When one door closes, another one opens.

Hello! A few things have happened in the last few days. Actually, quite a lot!

Our plan for the kiwi plantation dissolved into thin air on the day of departure. Unfortunately, the payment was spontaneously reduced and we couldn't find a cheap camping site (which we should have expected, so close to harvest). However, we received another request for fruit picking through Facebook. This time it's the persimmon harvest in Gisborne, which is scheduled for early May. We made a note of it with a phone call.

But what do we do in the next 2-3 weeks??

We traveled to Rotorua with a few detours within two days. In the meantime, we went shopping several times (camping equipment, vehicle accessories, food, etc.) and visited a total of three different campsites. Two of them were budget options with minimal facilities (one didn't even have a shower), but the third one was very good. It's located just before Rotorua, near hot springs. The campground uses the water from the hot springs to fill their pools. So in the evenings, we could relax in a 48-degree natural pool and let our souls unwind.

The next day, we settled down at Lake Rotorua, and I will upload some pictures of it.

In the meantime, we have been active on the WWOOFing platform of New Zealand (a website that allows travelers to get in touch with locals who need workers and offer food and accommodation in exchange) and looked for possible hosts in the area. However, it was difficult to find a place for three people at the same time. Most people here currently have little work to give due to the bad weather.

Therefore, we decided to temporarily split up (possibly until the start of the harvest in Gisborne). As an individual, I quickly found a WWOOFing contact and met him for breakfast in downtown Rotorua yesterday. The first meeting was very pleasant, and Norman (72) offered me to stay with him for now. In return, I will help him with household chores and gardening. With a property of 6000m^2, that's necessary!

Mathilda and I went to Lake Tarawera, where Norman lives, and I vacuumed the entire house (including the corners!). Then I had something to eat, and in the evening we watched TV together (Sky History, highly recommend it!). From the conversations with him, I can already tell that Norman is quite a character (almost as funny as my own grandpa) :)

This morning, I drove him to the hospital and spent some time in downtown Rotorua, the Government Garden, and Lake Rotorua until his examination was over. When I picked him up in the afternoon, we bought fresh fish on the way home, and Norman showed me how to prepare it. It was really delicious! Of course, I gladly did the dishes afterwards. ;)

I'm curious to see how long I will actually have work and stay here, but it has already been a worthwhile experience!