Muesli and moonlight rainbows - Phil

Well this week has been probably the least exciting so far in New Zealand. However, it has been quite productive, so it hasn't been a waste.
We have been based in Ohakune for over 10 days now, and we worked out last night that we will be here for 18 weeks in toal, which considering we have only been in NZ for about 8 weeks, feels like a very long time. But ho-hum, we know that we just need to get out heads down and earn some money to keep on with our travels.
So although it hasn't been a event-filled week, I will try here to list some of the highlights:
Monday we went to Wanganui. This is pronouced Wonganui. This is the nearest town/city, and we had to go here to buy some smart-ish clothes/shoes for potential bar-restaurant work. The drive was nice, over vales and hills, and took about an hour and a half. Once in Wanganui, we didn't see much apart from the shopping areas, as we were running around trying to make sure we got everything before dark. Meg had difficulty finding some trousers the right length, and eventually was told by a kind shop assistant that a lot of trousers in NZ are just one length, as there isn't enough of a population to make it worth having trousers of different lengths: most people just buy them and then get them taken up by a seamstress. This seems very odd, but maybe this is the case. So Meg got some trousers and we visited a seamstress on the high st who altered the length while we continued shopping.
I also got some trousers. They are slightly too long, but I haven't had them altered by the seamstress.
I got a haircut. Both I and Meg are very happy with it.
I got some smart shoes (for restaurant work) and some new cheap trainers (for bar work).
Meg got some running trainers (for running) and some new cheap trainers (for bar work).

We drove home under a full moon, and then we had veggie curry for tea.

Sorry, we didn't take any pictures of Wanganui, but we will almost certainly go back, so we will upload some at a later date.

On Tuesday, we spent the day in Ohakune. We dropped our CV at a restaurant called The Bearing Point, which seemed quite an upmarket place, but they did suggest that they needed a kitchen-hand and a barperson, so I have been quite hopeful of them ringing us back. But haven't heard a squeak from them since, so may have to remind them that we are still around.
We also passed the travel agents in Ohakune and they had a sign for 'Paper-Runner wanted' in the window. With our current philosophy of 'No job is below us', we went straight in and enquired about it. It sounds quite a nice job: there is a local free newspaper that needs to be delivered to a lot of the streets in Ohakune; we have to pick the papers up on Tuesday afternoon, and have to deliver them by the end of Wednesday. They initially want us to just do a couple of hours and then they will assess how far we got, and whether they need us to work more hours in order to reach more houses. We start next week.
Next to the travel agents there is a gift shop, and Meg bought herself a new keyring, which she is happy with.

In Wanganui on Monday, we had also bought the ingredients for homemade muesli (Heidi on Waiheke inspired us with her delicious muesli) and bread-making ingredients. So on Tuesday Meg made the muesli, and on Wednesday I made some home-made bread. These are both cost-saving exercises, and they prove nicer than anything we can buy in the shops, so double smiles all round.

Also, on Tuesday afternoon, we got some good news from one of the bars in town – they had some shifts for us! The bar was Mountain Rocks, and they wanted me to work on Thursday night, and Meg to do a Saturday daytime shift. EEK!! Very exciting, but we were both a bit nervous.

On Tuesday night, it was still a full moon, and a clear sky, so after veggie curry leftovers, we decided to go up the mountain road to take some long-exposure nighttime photographs. The road leads 16km up the mountain to the car park for the ski-fields. We got about 12km up the road, and we started to get a bit nervous about the snowy conditions and possible icy road ahead, so we stopped and did the photographs from there. Meg did a fantastic job and got some amazing pics of the mountain enshrouded in clouds with the stars above. The moon was so bright that the pictures look as if it is daylight, but I assure you that it was 10pm at night, and VERY dark. One of the coolest pictures was one that Meg took facing Peggy and down from the mountain. On the picture you can see a rainbow behind Peggy, which we've never seen before – a rainbow at night! We obviously couldn't see the rainbow while we were there, but on the computer screen when we got home it was clear to see. Pretty cool and utterly bonkers – a nighttime rainbow.






