cafe and there was this kid from Canada working as the Barista, we got to talking real quick like any travellers and exchanged numbers. Over the next few days he introduced me to a couple other guys he was travelling with and this local kid our age they had meet here. One night we all went out drinking and made friends. The next day, Shane, the local kid, decided to take us all to the Fern Flats which was this awesome place where you could jump off this 30 or so foot cliff into this really deep river where there was a waterfall! (see picture) We had a great time together but unfortunately they had to take off to the bay of islands afterwards. Hopefully ill meet up with them later on down the line.
It did take probably a week to finally get confirmation that I was being sent a new debit card and once that happened I decided I should make some plans to move on. I contacted the farm and
asked them if i could head down their way and they said it was fine... ssooo....
Here I am finally caught up with where i actaully am in my trip, it is sunday the 15th and i again find myself sad to leave these people i have grown to like so much. The time here has passed so fast, i didn't even know I had been here for more then a week until I looked at the calendar! But there is so many more people to meet (and hopefully like( and so many more experiences to be had while i am here so i must move on. I am getting a ride with Cat to Kaitia in the morning which gets me to route 1. From there ill hitch hike south to end up in Kiawaka where i will work on a farm for well see how long.
I am getting worried that i am spending to much time up north. I should be heading down south as fast as i can because the weather down there is already getting much colder but i guess I do need to wait around here until my Debit card reaches my
friend maggie who is staying in Auckland! ill just go with the flow and see what happens... it seems to have been working out for me so far!
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Marcia Osburne
non-member comment
Hi Chris!
Just wanted to say hi - Julie told me you had a blog so I googled it and found you ! It sounds like you're having an unbelievable adventure. The pictures are just gorgeous!! Hope you're enjoying your next farm. Take care of yourself! All the best, Marcia