Grapes, Grapes and some more Grapes!

I know it's been forever since I've put a blog up! A month to be exact, but we've been super busy and it's been difficult to find time for computers :)

Here are the panoramics for this blog :)

Panoramic 1
Panoramic 2
Panoramic 3
Panoramic 4
Panoramic 5

So... we arrived here to central Otago a month ago and decided to stay for some work. The harvest for wine grapes was just about to start. Before work, we hung out a bit in Cromwell, Alexandra and Clyde. The day before Easter we were surprised by an awful tradition in Alexandra. Rabbits are a large infestation here in NZ and, because they were brought here unnaturally, they have no natural preditors and simply multiply. Every easter they have what's called a bunny shoot. Ugh.. it's horrible. I took some pictures to show you, but, believe me, it was NOT pleasant.

We went to a nice little festival in Clyde the next day and enjoyed the sun and some dancing... then headed back to Cromwell to start work. We worked for a company called Grape vision for 3 weeks... decent company, amazing, fun people we have met at work. You will see them in the photographs. At the end of the harvest, the company threw a huge party and... well... we REALLY enjoyed ourselves.

To get another few days work, we went with a different company and are now picking with all the Vanuatuans and that's quite different than the last company.

Oh right... this whole time we've been staying on a great campsite just outside Cromwell in Bannockburn. We've been living super cheap.... what it would cost us one night in a hostel gives us one week here. When the frosts hit and it turned REALLY cold (too cold for the tent), the sweet couple who owns the campsite moved us into their caravan so we have had a heater, electricity and comfort the whole time we're working.

I know grape picking sounds easy and I thought it was at first, but it's early hours, late afternoons and monotonous work. The second company we are with is much harder as they work much faster, the grapes are low to the ground and the buckets are bigger... but... we are earning money to keep us going and meeting some wonderful people along the way.

I'll tell more stories under all the pictures so have fun reading away :)
smiles!

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