Since Wednesday morning, Meg has been feeling a bit under the weather. Don't worry, I am quite sure it's not Swine Flu. I got her some tablets from the pharmacy which she has been taking since then, and I think she is starting to feel a bit better now. However, and this is a direct quote, Meg is convinced she has been ill, in all seriousness, 'because I haven't got my my hairdryer'.


silence


Wow.


silence


I don't know how to answer that.


I pray to God that these pills work.



So on wednesday we did not do too much. We dropped Meg's CV off at the pharmacy where they had advertised for a shop assistant, and went to the local campsite to drop mine off as they needed a receptionist. However, the campsite said that they were looking for someone to cover a year-round position, and therefore my working holiday visa would not be considered. Bummer.
Simon had texted us saying that he was coming on Wednesday as he had a few jobs to do, and had to go to Wanganui on Thursday. It was nice to see him, and we cooked him chicken tagine, but he wasn't happy that we had discovered a fan heater in the back room and were using it to heat the lounge. He said that we had to be careful as the electricity bill shoots up when the heaters are used. But I don't know how he expects us to stay warm.....? Anyway, he has now hidden the fan heater from us, and we feel like naughty children.

Thursday was a day just building up to the first shift at the bar in the evening. Meg still wasn't too well, so we watched a western in the daytime (3.10 To Yuma, which was excellent), and stayed warm and dry while it chucked it down outside. We even had an afternoon nap, which was delightful.
Simon went to Wanganui in the morning, and returned briefly in the afternoon before heading back home to Matamata. I think he will be back here again next week before the big first weekend of the season on the 20th/21st.
The shift at the bar in the evening was good. It was supposed to be quiz night, which the owners had problems setting up (they were trying to hook a laptop up to the big screen tv, but didn't have the right cables), so it has been postponed til next week. But they surprised me by saying that in a couple of weeks, they want me to run the quiz!! Gulp.
Working behind the bar made me realise how long it is since I worked at The Chequers in Wicky Bicky! But all the locals are very friendly, and despite the fact that it was quite busy, it wasn't stressful. It is a mixture of bar-work and helping in the kitchen, so a bit of washing up was required, but that was quite nice to get a break from being chatty with all the locals.

On Friday, we got a call from quite a few other bars – maybe the word had got around about a superb barman the night before. Altitude, a bar up the road from Mountain Rocks, asked us both to work on Saturday night – their opening night after a refurb – and Kings, a bar at the other end of town, asked us to go along on Monday morning to help with their setting up/cleaning before the officially open in a few days time. We also got a call from the Travel agents, who confirmed that we were good for the paper-running job. Crikey, suddenly we were busy!
In the evening, I cooked Minestrone soup and we watched rubbish tv and drank cheap red wine.

