february 25, 2009
this morning, the grapes welcomed me back, but in younger fashion. today’s was back at the same vineyard where i worked before the orchard but the task is training the young vines. we have to straighten them up, and tie them up to the wires, and rearrange the way they crawl, which is always going to the right (i work from right to left on my lane). an analogy given by the fijian supervisor this morning is that these vines are like children and they don’t know what they’re doing. we, as caretakers, would have to make sure they straighten up, and grow in the right manner. funny analogy, but to be honest, it was an easy relaxing job, which is really a sudden nice change from the chaotic and exhausting apple picking work. we get paid hourly, minimum wage of course at $13 an hour, a 30-minute unpaid lunch break, and 2 15-minute paid short breaks (1 in the morning, and another afternoon). work is boring, but listening to music helped a bit. arms could get sprains from untwisting and retwisting vines, and untying and retying knots, but still, this is nothing compared to the gruelling effort i had in picking apples. today, i almost finished 2 lanes of young vines (10 more meters left for my second lane). not really bad as i worked almost as fast as yoko, who never left the grapes.
although not really tired, i didn’t cook any meal for this dinner. just reheat some rice from the fridge, opened a can of sardines, and boiled a sweet corn for more carbo. lunch tomorrow i’ve yet to prepare, which probably would be just sandwich as we don’t have microwave in the vineyard (we do at the orchard).
today i paid my weeklyx rent in this hostel for the last time ($110/week), i’m leaving by the next weekend so will have to pay for each night starting thursday next week at $25 a night. this hostel has been my home for 2 months, and have met really nice people. i enjoyed my time here, and genuinely felt at home. 
february 26, 2009
second day back at the vineyard was the same work in the morning, i’m kind of enjoying training the young vines, and entangling the vine twists and putting them back in the right place. it is done hourly paid so i have all the time to solve the craziest tangles there is. after 2 hours of boring work (sometimes i even think i’m in trance!), the supervisor came and said we go to block 24 for harvesting.
between harvesting apples and grapes, i’m very much looking forward for the grapes because i’ve had a lot of other work in the vineyard apart from getting the fruits, as compared to the orchard where my involvement was nothing more than fruit picking itself. in the vineyard, i did leaf plucking, fruit thinning, rolling nets, clipping nets, and a bit of training the vines, so today was really good i had the chance to pick the fruit i have most worked for, and tasted as well. we picked green grapes to be used for white wines, and they are just so sweet, sugary sweet. however, they are really small compared to table grapes. unluckily, the boss was always around to be found so we were not able to sneak in a bunch for take home. 
i just had some taste while working.
we worked until 5.30pm, and since it’s thursday, it means take away night. we had fish and chips again, but next week will probably indian and it will be my last take away night with the group in hastings. after eating, i had shower, and some vanilla ice cream and hokey pokey cookies for dessert. then feeling stuffed, i’m too lazy to prepare tomorrow’s lunch, so ‘will probably have the leftover chips, some bread, and tuna, plus an apple.
i really really have to make a definite plan on my leaving by next weekend. i need to get final things for the hike, get a bus ticket outbound from hastings, and visit DOC (department of conservation) to check on the tongariro national park, because truth is, i don’t even know how to get to the place!
february 27, 2009
today’s work was back at training the young vines, so it was so boring i have nothing really to tell about. news is, there’s going to be some heavy raining tomorrow and saturday so it’s going to be a long weekend unexpectedly. i am really looking forward for work as these remaining few days are my last chances on getting extra cash. 2 days of supposedly work days were gone, that i have only remaining 5 days of work in the vineyard. today was yoko’s last day at work in hastings, and she’ll be leaving tomorrow. now, there’s no more japanese in the house, it had as much as 4 japanese girls at the same time. the biggest population around still has to be the ubiquitous germans, followed by the swedish.
if the weather is not really that bad tomorrow, i might go again to napier, or do my laundry, or plan on my leaving. i have to book bus going to taupo for next week, and right now, i’m still having a mental struggle if i should do skydive or not. we will see to that…
for those of you from the philippines who thought of wanting a slight change in living for a few months (alright, just like what i’m doing!!), read on!
the visa i have at the moment is work to residence visa (WTR), and the reason why i got this is because the much-easier-to-get working holiday visa (WHV) is not applicable to philippine residents, and citizens of other nations. WHV is the most common visa of backpackers and seasonal workers around here. only citizens of few countries can get this, and there is almost nothing to pay or wait for it. it usually allows the bearer to work and travel in nz for a year. in comparison, WTR , usually, is a long wait to get, and costly too. however, the good thing about it is that you are a big step ahead on getting new zealand residency.
