WWOOFING
Three
weeks ago Jacob and I decided to become “wwoofers.” Wwoofing is a wonderful way
to travel while learning about the New Zealand culture (or whatever country you
are in), as well as sustainable and organic living. The whole concept
behind wwoofing is for travelers to live with a host and learn about their
lifestyle on the farm. In exchange of doing four hours of work per day, you get
room and board. It is a great way to immerse yourself in the culture, all while
on a budget! Every host is different…some live on fruit farms, olive groves,
dairy farms, etc. so every place is a different experience. Not only do you get
to learn about sustainable living and get to travel within means, but wwoofing
is a great way to meet new local Kiwis and network as well.
Once
we joined the organization, we were overwhelmed with the many different
opportunities and experiences available to us. At one place we could pick
seasonal fruit, at another we could help out in the garden and around the yard,
and at some we could even help press olives to make olive oil. These are only a
few of the many options available here in New Zealand. After searching the
numerous hosts available, Jacob stumbled upon a family that lived on a small
farm and also owned an outdoor adventure organization, “Rockup.” The
organization has different outdoor equipment such as Rock Walls, bouncy houses,
pirate ships, a safari ride, archery and pistol shooting, along with many other
fun activities. They work with different organizations, companies, schools,
teams, etc. The company’s involvement with kids, teambuilding, and approach to
developing positive self-esteem is what really drew us to this particular
wwoofing host. The fun and beauty of wwoofing is there are so many different
options and a fit for whatever interest you have or experience you are looking
for. Within 24 hours, we had contacted this family and arranged to stay and
work for three weeks! It was really a blessing!
Welcome
to the country farm! We arrived to a house in the northland region of New
Zealand, just outside of Wellsford and Mangawei. It is a beautiful area, full of green hills
and small farms. We are living with Geoff and Lynne, their two daughters, and
son. Jacob and I are both experiencing a little of what it’s life to have younger
siblings we’ve never had before! They have six cows and two calves, seven
chickens, and two dogs, Stella and Backster. A typical day for us includes
waking up between 6:30-7:30am, either going for a run or walk (or sleeping in),
at 9:00 we do the daily chores (feeding the chickens, cleaning the coop,
bringing in fresh eggs, checking the cows, sweeping the pathways, cleaning the
pool, and walking the dogs. For the next few hours we will do whatever project
they have planned for us. Some days it may include building shelves, painting,
or planting shrubbery, other days we may be helping with paperwork or preparing
for the next day’s Rockup event. About twice a week we get to work various
events for Rockup. Rockup travels all over New Zealand. Jacob seems to have
found his niche leading archery and I help out wherever needed but usually find
myself helping with the Rock Wall.
So
far we have been reminded not to always have expectations. We arrived here
thinking we were really going to learn and focus on sustainable and organic
living, which has not been the central focus. However, we have gotten to
experience so many other things and blessings. We are getting to work with kids
and help with teambuilding, gain insight in running a business, and really
gotten to develop relationships with the family. We are truly enjoying our time
here and gaining lots of insight and experience while working with Rockup. We
have continually been reminded of awareness…noticing the blessing around us and
realizing they are sometimes where and when we least expect it.
CHRISTMAS
It’s
seventy-five degrees out, birds are chirping and the beaches are packed. Kids
are out for summer break and everyone is on holiday. Christmas in New Zealand
is less about snow and sleigh bells and more about sun, sand, and barbeques in
the back yard. Christmas decorations and lights do not fill neighborhoods and
we have not heard any Christmas carols this holiday season. This year, as we
celebrate Christmas in New Zealand, it is from a completely new perspective; we
are away from home and family traditions and experiencing Christmas in an
entirely different culture. However, amidst the continual changes and
differences we experience, we have been reminded of the true meaning of
Christmas-a celebration of Jesus’ birth and what our Savior has done for us.
Christmas is a time to be joyful-wherever you are, whomever you get to share
the holiday with, and whatever your life circumstance may be.
This
Christmas we gained an entirely new appreciation for family. Holidays are
important and have great meaning in itself, but it's who you spend those
special days with that really make a difference.
Just
like most people, Jacob and I have always spent the holidays with our families
in Washington and Texas (the past couple years we have shared the holidays) and
have continually taken part in family traditions. For the Daniels family this
includes making Christmas cookies and treats with the cousins, having a Swedish
Christmas Eve (particularly Swedish meatballs and Swedish rice pudding) with my
Dad's side of the family, going to the Christmas Eve Church service, waking up
to the smell of French Toast on Christmas morning at the break of dawn,
exchanging gifts, and spending the afternoon with the O'Neill Family (my mom's
family). Some highlights include reading "The Night Before
Christmas," watching "A Christmas Story," and eating lots of
fudge! For the Hirsts, Christmas time means spending time with family in
Spiro, uncle Gary's Pasta Salad, Cranberry Salad, Nanny's no bake cookies,
playing Dominoes, watching "A Wonderful Life" (and of course many
more I learn of every year)!
