let it rain

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Final leg of my little tour was Tauranga/ Mt Maunganui . I didn’t really do much there apart from lounge on the beach and read a few books. Riveting stuff ehh. By the way Bill Clinton: my life, $14 can’t go wrong. Anyone who can find a book with a better price per page e-mail me.

On the Friday I shot back up to Auckland for the night to watch the Blues Vs Warratahs in rugby at Eden park, $25 (9 pounds) for the ticket and 2 free pints. Not bad at all.

I arrived back in Kerikeri last Saturday in preparation for my 1st shift at orangewood pack house. (Home until end of May I think) I decided against hitching this time. From experience you can come upon some strange people in this part of NZ.

On the Sunday I had a day training at Orangewood. They had assured me that this was tough manual work. I guess it is in fits and starts. Actually no it’s not tell a lie, its beyond easy. My job title is that of STACKER (finally made it in life) basically I stand at the end of a conveyer belt where a packed box comes down every couple of minutes. I then press a button on the sticker machine and out pops a sticker. I promptly put the sticker on the box and then put it on a rack behind me and then wait another few minutes for another box to come down. Whilst doing this I make idle chat with a few Danish blokes who flank me on the opposite conveyer belts. Yep this place is overstaffed but why blow the whistle? This is especially true when you are doing night shifts for no extra pay!!!!!! This is weird. I was sure as sure can be that on my application form I ticked the no evening shifts box. However having lived with myself for 22 or so years I am well aware that I often get sucked into a vortex of boredom when carrying out such important but mundane tasks as application forms. This can result in me paying little or no attention to what I am currently doing. Quite right though. One of the questions was do you have any experience that might be applicable to stacking? Wasn’t bad at Jenga a few years back.

Then came the rain! Highest amount recorded in the northland since records began in the northland. For about three days straight it just rained and rained. The river at the bottom of the backpackers just went a bit wild really. The camping ground had to evacuated in the night because water levels were rising so quickly. For two days the roads going in and out of Kerikeri were closed so we were all kind of restricted in what we could do. Anyhow the excessive rain called a halt to the kick off of the kiwi season. A week and a half later the postponement is still ongoing.

I think now everyone wants to get back to work though. After a week and a half of impromptu parties socializing has lost its appeal. The risk game board had been abused on a daily basis. I never knew you needed to invest a whole day for world domination.

As of now though there is boiling sunshine overhead. I hope that my fledgling stacking career can re-convene. This career change could be short-lived though. Apparently mandarin picking is where the moneys at. It’s a whole different world out here. I shall never look at a fruit bowl in the same light again.

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Photos

Eden Park
Blues Vs Warratahs

rain activities
excessive rain kind of limits what you can do. l-r topr row 1st: Phil, Simmon,Dominic,Dominique,Mattias,Victoria,Sarah

flooding
Mattias admiring the carnage

mt maunganui
action shot, attenborough eat your heart out

flooding
its all good fun

flooding
Fact: That bus was for sale for
$11,500

more flooding
It was a bit more rapido in the skin

rain activities 2
excessive rain kind of limits what you can do. Good haul

rain activities 3
its bad when a night turns into a new day

tongariro
emerald lakes

tongariro
emerald lake