now, i had a roomate from turkey, gokce, and i found out from him that there’s another way of getting down here apart from WTR for those people who are NOT applicable on the WHV scheme, and this is by getting to kiwiland on visitor’s pass, and then getting TRSE visa (can be obtained very easily) from PickNZ. TRSE visa then will allow you to work for selected seasonal jobs that are TRSE-accredited. if i’m not wrong, getting a visitor’s visa from the philippines is free of charge so that is even better!
believe me, there’s so much travelers here arriving with so little money that they work first in farms, and then after saving enough money, continue on travelling. most of the people even don’t have return ticket back home that they even had to earn for it! (like me for example)
the promo closed a few days ago, february 15, 2009, and it is with deepest regret that i announce there is no winner. nobody was able to guess the perfect combination which is (from left to right): Korean (Lucio), Japanese (Nao), Japanese (Kayo), and Chinese (Horae).
watch out for the next contest soon!
P.S.
thanks to everyone who joined the promo nonetheless! nave, renco, jong, pao, lyelle, einah, and glai!
realizing that vineyard put in more weight in my bank account, today was my last day with the apples. my last 2 days at the orchard were not so bad after having 3,040 kilos in total, which gives around $190 after taxes. i’m going to join helen and yoko with the grapes again for tomorrow, and i hope to get more money for the few days i still have left in hastings. i’m thinking of continuing my travel by the first weekend of march. still going north, i have decided to do the tongariro circuit, a 4 to 5-day hike near turinga, south of taupo, and from there continue north to auckland.
however, i still have to get things for the hike, and a hiking boots is on my top list (expensive too). i have to get sleeping mat and poncho as well. i’ve emailed HR of the previous company i was working for back home to check on my last pay, and i guess it is still under processing (currently after 2 months now!). i just don’t get it why people can’t get their last pay as immediate as possible. i worked for it, and i should get paid for it not too long after leaving the company. it just doesn’t make any sense that the final thing holding an employee and the corporation tied is the minuscule amount of money that the giant moneymaker owes the entrapped middle-class.
i.ph’s downtime has been longer than expected so i’m still typing these from a textpad. i normally work on saturday, but i have 2-day rest period this weekend as the apples are not yet ready to be picked (needless to say, i’m ever ready to pick them). the sky was so clear today that it was too different from the murky atmosphere yesterday. nothing really special today apart from having been to the center to use some internet because it is cheaper there at $3 an hour. then going back, passed by pack and save to get some condensed milk. kayo is leaving this coming tuesday and she was asking me about the yema. so, ‘cooked another one today.
one major comment i get from people reading this blog is that it is lengthy. i’m not trying to say things more than what is needed, but pardon me for the prolixity in any case. if you know me well, i am a really talkative person and since it’s a shame i can’t talk to everyone at the moment, i’m doing my storytellings here.
tonight is party night at havelock north. i haven’t been there but i heard partying there is not bad. for practicality sake, we will be drinking a couple here in the hostel and then continue getting intoxicated in bars.
on other things, i am also proud to announce that i’ve finished reading the first decent read (i’ve been only reading lonely planet and rough guides in a while) i had since landing in new zealand, and it was J.R.R. Tolkien’s (the lord of the rings, the hobbit) “Children of Hurin”. i also watch films during free time (in case you are wondering what i do when i’m out of touch with the apples or grapes), and the most enjoyable film i had recently is “Amelie”, a french movie. it was so brilliant, with story line so simple yet the way it was presented is outstanding. i recommend watching this film if you could get a copy. my copy came from gokce (of turkey), a movie-buff/backpacker with a whole portable harddisk dedicated for his films. i copied several films from him, so that would be good to kill some lazy times.
that’s it for now, later!
the bad news: we finished too early today as the rain was too much for the apples to bear picking. the good news: today, i had the greatest apple i’ve ever eaten in my entire life. it was perfectly red, moist and juicy, and crispy, and wet, and sweet, and soft in texture. i don’t normally finish apples in my life as i don’t like the innards of an apple fruit with the core and the seeds, so mostly likely, i end up eating my apple like this shape -> )( . however, this apple was different i almost ate even the seeds, and the short stem clinging on its crown! it was my own kind of super apple!
