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Published: February 20th 2009
Kahikatea
The intentional community on Auckland's North Shore, a haven in the bush, surrounded by suburbia.As mentioned in a previous entry, our plan is to WWOOF where possible while we travel, which makes it more economical as we’re not needing to pay for some of our accommodation. But the real benefit of Wwoofing is the close contact with New Zealanders we will get by living with them.
Our first Wwoofing location was at the Intentional Community where Ant had lived before traveling to the United States in 2007. This beautiful bush clad valley is on the edge of the Auckland suburban sprawl, on the North Shore.
The buildings here are rundown, and renovations are underway at full pace. There promised to be painting and cleaning to do - and probably a lot more.
The information about Wwoofing we had gleaned from reading indicated that for a night’s accommodation and the day’s meals, one can give 3-4 hours of work in exchange. The new owner of Kahikatea (even though the takeover hadn’t officially happened), who had put herself in charge of arrangements, had apparently not read the same books or websites as us.
During the time that Ant had lived at this community, the Wwoofers from many countries who stayed had enjoyed such
Bender
The mammoth-sized cat at Kahikatea has only got larger in the fifteen months since Ant saw him last. a variety of company and tasks that many remained for months. It was a little different now. There were no longer any community meals.
The new régime’s expectation was for a full day’s toil, with meals if we wanted them to be paid for and made by us, and any time we spent talking to residents about Maori traditions, or historical or recommended places to visit, was frowned upon. The supervisor’s workday began at 6am, and we were roped in as soon as she could get us on our feet.
After a day or so, she shifted us from the bedroom we were in, to a former lounge space, next to her office - everything could be heard through paper thin walls. There would be no sleeping in! Additionally, we had to be rather firm at first with folks wanting to use the room as a short-cut through to the office from the main quad, since that had been its main use since the renovations began.
The work we were assigned included pulling up flooring, cleaning windows, painting, shifting a library, and for Ant, some architectural design work, as there were bathrooms to rebuild.
It was
Mikey managing the mousse
Our gay hairdresser gives Gracie a going-over. a shame that we travelers had not previously trained as sherpas, demolition contractors, or folks that power-walked from dawn to dusk. The pace was a little heavy. Other options needed to be explored, as we had a vehicle to find, and a trip to prepare for, and we weren’t getting any time to do this. We had to be in Wellington - a full day’s drive away - in just a few days for the wedding of Anthony’s sister.
We decided to quit Wwoofing and pay the current community dwellers for a few nights accommodation, after which we did get a chance to look around the place a bit more, meet an artist who rented studio space there, and got to see the Glade (a clearing in the bush) at night under a full moon. Later the same evening we made a special trip to see the resident glow worms. These tiny creatures looked like distant city lights would from a mountain vantage point. It really is a lovely reserve, and we hope the new ownership won’t spoil the energy of the place.
While in Auckland, both girls took the chance to have hair things done. It was
The Pokeno Partners
A pair of ice cream shops stand shoulder to shoulder in this small country town, serving ice creams that are possibly the largest in NZ. Its a great excuse for travellers to pull off the Highway to sample them. We did! at a small salon on Ponsonby Road, in the heart of the city, that we encountered Mikey. It was an experience, duckie, never to be forgotten!
After a few days as barely-tolerated paying guests, we hit the road as soon as we had located and bought our nice second-hand van, which Anthony organized through a friend in the business - always good to have. His friend Russell agreed that we could sell it back to him after our travels for not much less than we had paid for it.
The Bombay Hills, south of Auckland's metropolis, marks the end of big-city life, and the beginnings of the NZ rural experience. First stop was Pokeno, at the southern end of the Bombays.
Pokeno used to be known for its Bacon. And the main road that used to dissect it, now bypasses the village. There are still rewards for turning off, however, one of which is the ice cream. We indulged!
The road to Wellington took us down through fantastic and beautiful scenery: velvety hills folding into one another, in raw sienna, blush and gold, a result of dry summer-baked grasses close-cropped by sheep, deer and cattle, which speckled
Central North Island landscape
This is typical of the country west of Lake Taupo the peaks and valleys as our road wound its way south. Particularly stunning was the snow-flocked, cloud-shrouded peak of Mount Ruapehu, North Island’s highest point.
