Oceania → Australasia → New Zealand → Hawke’s Bay → Waipawa
jan 05, 2009
your intrepid traveller is now an official farmer. i decided to do the volunteer, WWOOF thing, as i get the experience to work in the farm without using an IRD. meals and accommodation are provided. well, i’m not really sure if i should be bothered by that IRD issue at all as i’m thinking of heading to the next farm in hastings after this volunteer. i got here today in taurimu farms in waipawa, central hawkes bay. wireless internet access is not possible as i’m in the middle of a farm..and mobile signal is even limited, i’m only having one bar and that is when i’m outdoor, or when i leave the mobile on the window sill. so, i’m actually just typing this entry in a textpad, and would probably be posting it once i get back to civilization.
the trip from wellington to waipawa took a bit more than 4 hours with stopover in palmerston north (the same as when i went to hastings). after getting off the bus in waipawa, i headed quick to new world (famous grocery here) to get some things like laundry powder, and some food. the farm i’ll be working is a bit off the closest town, and margaret, the owner of the farm, runs to the town only once a week.
right now, i’m actually staying in a quarter in a barn. well, i don’t really sleep with horses and chickens but my room has enough hay on the floor to make me realize i’m indeed in a farm. today’s work at around 4ish in the afternoon was feeding the animals, and it’s amazingly tiring! imagine preparing food for gazzilions of chickens, several pigs, horses, and cattles. it is not a fun thing to do as you’ve probably imagine or as i originally thought. we moved some chickens as well, collected and boxed some eggs for delivery. there were about 6 bucketfuls of mixtures to be dispensed to various animals that we used a motorized trailer (margaret drives, i hop on the trailer) to get up and down the hilly farm.
and these gluttony-stricken animals have to be fed twice a day!! i came here after lunch so only had to endure the task once today..but tomorrow we’ll have the first round early like 8ish in the morning, and again at 4.30 in the afternoon.
by the way, something weird really happened just moments ago. my mouse suddenly stopped working since yesterday, and a bit bored, i thought of playing dota. however, with laptop’s mouse pad, that would be almost impossible to enjoy the game, let alone finish the game. i tried plugging in my mouse, and unsurprised, it’s still not working. i just had a silent wish that it would work, bang it lightly on the floor, and plugged it again, then, flickering red lights started to flash (well, it’s an optical mouse), it is working once again!! haha. thanks.
jan 06, 2009
only my second day at the farm, yet i fully realize how hard the task is. to add that margaret is a very irritable, old granny, i almost wanted to quit. the thing is, the bitch goes to town only once a week, and i’m not sure if i can walk my way down to town, or probably get a hitch. i don’t know for now, probably i’ll quit after making use of her washing machine hehe. she reminds me of my auntie, hehe, really really wicked!!
this morning was feeding and giving fresh water to the chickens. only the chicken around the barn though, so that really helped a lot as the feeding during the afternoon from yesterday was really massive! mucking out horses dung is something i really don’t enjoy much, and horses are the most inefficient animal i know. they just produce waste too much! then, onto backyard to do some weeding and clearing out. in the afternoon, it’s sweeping the very untidy barn, and feeding all the animals again. when we were up the hill for the pigs and horses, lawrence forgot to unplug the electric fence, and come mighty margaret’s arms touched the fence when she threw the food to the horses, she exclaimed, “oh jesus!!”. from her reaction, i could see it must be a strong jolt. i’m truly happy for her. it took more effort than clearing the weeds to hide my utmost bliss.
jan 07, 2009
third day at the farm started with watering the plant at half past 8 in the morning. as usual, i had another argument with margaret, as she asked me to water a seedling and she simply pointed at somewhere near the bushes. i went there to find it, and she was saying, “can you see it?”, i said, “no”, and she asked me again if i can see it. i did not answer immediately as i was still trying to find it. then she comes, and shove off the dry tall grass in front of the seedling! it was so small and hidden that i’m pretty sure with the very sharp vision that i have, everyone (except from the bitch!) will not see it!! “there it is!”, she said, i told her “nobody could find that plant, it’s hidden!”. she answered “i was asking you if you see it, and you won’t answer!”. her tone was really demanding, and i said, “well i was trying to find it first that’s why!”. she said, “i don’t want to be answered that way!”.
you can’t simply win an argument with her. it took a bloody vigorous amount of patience not to answer her back as first, i live in her place, in her big farm surrounded by electric wire fences. second, nobody knows exactly where i am and if anything happens i may need assistance, and third, she cooks our meals everday. that final reason would be enough.
done some weeding again, cleaned another room full of hay. prepared food for the chickens, pigs, and horses, and did my laundry. today was the first time i did my laundry since leaving home (18th of dec), and now i realize how important it is to be more economic, and sparingly use clothes. honestly, i used the same and only jeans! haha. i left my gigantic luggage, and a backpack at tita ning’s place, the filipino family i stayed with during the first 2 nights in wellington, and travel a bit lightly with a backpack and a big shoulder bag.
at dinner i told her i’m leaving the next day, and she said she won’t be going to town as tomorrow would be a very busy day for her and asked how am i going to town (as if she cares enough! the biatch!). i said that i’m going to find my way. there’s lot lot of other things we’ve had arguments but i don’t want to waste my time and this blog’s space about it. but please remember the name, MARGARET FULLERTON-SMITH of Taurimu Farms. should you find yourself backpacking near hawkes bay, don’t ever try to work for her! it’s not a farmstay, it’s more of a witch’s lair!
P.S.
as you can see, what i do during my pasttime.
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