earlier today, we’ve been actually thinking if there will be work or not as the overcasting cloud was so thick and it has been raining for quite a while. kelly, our boss picks us up daily at half past seven in the morning, and today he arrived about 15 minutes late. as much as we wanted not to work today as the misty and gloomy mood make us feel lazy, we can’t reason enough that we needed money as well. so, i was confusely happy and sad to see when kelly’s truck came. at the orchard, i finished my bin yesterday so had to start a new bin. about half way on my first bin, dylan (the tractor who moves our bin from time to time) said i just need to finish one bin and that’s it for today. apparently, the rain will continue for the whole day and it’s not good for the apples to pick when wet and soaked. they bruise more easily, and rot. after 2 hours of picking and climbing up and down the ladder, i finished my bin and went back to the shed, waited for a while and headed back to the hostel.
kayo and the others from the vineyard (where i worked before orchard) were back already as they can’t work as well. we were planning to go to napier tomorrow, saturday, for some shopping and look around what’s going on for the art deco week. napier is the biggest city in the hawke’s bay region, and if i’m not wrong hastings is second. though napier is just some 20 kilometers north of hastings, i haven’t been to the area before, so today being early out at work is not bad after all as kayo and myself went to the center. however, the rain got stronger on our way and most people here in new zealand probably didn’t know that a device to keep you from getting wet, called umbrella, exists. i, for one, don’t have an umbrella, but wore a hooded jacket and ran aimlessly from shops to shops looking for a bargain backpack. the biggest and cheapest i found is a vauer assymetric 70 liters valued at $230. i got a sleeping bag (wayfarer, 50% of from kathmandu) at $80, and a shirt for $25 too. having spent more than $300 today, i have to earn them back from the apples or grapes next week. i’m thinking of going back to the vineyard next week as doing the apple work is so exhausting for me, and the money is not as good as working with the grapes i guess.
to say something about the town, napier, i find the center really classy and full of character. the buildings, like hastings, are remnants of art deco buildings. the city undergone total reconstruction after the destructive 1931 earthquake, building the infrastractures more quake-resistant and in style. shops are scattered along main streets, and it was art deco festival, a 1-week long celebration where many people dress up in old-fashioned clothes, and cars of old ages sprung and lined the streets. the old cars are impressive, even with current warrant of fitness! (a kind of vehicle license here). for a while, the vicinity feels and looks like having gone back in time. we were in napier just for a couple of hours as we have to catch the bus going to hastings at half-past 5. not having seen much apart from the shops, and marine parade boulevard, i might go back next time, and ‘will complete some more shopping before leaving hastings.
more pics -> napier
time really runs that i’ve been out of the philippines for 2 months. i’m also beginning to think that my stint in the agriculture and farming sector is becoming enough, though i don’t have definite date when i’ll leave hastings, nor i know where i’ll head next.
anywho, these are some pics with friends days before heading down to kiwiland –> here. *special thanks to lanie for some of the pics*
i’m not sure either if i have enough money to continue on travelling, as though working here in hastings has substantially maintained my bank figures, basic cost of living in this country is as high at it could ever get. sometimes, i think it is even higher than hong kong. say for example an eggplant, i saw in the grocery the other day its $4.99 a piece, or 140 pesos! could you imagine!!
i also spent a couple of dollars last saturday to buy a few things. actually, i need to buy a lot of things. a good bigger backpack to begin with. the only backpack i’m using at the moment is a plasma 30, and 30 liters isn’t just enough for everything, that i have another big shoulder bag (borrowed from my sister). however, the shoulder bag strap detached on my way to here from wellington, so it’s a bit hard to carry it. i also need a hiking boots, i’m thinking of doing this walk in tongariro national park (in turangi). with that adventure, i would need a good sleeping bag, and a portable stove too. plus, a poncho, flashlight, and other outdoor gears. well, i’m not really certain for now if i’ll do the hike. what i got last saturday for shopping was a hat for work (i lost my baseball cap) to protect a bit against the sun. it’s this hat type with all the hood around, so a bit strange as i’m not used to wearing this kind, and a sunshades i initially intend to use at work as well, but find $30 too expensive to wear in a work so rough. i bought a new pair of earphones too (for $20) as my last one, i stupidly cut off the wires when i was fruit thinning in the vineyard.
about work, i’m sure an apple monster took over the orchard last weekend and ate all of the fruits. there’s just not much apples to be picked that i did a pity 2 and a half bins today (950 kilos, breaking my normal > 1,000 kilos a day). often, i had to get up the ladder and pick one single apple, and sometimes, it even slips my hand!!
my lane is bad, no apples!
min rad var dalig, inga applen!
meine reile war nicht gut, fast keine apfel!
watashi no retu niha, ringo ga arimasen!
minun rivo on huono, ei omenoita!
ang linya ko ay hindi maganda, walang mansanas!