The
beginning of December it really hit us that this was going to be a different
Christmas. Living out in the country, we weren't really exposed to the
"holiday spirit," if you will. Perhaps we just weren't exposed to the
materialism of it all, but I still missed the Christmas lights and beautiful
Christmas carols! We soon realized that Christmas is what we make it and we
need to remind ourselves of the true meaning of Christmas. We soon were
blasting Michael Buble's Christmas CD in the car, bought ourselves an advent
calendar, watched the few Christmas movies we could find, and carried on
holiday traditions here in New Zealand with new family and friends.
Although
we truly missed our families in the states, we also gained a great appreciation
for our relatives here in New Zealand. We were blessed to spend Christmas Eve
with Tania, Eric, Ross, Gay, Grenville, Guy, and Amy. It was soo nice to still be
able to spend the holidays with relatives and we truly felt welcomed and part
of the family. It was fun to experience a Kiwi Christmas!
Te Araroa- "The Long Pathway"
Our
newest upcoming adventure Jacob and I have been inspired to do is tramp the
South Island of New Zealand. A few weeks ago we were going on a short day tramp
and we met a kind Scottish tramper who was tramping Te Araroa on the North
Island. After listening to this tramper's stories and experience on the Te
Araroa, we were very intrigued by this walk. We quickly started researching the
tramp and continued to be fascinated by the people and stories we found of
those who were walking the entire length of New Zealand.
The
Te Araroa, meaning "The Long Pathway," is a combination of multiple tramps
that make up the entire length of New Zealand. The walk is 3,000 km beginning
at Cape Reinga (The most northern tip of the North Island) and ending at Bluff
(the most southern tip of the South Island). It is estimated that the entire tramp takes around 120 days. The walk officially opened last
Christmas. It has been only been open a year, but has become quite popular. The
different tramps vary from thick bush, sandy beaches, mountains, hills, and
even roadside. You get to experience various terrains, cultures, and people!
Jacob
and I soon committed to this endeavor. We have decided to tramp the South Island and save the North Island for another time. We have been inspired by many
people--the man we met on our hike, family members who have done other great
tramps, cycles, and challenges, as well as the Te Araroa community we are
quickly discovering and becoming apart of. It will be a challenge to say the
least, but we are excited and know it will be a once in a lifetime opportunity!
We are happy we will be seeing and experiencing the South Island--all by
foot! We arrived at the South Island yesterday after a beautiful ferry ride from Windy Wellington. We are staying in Picton today and in the morning we will take a water taxi to Ship's Cove where we will begin. We anticipate the
tramp to take around 70 days. We will be walking an average of 18 km per day,
but of course this will vary every day depending on the terrain and our own
well being. We would appreciate all your thoughts, prayers, and support! We
won't be traveling with out computers, but are hopeful to update our blog along
the way, as we reach small towns, and hopefully have access to internet
cafes.
We
are thankful for those who continue to inspire us to push us beyond our own
limits and challenge you to do the same! Cheers!
Agape'
Jacob
and Jordan :)
Check
out the website to learn more about the walk. http://www.teararoa.org.nz/
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| Jan, Jacob, and I |
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| Jacob and his Uncle Robert outside his Cafe in Waipu |
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| Christmas in NZ! |
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| Love Parades! |
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| "Sweet as" seems to be a common term here |
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| At Geoff and Lynne's where we were wolfing |
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| the neighbor's Dairy Cows |
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| Waipu Cove. Beautiful! |
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| Pavlova...a common holiday treat. |
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| Love it! |
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| Enjoying the afternoon and lunch in Warkworth |
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| Whangerei Falls. Here we met a nice couple from Germany who just sailed 2 years to get here. Pretty cool! |
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| Sushimi for Christmas Eve appetizer. We could make this a tradition :) |
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| Our lovely hosts and cooks on Christmas Eve! Tania and Eric |
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| Jacob and his cousin Guy at Christmas Eve. He is 17, nearly 18 ;) |
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| Our Christmas Eve Dinner. Lamb Roast with Salsa Verde, Beetroot Salad, Chicken, Green Salad, and Kumera (Sweet Potato) Bread. Divine! |
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| Amy made a delicious chocolate cake for dessert! |
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| From top left to bottom right: Grenville (Jacob's cousin), Amy and Guy(Grenville's kids), Jacob, Tania, and myself. Ross, Gay, and Eric are missing from the photo of our Christmas Eve clan |
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| On a Christmas day hike at the Hunua Falls. What a day! |
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| Merry Christmas from New Zealand! |