Saturday morning, and Meg was feeling as bit better, despite us both not sleeping well. I went for a morning jog, and Meg got ready for her first shift. It is quite a strange feeling being away from each other, as we have spent the last 8 weeks constantly in each other's company, so to suddenly be apart for 4 or 5 hours feels very odd, and it is hard to know what to do! I relaxed and read the saturday papers, emailed some friends, wrote the blog, and ate crisps, and watched the clock eager for Meg to return with her heroic stories of work. When Meg did eventually return, I think she had enjoyed it, but had been observing the other staff for quite a lot of the shift, watching the experts at work – blimey, it's just a cafe/bar! Us newbies aren't allowed anywhere near the coffee making machine, as it seems to be reserved for the sole use of the offical barista: (ahem) coffee-making is a serious business and requires thorough training and homework before any cocky foreigners start to play around with it....... I'm sure that after a 10-20 minute chat and example of how it works, we would be more or less fine with it, but maybe they think we are far too stupid to possibly understand how to MAKE COFFEE. Crikey, it is very annoying/patronising.
Once Meg got back, we had a couple of hours before heading back out to the next job – working at Altitude (another bar) for their opening night of the season.
We arrived at 5pm, and they had an hour to go to offical opening, and there was still tonnes to be done. None of the furniture was properly arranged, all the glasses had to be washed/sterilised, and the floors swept etc. Surprisingly it all got done in time for 6pm, but there were a lot of hands on deck. The bar was a lot easier to work than Mountain Rocks, but it did not seem as friendly a crowd. It was a free bar for the first 2 hours, and all the local businesses were invited, and most of them were fine and really nice, but a lot of the bar owners/builders were there with their family/friends, and it was they who got far too hammered in the first couple of hours, and by 11.30pm an inevitable scrap had been started between 2 of the young lads and we had to close the bar down for the night. It was a shame, but we are putting it down to the fact that it was the launch night\free bar etc., and would hopefully not be a typical night. Meg definitely prefers working at Mountain Rocks, but I am happy to do another couple of shifts at Altitude to see if a better working atmosphere develops.
We got home for 1pm, and were in need for a beer – we had been on our feet serving people/cleaning/washing for about 8 hours.

It is now Sunday afternoon and we have slept off a bit of our tiredness. We have nothing planned for today, but we are working at Kings tomorrow from 9am, and do not know how long a day to expect, but the more hours the better, I guess.

....And then we can start looking forward to the slopes and some rad action!

Ohakune: Where Adventures Begin! - Meg

It was very strange sleeping in the car park of Wally’s Hostel. Kind of a no-mans-land. It seemed daft not to make use of it as it was right in the centre of Napier. And we got to make the most of the TV room and kitchen.

After having said earlier in the day how much wanted to watch a film we got back after the curry in time to watch Kill Bill 2. This was very entertaining and meant we didn’t have to spend the evening with the very loud and well oiled (with vodka) Argentinians that had taken residence in the kitchen.

As we’d been warned about the cold south westerly hitting Napier that evening, we knew it was wise to make use of the hot water bottle we’d been lent by Megan. I made a mental note at about 1am (when I gave up the struggle to Phil’s subconscious feet to keep the hot water bottle on my side) to get another one; in fact get two!
We were woken a couple of times early in the morning by some drunken Kiwi’s that thought it was a good idea to have a chat and a smoke outside their room, which we were parked outside of. Well, what could we expect, it was bank holiday weekend (they get a day off for the Queen’s birthday!). I wouldn’t have minded so much if they’d been having an interesting conversation!

Sunday 31st May

Sooooo COLD!
It was bitterly COLD. I miss my hair dryer. We wandered around Napier. There were some really cool shops. It seems they pride themselves in keeping everything as Art Deco as possible. Even the charity shops! It felt quite reassuring seeing things that you’d quite likely come across in the antique shop in Ramsbottom. A lot of the day was spent looking at thermal underwear, down jackets, slippers, hats. Anything that would have taken the goosebumps away. Only to decide (or should I say, Phil to decide) that everything was too expensive and we should put another layer on. I’m sure I already looked like Michelin Woman, but agreed.
As we wandered around Napier, we came across a Four Banks Crossroads, which reminded us of our time in Chorlton. We took the obligatory photos to record this incredible discovery.







We had a light bulb moment and we decided now was a good time to use our internet vouchers at Esquires coffee shop, which we have been saving up. Surely it would be warm in there?…….. Nope, they even had the door open! I have come to the conclusion that Kiwi’s have much thicker skin than us useless brits. One of the staff even had a short sleeve shirt on and shorts. Many emails, two hot chocolates and a peppermint tea later we decided to go to Pak n’ save, one of the big supermarkets here.
Never before have I been glad to go food shopping. Yes! It was warm in Pak n’ save and they sold hot water bottles, AND real ale in cans! Brilliant!

