First week in NZ (my fellow Americans: it's pronounced N Zed)

 Tom and I arrived in the Taranaki region of New Zealand almost a week ago.  Since then we’ve bought a van, came up with a plan, and met some really great people.  All the while we’ve been in constant awe of the scenery.

The van is a 1988 Mitsubishi L300 Cyclone. 

She’s a beauty.  It will take some getting used to, as it’s a 5 speed with the shifter on the column and doesn’t have power steering.  Driving on the left also makes it a bit tricky, but I reckon 2 years in England has me fairly well prepared.  The back door’s been replaced and is therefore a different shade of red, but I think it adds character.  I mentioned to Angela that maybe we should call her “Big Red” but apparently that’s another word for “period” to Aussies, so I changed my mind.  We’ll come up with a name eventually.  There was room for 11 when we bought it, but not anymore.  We’ve taken the back seats out and are converting it into a storage unit/kitchen/love shack on wheels. 

The plan is a good one. 

New Zealand is one of the only places in the world where you can park just about anywhere and camp for free.  When we see a good fishing spot or some nice surf we’ll park the van, catch some dinner or some waves, stay the night, wake up to a lovely view of the sea, and start again. 

Unfortunately, we also have to work.  I’m still hoping for a teaching job, so I’ll spend a fair bit of time stopping into schools and searching for positions online.  In the meantime, we’ll be finding as much seasonal work as possible.  There are quite a few vineyards and fruit orchards near Gisborne, as well as plenty of coastline, so we’re thinking of heading in that direction once we get the van sorted. 

The people and scenery here are amazing.

Everyone in New Zealand has been really lovely so far.  It’s a very chilled out place where people are friendly and keen to help out.  Tom’s friend John and his girlfriend Angela have been especially good to us since we’ve been here.  They’ve given us a room, loads of really nice food, great advice and the local’s tour of the area.  They’ve shown us fishing spots, surfing spots, and even drove us 3 hours to Hamilton to find our van.

John, Tom and Angela on our tour of their property

Their place is amazing.  It’s over six acres and comes complete with a stream running through it, three cows, three really cute pigs, a lemon tree, veg garden, four hens and a rooster.  Randy, the rooster, has a great set of feathers and an even better cock-a-doodle-do.  We woke up this morning, like every morning we’ve been here, to his call amongst a chorus of New Zealand sparrows, and cows mooing in the distance. 

Randy the Rooster

Randy, the veg garden, and Mount Taranaki

From John and Angela’s kitchen we have an impressive view of Mount Taranaki.  You can see it from just about anywhere in the Taranaki region, provided it’s not covered in clouds.  Our first day here we caught a glimpse of it, and then unknowingly drove along the base of it to John and Angela’s.  The next morning the clouds had cleared and we couldn’t believe such a massive volcano had been so close and we hadn’t noticed it.  It’s spectacular.  All of the scenery here is. 

The view from John and Angela's kitchen window

Tom

Just about everywhere we’ve been in the Taranaki region we’ve had a volcano to one side of us, and the sea on the other. The main road that goes between the two is called Surf Highway 45.  No joke.  It’s on all the road signs and maps.  Because it’s a relatively round peninsula, there’s always somewhere that is getting swell and sheltered, no matter where the wind is coming from.   As you drive around the peninsula, there seems to be millions of rivers and streams, wild white lilies, and punga trees (trees that look like giant ferns, with a trunk and shape similar to a palm tree).   

Another thing you see a lot of in Taranaki is cows.  Loads and loads of cows.  You know how everyone thinks New Zealand is full of sheep?  Not here.  Cows.  Lots of them.

I’m well impressed with John and Angela.  On top of taking care of all their animals multiple times per day, they also manage to be out planting a vegetable garden, burning bramble, fixing up the stream in their backyard, chopping wood, etc.  They also find time to live well.  They prepare and eat some really amazing food, drink nice wine, play board games, and enjoy the simple life.  I don’t think it’s mere coincidence that they don’t have tv or internet. 

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I love how nothing goes to waste in their house. The pigs eat everything, including tea bags, excessively rotten food, chicken carcasses, you name it, and all from a trough that they piss and shit in whilst they’re eating out of it. As you may have guessed, the pig shed smells awesome. A small part of me finds them completely revolting, but a much bigger part of me thinks they’re fantastic. They’re cute, they’re friendly, they eat all your food waste, and they’re delicious. One of them is missing the nose ring that keeps her from rooting up the garden. Tom will have to pin her down whilst John puts the ring through. Apparently she'll be squealing like crazy. I'll be cracking up, camera in hand.

Now off to work on the van...