Part 2: Flying High Over Hippy Heaven

IT WAS MOSTLY a stationary week. I stayed and helped out Jan and Barry, the people I had already known from Alaska, for nine days.
I did so many different tasks: shovel horse manure, help build things with power tools, help fix a 4 wheeler, weed the garden, pick a million plums, help Barry calibrate his new gun, help cook, do lots of dishes and more.

On the beach in Motueka

Then as a result of my curiosity I did other things. Really fun things. Barry showed me the airplane he built. On each side of it there are painted genies and the plane is registered as "YAY". We flew over the town of Motueka and along the coastline.

Barry and his plane

Flying over Motueka

Aviva the co-pilot

Driving from their property into town I would see thousands of sheep, but of course that should have been no surprise. I also would see so many orchards and farms with peaches and apples and oranges and plums and kiwi fruit and sweet corn and greens... Because almost everything can grow in Motueka's mostly warm, occasionally rainy climate.

Now I'm in Barrytown on the west coast of New Zealand's South Island. I drove here with Jan and last night we had supper with her friends who have mini horse, parrots and teach a knife making workshop to tourists.  

And today I go off by myself. I was planning on wwoofing with this person who had a glass blowing studio but it turned out when I talked to him the glassblowing was out of service and in truth I didn't get a good feeling. So right before I was going to call the guy back I received an email from him saying it wouldn't work out on his end. Strange how the universe works.

Tonight I am going to stay in a hostel in Punakaiki and I'm planning on meeting people like travelers do. Okay, I'm a bit nervous. I'll be completely on my own with all the responsibility and a backpack.

Listen to part 2 of Aviva's audio blog below as she recounts the week's adventures and introduces us to Barry.