Current Location: Eketahuna, Aotearoa
I made the ride here last friday without incident and it turned out to be an easier trip than I had imagined it could have been. I added pictures of my time with Max, Jane, and Alex at the Dovetail Equine Trust. Thanks really does go out to Max and Jane for putting me up for a month and showing some really great Kiwi hospitality. I do have a correction to make regarding days off, our trip to Castle Point was the second free day I had while working on the farm there. The first one just happend to rain all day so it was spent indoors. We had a great time at Castle Point and i’m really glad Max and Jane took us out there as there is little chance I would have made it out there on my own (it would be a full day ride to get out there and a full day to get back.)
Now I find myself in the hospitality of Biddy and Collin (Cheese & Trains, respectively.) Biddy makes her own cheese from the 4 cows that she owns and pampers while Collin has a model train set that is open for the public to come in and see. I keep thinking that Alastair would enjoy it here as the cheese is free and really tasty (I belive it’s a traditional English cheese, don’t ask me which region.) The train set is really something fascinating as well and watching Collin control them is something to behold as he can conrol 4 trains simeltaneously. He also holds once a month an event where he has 6 train guys come in and control 4 different stations on his model railway and they have to follow a schedule, I can only imagine that it is quie amazing. I hope at some time to get to watch the cheese making process as well as the butter making as well. So far i’ve gotten to try curds (they really do squeak!) as well as milk fresh from the cow (unpasturized milk, what a concept. It was really quite sweet for milk.)
Anyway the work I find myself doing is scrub clearing once again (I do wonder if that will be my job throughout New Zealand, I guess time will tell) Today I started removing a blackberry encroachment and I have all the little cuts to show for it, i’ll be glad when this area is done.
As for riding I am now a day outside of Wellington, i’ll cycle to Featherston where I’ll catch the train into Wellington. I’m doing this on the advice of Max and Jane who tell me that the mountain between Featherston and Wellington is not something to be trifled with (lots of traffic, narrow roads, and a steep ascent/decent.) Once I get to Wellington i’ll probably sail over to the south island and make a break for Christchurch. That should put me in Christchurch by the early part of February, hard to belive that would make it 3 months i’ve been in New Zealand already.