As the day merged into night, Anthony seemed to be driving like a NYC cab driver with a passenger late to catch a plane, speeding up as the orange tinged sunset lit the landscape. But we were attending a marriage in the morning and had to be at the church on time.
Paula was riding in the back, and it swayed about. She was uneasy, as the unfamiliar van/road combination made her feel a bit off balance most of the way. But she held onto the armrest, ogled the scenery and sipped her cappuccino.
We finally stopped at Sanson, a name on the map that wasn’t much more than a few buildings clustered around a highway junction, and the motel we found to stay in. It was rustic. No milk or cream, a communal washing machine - but no dryer, and no internet. At least it was dry.
Early on the sixth of Feb we were on the road again. In New Zealand, this is the national holiday. A couple more
Lake Taupo, NZ's biggest lake
This view is from the less travelled Western side. hours of travel, first across the Manawatu Plains, then through the foothills north of the capital, and then Wellington was upon us. We approached down a winding and steep gorge, the blue sweep of Wellington harbour revealed only as we swept around the last corner.
Wellington had turned on a great day for Christina and Bernard’s wedding, with bright sun sparkling on the harbour waters. We had the chance to meet the elders and cousins of the family, share and deepen other relationships. It had been more than 16 months since Anthony had seen many of the family and friends who were now gathered. This would be a wonderful day of celebrating and reconnecting. And it was, a happy relaxed occasion with a picnic on grass to round it off. Bernard and Christina were now officially attached. Our family had become larger, more diverse, and ever so much more enriched.
We were invited to stay a week or so at their home in Korokoro, a suburb high on the slopes of the Hutt Valley. We look down on the seaside suburb of Petone, where colonial settlers first landed in Wellington. It’s a home with a million-dollar view of
The Tasman Sea from Paekakariki Hill
Looking Westward towards Australia - only 1000 miles away! the beautiful harbour - and often, a wind to match!
We had the chance to help with gardens, some miscellaneous cleaning and the erection of a needed clothesline at a property Christina and Bernard had recently built. In the evenings, we had the good fortune to be sharing the company of loved others and with the American duo learning a bit about the All Blacks Rugby team, the game of Cricket, and finding out what New Zealanders REALLY think about Australian commentators!!
Grace adds some reflections on her experience so far:
For me, this trip has been a mixture of restoration, the gaining of a better perspective on life and my direction in it, and to enjoy shared experiences in this exploration of Anthony’s country.
My work life had become so tremendously challenging, the hours and patient needs had become daunting, so that it had become almost impossible to do it any more, though I cared deeply for my patient. The stress of doing everything required to perform it all adequately, and to meet the responsibility of the challenges in my personal life with all that had entailed for the last several years, had taken its toll
Ant and Paula
High on Paekakariki Hill looking north. The sweep of NZ's western coast stretches out below. on every part of me, in every area of my daily life.
New Zealand held out its arms for me to embrace new beginnings. And it is magical here. The goliath-sized hills undulate across the horizon, like folds of flesh…on and on, one after the other. They are other-worldly to me, perfect for this trip of wonder and splendor. The sky puts on a light-show of millions of stars, planets and satellites each night. It has been breath- taking to say the least. One can feel ever so small here, under this canopy of sparkling particles of light overhead.
The heady scents are so very different as well. It sometimes feels that I have been born anew in someone else’s life. What an adventure this is!
Ant showed the girls the suburb of Ngaio, where he grew up. The Huntleigh Park Reserve is still accessible, its slippery track replaced with wooden steps. The cool green of the bush was a welcome respite from a hot summer day.
We had a chance to walk around a local field where the Gypsy Fair was open. This caravan of wanderers winds its way around New Zealand during Spring, Summer
A scene seen from the Desert Road
Burnt brown tussock on the central north island plateau. and Autumn. There's handmade crafts, clothing, and the characters of the Fair to converse with for an hour. The vehicles are very creatively decorated.
Next for us all is the beginning of our trip around the South Island, starting with a ferry trip across the wild Cook Strait.
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