We spent the evening in a very busy kitchen with lots of different nationalities speaking at high volumes. It was a nice atmosphere. There was a point when the table of 8 Japanese people suddenly ran outside screaming. The rest of us looked around bewildered and then watched as they all filed back in as quickly as they had left. When asked, one of the girls explained they though it was snowing but they realised it was just ice from the sky and no snow - I still felt bewildered!

It was interesting sharing a kitchen with 8 Japanese people. They each cooked two different dishes then had a banquet all together. It looked lovely, but was a pain in the backside when anyone else needed a bowl though!

Phil and I are getting the hang of Gin Rummy and Cribbage. I didn’t like them at first as Phil could remember all of the rules and I kept forgetting them leaving me at a huge disadvantage. Much to Phil’s disappointment I have won the past 3 games. We had Pork Chilli soup for dinner it was delicious and warmed us both up.


Monday 1st June – “White Rabbit”

Rainy and cold again.
I had decided to get up early and skype my Mum and Becci. I did this in Esquires using more vouchers. It was easy for me to hear them as I plugged my head phones into the computer, but I think Mum and Becci found it a bit difficult to hear me over the Bee Gee’s and the Bangles playing on the TV in the background. I have noticed a distinct lack of new music. When people say it is like stepping back in time they are not just referring to the uncrowded roads and relaxed atmosphere. They are also referring to: Ace of Base, Bryan Adams, Dido, Norah Jones, Atomic Kitten, Alanis Morrisette, Annie Lennox.

We then decided to start looking for work of some description, rapidly realising it was not going to be that much fun in Peggy if it keeps getting colder.
There are a few websites advertising jobs, and we contacted a few potential employers. However, most of them were work in return for accommodation, and not many suitable for a couple. Then we spotted this one…

Notice:
Winter Ski Season Work
I'm looking for a couple to help run a small motel in Ohakune - next to Mt Ruapehu and the Turoa Ski resort. Accommodation is provided in exchange for work in reception and cleaning.
There is other part time work available in the town. Usually plenty of time for mid-week skiing, and I can help with a half price seasons ski pass. Couple must be reliable and available from 20 June until October.

We did some research on Ohakune and it seemed like a cool place to be for the winter season. It turns out that most of the North Islanders go there for their weekend skiing during the winter. We liked the sound of it so emailed Simon who had put the advert up to see what he had to say about the job.
The afternoon was followed by another film, The Dark Knight, another wander around Napier and then left over Pork Chilli soup…mmmmuummm!







Tuesday 2nd June

We were both getting a bit fed up of staying in the car park at Wally’s so made a decision to decide to make a decision! The decision being: lets go and fill in application forms at the local fruit picking/packing places. A few weeks solid work would have been perfect, followed by a job with accommodation. We headed to Hastings via the packing sheds. It brought back fond memories of my summer job at Humber Growers packing cucumbers! At least I could write “have experience” on the application form!

Hastings looked like NZ’s equivalent of Bury, just less charity shops. Although the public toilets were quite nice so maybe it’s not that bad really
We drove up the hills behind Hastings to eat our sarnies. You could see the mountains in the distance and the many vineyards in the surrounding area.

We decided to stay on a camp/motor site for the night, which was towards some cliffs where for most of the year there is a huge colony of Gannets. The campsite was full of old caravans with sheds added on to make them into small holiday homes. It was very refreshing to see such old vans. In the UK these days you are only allowed vans that are less than 20 years old, so you don’t get to see the cool 1950/60’s designs and colours. I am SO going back there to do a shoot!


The site was right next to a pebble beach so there were hundreds of good skimming stones. We had some fun skimming, though the tide was rapidly coming in so we had to be quick to get close enough to get the right angle and then run back out of the ocean’s reach. The campsite also had a kid’s playground with trampolines. We had some more fun on the trampolines!










It was an amazing sunset. We watched the very end of it and remembered all of the things we’d enjoyed that day, and reminded ourselves to be grateful.





Wednesday 3rd June

It was a beautiful day. The sky was bright blue, this was definitely a day for more decision making!

