The beautiful Golden Bay and the first Wwoofing Bäh

After over a month, we had explored and circled most of the South Island and returned to Nelson. That's where our South Island adventure began. It was somewhat crazy to come back to this place. We had already heard the day before that there was a severe forest fire in this area. Its effects could be seen for countless kilometers. Dense reddish-brown mist filled the air and it smelled terrible. It was one of the worst forest fires in over 60 years and over 2000 hectares of land were burned. Driving past such a fire was very impressive, as we had never seen anything like it before. We spent the night at a beach nearby. The horizon was reddened by the fire at night, a bit creepy just a few kilometers away.

But now to the main reason why we stopped here. After more than four months of traveling and Wwoofing, it was time to earn some money. It was already early summer in New Zealand and the harvest was approaching. Especially in the Nelson region, there are many orchards, so we hoped for a good chance of finding a harvest job. You can still search for jobs specifically for backpackers on various internet platforms, and so we arranged for an interview at a hops farm. Having an interview in a different language is quite extraordinary. We were a bit nervous, but the conversation was relaxed and not really comparable to a real job interview. The job was supposed to start in three weeks and we were supposed to receive an acceptance or rejection in the following week. The course of the conversation seemed promising to us and we were pretty confident to get the job. In the meantime, we wanted to do Wwoofing again and explore the previously missed Golden Bay. We quickly found a Wwoofing place and made our way to a Dutch couple, now the sixth stop. Besides a Bnb, the two had a lot of animals, like pigs, chickens, ducks, cows, alpacas, turkeys, and two dogs. This property was also very large, so there were tasks to be done at every corner. On the first day, we took care of the chickens and ducks. We cleaned a small enclosure for the young ones and distributed feed. Unfortunately, we didn't feel particularly comfortable in the house. Our room was more of a storage room, the bed was an uncomfortable pull-out couch, and the cleanliness of the sheets was not appealing either. Let's not even talk about the cleanliness of the bathroom. And we weren't able to shower on site either. Due to the drought, the water reserves were depleted, so we went to the nearest river every day. It sounds worse than it was, because it was really pleasant in the river. The worst part was the drive in the car, you could hardly see the upholstery due to all the dog hair *yuck*. The food and communication were okay, but not as warm-hearted as with the other families. In the evenings, TV was watched for a long time, even when we were already trying to sleep, and in the mornings, we surprisingly got up late, usually we were already working by then. After some initial doubts, we decided to stay strong and complete the planned days. Two days of animal care and gardening were followed by day four. The couple had appointments and asked us to clean the kitchen and bathroom. In general, we have no problems with this activity, because we live together with the Wwoof families and use these facilities as well. But it quickly became clear that the level of dirt in the kitchen exceeded an acceptable level. Regardless of the amount of items (including the dishes for the Bnb), it was obvious that the kitchen had not been cleaned for months. Dust, food residue, mold, and even mouse droppings were not isolated incidents in the countless drawers. We understand Wwoofing as give and take. Working with animals can be dirty, but it has to be done. But if a kitchen and bathroom have not been cleaned for months, it is not the Wwoofing guest's responsibility to clean up this mess. For us, a clear boundary had been crossed, which is why we decided to leave the place after a long and extensive discussion. If you are interested in the whole story, you can ask us when we are back.

Thanks to our self-chosen freedom, we were now able to continue our journey. First stop, the hippie paradise Takaka. The small town was really alternative. Colorful mixed stores and barefooted young people were noticeable. At the town's campground, we experienced the full extent of the hippie generation combined with the free-thinking of the 21st century. One could think this is a unique intervention place for a social worker. This dusty place was an oasis of human diversity, and Tim and I couldn't stop observing and analyzing. In addition to the ingredients for our dinner, we were also offered a delicate selection of colorful pills. We sought refuge behind the tinted windows of Odhi, from where we continued to observe the whole spectacle. Here are a few scenarios...

Scene 1: A woman clearly drops off all her belongings at the campground. Several randomly sorted bags and a mattress found their place in the dirt.

Scene 2: At first, an innocent-looking Asian woman arrives in her own small van. 30 minutes later, she goes on an excursion wearing only a jacket - the goal: ecstasy or Ecstasy?

Scene 3: A meter-high, boxy camper struggles to find a suitable spot. The vehicle, which appeared taller than long, did not park under a tree but in a tree. And if you thought this looked bizarre, you weren't disappointed, because a six-member family stepped out of the camper.

All these and more events were surrounded by several hotspots. It seemed like every group of like-minded people had their own meeting point. Around 10 pm, three dance floors crystallized. In addition to techno and reggae, there was also the group of free musicians. Among other things, the recorder, tambourine, and drum were not missed here. The lack of peace and quiet was sorely missed no later than 1:30 am.

After what was probably the most exciting overnight stay so far, we continued on to Farewell Spit, a peninsula that stretches 25 kilometers into the sea. Without great expectations, we went for a hike there and were pleasantly surprised. Here are some pictures for you...

By the way, during our stay in Golden Bay, we received a rejection for the job, which made the following days very exciting. But more about that in our next blog entry.