A long Overdue Update + Birthdays Abroad!!
Hello everyone! Sorry that it has been so long since my last post. A lot has happened and I have finally managed to get my plans for the year a bit more in order at last!!
Unlike my original plan of travelling and working as I go, I have heard a lot of stories from other backpackers about not getting paid enough, or not getting paid at all and how badly employees have been treated etc which made me appreciate my current job at South Pacific Seeds (SPS) a lot more. As a result I decided to stay in Methven a little longer and to apply for another job within the company as my original one roguing was coming to an end.
Since coming to that decision I have spent a few weeks working as a row divider where I assisted a tractor in separating the male and female crop rows in order to prepare them for harvesting. I then managed to secure a new job in the bird netting department where we cover the more valuable crops in nets to stop the birds eating all the seeds.
This was particularly good news because my German friend from the hostel also works in this department, meaning that he was able to show me the ropes. All of these jobs have been very physical and out in the fields and the sun which I have particularly been enjoying compared to my previous jobs or studying which were mainly indoors. I work in a crew with Chris and two guys from Tonga who are seriously strong but don't speak much English. They're hilarious to work with though and have invited me over to visit them in Tonga when I have finished in New Zealand. Another added bonus is the company has provided me with a work ute (truck) and given me everything from a new pair of sunglasses and unlimited supply of suncream to a warm fleece for the mornings and a pet baby mouse!
Only joking, I found the mouse in the net yard and set it free again somewhere out of the way again but I did enjoy the idea of bringing it with me on my travels for a while. But yeah.. I've been working a lot over the past few weeks so haven't done as much exploring as I'd have liked to but have still been to a few places.
A few weekends ago we visited Mt Sunday (known to Lord of the Rings (LOTR) fans as Rohan). This was pretty cool as for the LOTR they built the whole town of Rohan on Mt Sunday and then took it all down again afterwards leaving it spotless again. Now that most films rely on CGI more and more I thought this was pretty cool!
As many will have seen from my photos, I have been back
to Rakaia gorge quite a few times as it is only 15 minutes from Methven. Even though it is so close it is probably one of my favorite spots due to the colour of the water that you can swim in and stunning landscapes.
Last weekend was my mate and my birthday's as well and so a group of us got together and went camping for the weekend down on the banks of Lake Ellesmere. In keeping with my travels in general so far, this didn't go quite as planned though as it turned out that there was some drum and bass festival on that weekend at the same campsite! We ended up getting into that when it got dark and spent the night having a much bigger party than at first expected on the lakeside! One of my friends made us a cake and it ended up being a great weekend even if there were some sore heads the next day.
Thank you to everyone that sent me birthday messages! It was really nice to hear from you all! My new plan is to stay here until the 19th March when I will finish work and link up with Will (my Uni mate who has just arrived in NZ) and travel with him for a month. Once that happens I should start to have more stories to tell and I will try and be more vigilant about posting regularly with what I have been getting up to. For now though it is mostly just work with the odd weekend day trip but I will keep posting photos as and when things happen! I hope you're all keeping well and storm Doris isn't effecting you all too badly.
Best wishes
Tom