We made our way to Havelock North to use the library’s internet to check if any new jobs had been posted up. There hadn’t, but we did have an email from Simon - the man who had advertised the job in Ohakune. We did some research online to find out more about Simon’s motel and Ohakune. We liked what we read and decided to give him a ring. He suggested we went to meet him the following day. We agreed that this was a good idea, so had our sarnies and began the 300km journey to Ohakune.

There was one direct road, but it looked very windy and was unsealed so this wasn’t the best option, even though the other route (SH5) took us much further north than we needed to go. However, the scenery on SH5 was beautiful. We drove through the vineyards into the mountains towards the forest plantations near Taupo. We finally arrived at Taupo, which felt rather strange for me, as the last time I saw Lake Taupo it was from 12000ft and moving rather swiftly towards the earth. We got there in time for the pre-sunset light which was breathtaking. We wanted to stop and take it all in but we were aware of the length of the journey ahead, and the more of it we could do in daylight the better.



After a quick restock at the supermarket we carried on the journey (SH49). You could feel the temperature dropping as the sun disappeared and we started to climb into the mountains. Peggy’s lack of heating made the journey quite uncomfortable and cold. Gloves and blankets were called for. At least when you’re the driver you are sat on top of the engine which inevitably gets warm, so you’ve got a warm bum if nothing else. The road was long and windy but sealed so much less bumpy than previous long journeys. It took us about 5 hours in total, much longer than anticipated. But Peggy not only goes slow up hills, she has a bell that rings if you go above 100kph, so even if the opportunity does arise to go a bit faster, you are discouraged by the constant dinging of the bell!

We finally arrived at Ohakune, spotting the road where the motel is situated almost immediately. Ohakune is not very big - approximately 1500 people (it said on Wikepedia 1293 when the 2001 census was done) I am guestimating ☺. The local area is famed for its carrot growing. This is good because we both like carrots. It gets very dark at night here so maybe this will be helpful. There is even a huge orange sculpture of a carrot as you drive into town from the south.

On 1st impressions we were pleasantly surprised with the amount of amenities there seemed to be. Bakers, petrol station, chemist, post office, numerous bars, a liquor store, a small supermarket, a few clothes shops and more.

We made our way to the motel and had our dinner in Peggy and then waited for Simon to get back as agreed. When he arrived we went into the lounge/kitchen area, had a cuppa and chat. Simon is a canoeist spending all summer taking (or organising) people on trips along the Whanganui river and the Tongariro crossing. People are able to stay in one of the 6 self contained rooms before and after their trip. However, this means in winter (when the canoe trips are put on hold) the motel becomes redundant, which would seem a waste as it is the time that Ohakune comes alive. I get the impression that Simon has been renting the rooms out to skiers for the past few years. Simon lives in Matamata (not far from Megan Ince), which is about 3 hours away so it would be impossible for him to both see his family and run the motel. This is where we come in.


Thursday 4th June

It was another beautiful day, it was nice to see Mt Ruapehu in the distance. Ohakune comprises of 2 main roads in the shape of a T with smaller roads leading off. The stick of the T leads straight up to Mt Ruapehu, giving the town a sense of purpose. Mt Ruapehu is one of the worlds most active volcanos, we are assured we are far enough away not to come to any harm should it errupt. There are 'volcanocams' monitoring temperatures etc. at the summit so they should have ample warning!
Simon walked with us into Ohakune and took us to meet a few potential part time employers, the main places for jobs being café/bars and the supermarket. The pay for looking after the motel is accommodation and a ski pass, so we will need another job elsewhere to fill up our wallets. The slopes open on the 20th of June and it would seem that everyone is psyching up for then.

We spent the rest of the day walking around giving our names and phone number to anyone who seemed remotely interested! Now we just have to wait and see if anyone rings us. If we haven’t heard from anyone in a few days time, we’ll just have to go and remind them all that we’re still here!

Phil cooked Chilli con carne with (diced beef instead of minced beef) and it was very nice. It was also very exciting to be able to do garlic bread in the oven.


