NZ Weeks 9 - 11

The ferry from the North Island to the South island spends half an hour leaving the enormous Wellington Harbour, an hour and a half making the crossing, and another hour winding through the narrow sounds. The sounds spaces between the jagged almost-interlocking pennisulas that jut out from the North Island's North-East Tip. It is a grand entrance to the South Island. We then mounted our bicycles and headed south to Marborough, wine country. The landscape in Marborough is dry. The vineyards appear vividly green against the golden grass covered rolling hills.

Our new home was Barb's place. Barb is a help exchange host who offers delicious locally grown food and wine and a big comfy bed in exchange for 4 hours work. She has 4 acres of grass filled with many happy beasts. Sheep, cows, horses, pigs, chickens, dog, and cat. We fed the pigs, milked the cow, collected eggs, made cheese, harvested veggies and herbs, and destroyed her bathroom. We pulled out the tub onto the lawn and bathed under the stars. I helped a friend of Barbs completely rennovate the bathroom, putting up new drywall and doing all the mudding and taping. We just got the brand new shower unit in the day we left. Everyday a few of Barbs neighbours would come by for tea and we'd sit around for an hour or two chatting and eating goodies. Barb drove us deep into the countryside to her friends HUGE farm to do some shepherding. We spent 3 hours in the blazing sun herding the sheep with the help of two hunt away dogs, two heading dogs, and an almost retired handydog. We herded them half a kilometre straight up a steep hill and another kilometre through thick thorny bush to fresh pasture. We learned lots at Barbs place and also had heaps of laughs. Laura's belly had quite the growth spurt at Barbs. Perhaps it was the good food that did it or maybe it was all the good Kiwi vibes from the community around us.