Friday 5th June

Rainy day…
Simon headed back to Matamata and we spent the day making the room we’ve been allocated more homely. The motel rooms were purpose-built on top of the row of garages that were previously on the plot of land. On the bottom floor there are still 2 of the garages along side the lounge/kitchen and office and laundry/drying room. The kitchen and lounge area is for us and guests to use. There are only fan heaters in this room so unless you are sat very close to one of them it still feels very cold. You could see our breath when we were watching TV the other night. Yes we have use of the TV! And we have Sky (well, 1 movie channel and 1 sport channel). Phil is disappointed that the football season has finished. I am too, slightly, but does this mean I like football or am I just craving a bit of normality?

There is a separate building with 3 rooms and a bathroom to the right of the main building. We’re staying in the end room with a view of Mt Ruapehu, and it’s breathtaking! We’ve moved things around and made it as homely as possible. There’s a cool 60’s style sofa, a table and chairs, gas heater, sink, kettle, and a bed, and the room seems positively massive compared to Peggy!




We went to the local club for a beer in the evening. It was like going to a bigger version of Ramsbottom Cricket Club, apart from the people were a bit more friendly! They have a big TV screen showing the news that you couldn’t quite hear. And lots of gambling machines (called Pokies), it was like been in Las Vegas! These are apparently very common in NZ - lots of people like to gamble. We chatted to the manager to find out if there was any work going (one way to get to know the locals), he politely took our numbers and had a chat. He mentioned they’re in the process of putting in screens for horse/dog racing. They also have 2 full size snooker tables, so I imagine Phil will end up being their best customer.


Saturday 5th June

Another rainy day.
Our 1st night in our new room was OK. My dreams are getting increasingly surreal, usually featuring one of yourselves. Phil likes the squashiness of the bed; I, on the other hand do not. Something will have to be done about this.

We were busily making breakfast in the kitchen when in bound a local girl dropping off flyers for the Mardi Gras that is taking place in a couple of weekends time. It felt very strange: no knock at the door, she just waltzed straight in! I can see I am going to have to remind myself about the A4 sign on the door that says ‘Reception’ and make sure I’m not eating my breakfast in my PJ’s!
We spent the rest of the day pottering and enjoying having the place to ourselves, catching up on washing and emails etc.

In the evening, we watched a famous NZ film called “Once Were Warriors”, which everyone always asked if we’d seen when we mentioned we were coming to NZ. It was very good and helped me to see some things from a different more Maori perspective. There were far too many adverts though. I am not exaggerating when I say the film would be back on for about 6 minutes sometimes and then go to another ad break. This usually comprised of exactly the same adverts that were on the last break. It makes even the most dreadful adverts in the UK look excellent. We decided that Phil would more than impress with his show reel. Time will tell eh!


Sunday 7th June – Today!

It’s a gorgeous day.
We got up and realised we didn’t have any lemons left for our morning drink, only to find that the lemons for sale at the super market are half lemon half orange and taste horrible! Oh well, I am sure we will find some true lemons somewhere. This may sound trivial to some people, but our early morning lemons are VERY important.

As it is such a lovely day we went for a wander to find The Carrot at the south entrance to the town. It is massive! We headed back to the motel via a short walking track. The town seems to be surrounded by little tracks, which I’m sure will prove good for early morning jogs. It feels very strange to know we are going to be here until October. We have become so accustomed to trying to see and do things quickly so that we can hit the road again.








For now I am enjoying the novel feeling of living inside again in the knowledge that summer will come one day and we can get back in Peggy and hit the road again. Until then our bank balance needs a bit of tlc and our skiing skills need updating.

By the way, we like it when you (dear reader) leave us a comment. It reminds us that you’re reading it and that means you must be thinking about us. We are missing you all. But we’re remembering to have FUN. Hope you do too. Lots of Love xxxxx

Just nipped back outside to take some more pictures....