that’s the total weight of apples i picked, carried, and transferred to bins on my first week (6-day work) in the orchard. i tell you this is a seriously horrible job. now, i miss working in the vineyard with all its boredom. like i mentioned, a bin is about 380 kilos, and each bin is paid depending on the apple type, ranging from $30-35 a bin, so minimum wage could be achieved by getting atleast 3 bins a day.
it never occured to me that picking apples could be this complicated. first, you rely heavily on how good your orchard row is. apple trees are planted in rows and i pick apples by moving along my designated lane, picking apples from trees on my left and right side. i don’t pick all around the apple tree as the other half belongs to the next lane. i only pick on the side of the tree that is facing my lane (alright, hope you get the picture). now, if my lane is very good, meaning full of red apples that i don’t care at all which apples to pick, i just ransack along the row and then i can definitely make money fast. second, the job is apple picking. so, we only pick apples that are ready. this is easily determined by the apple color, which has to be red in color of course. of all the human senses, i’m pretty sure my vision is of excellence…not until now. i’m starting to believe i’m suffering from color blindness. looking at the red and yellow blotches for hours, by the last few hours of the day, i couldn’t be totally sure if i’m picking the right color or not! third, picking the apple has to be done in a proper way, and that is not by pulling them. the way is to grasp the apple with one hand, and just with enough pressure on your index and thumb, gently twist the apple and it should come off. the reason for this is to minimize bruising in apples, not pluck leaves and break branches, and retain that short stem on top of the apple. i’ve learned that when people buy apples, they usually prefer pieces with the short stem intact on top of it (that’s a trivia!). however, i saw fabian picking his apples by moving them in upward motion, i might try that technique..fourth, the ladder works. getting the ladder stand in just the right position and perfect angle to get the more apples is a technique that can be learned for days, or weeks even. the apple tree is not as high as a mango tree (like i originally thought). it is much smaller that you can’t build a tree house on top of it. picking is done at the bottom and top, where we make use of the ladder. in the orchard, there are 2 types of ladder. one is heavy, and the other a bit lighter. luckily, i was using the lighter one last week, so it was easier to carry it around. fifth, apples has to be tranferred from the smaller bucket (we carry around picking apples) to the bins in a manner so carefully that no sound must be produced (well, technically only when the boss is around!).
and so, by fate if all the good fortune befall. having an extremely excellent lane, mastering the technique of picking the fruit, having a clear vision with no color blindness, getting the best ladder there is, and to add the perfect weather that is not too hot or raining, plus most important of all, the supervisor not hanging around, bugging at your lane always, only then i can get to make more than 4 bins i guess! (my best day was picking 4 bins, that is 1,520 kgs)
also, the apple tree is the most fragile tree i’ve ever known. the branches just break so easily. it is never a good practice to depend on its branches when standing high up the ladder and leaning on to get a single piece of beautiful apple. i always remember not to risk my life for such one single fruit. many have fallen from the very top of the ladder. a vanuatuan co-worker, just working on the lane beside me has fallen from last week and as he fell, he grabbed the main tree cutting it perfectly into two. now, the apple tree is half its size. the day before that, francisco, a chilean backpacker lost his balance and fell from the top of the ladder too. he was quickly able to grab a branch with one hand, and the other one to save his bucket of apples from falling! he even cared for his apples! i had quite a few close encounters to falling down the ladder, but good i always get my balance right. haha. *knocks on wood*
i know i haven’t had any updates in awhile, the main reason being so much tired after work starting last monday. i bid farewell to the grapes since last week and embraced apples with ever enthusiasm as i always thought picking apples is definitely easier than working in the vineyard. however, i was wrong. it was even horrible. not that i’m complaining, my friend, what i’m doing and where i am right now is something i chose and have no regrets whatsoever. i’m still enjoying everyday life and the very simple idiosyncrasies of how i get by each and every day have been so rewarding in my own opinion.
so, today was payday from vineyard work done last week, and the last money i snatched out of grapes. this is how seasonal work goes here. work first, then pay. you work for a week, and you get your pay next week. i got $452.10 after taxes, or $552.82 before taxes, so apparently, tax is not minimal here as well. it was really not bad for having worked 4 days as last friday was a holiday here.
since i got some pay, we decided to eat out again. we had dominos pizza as well as fish and chips the previous payday and we were meaning on trying indian food for today. however, it was a lot more expensive than we thought, so settled on fish and chips again. helen, reena (of finland), fabian (of germany), and myself bought some takeaways from hawke’s bay fish, which is a very nice and inexpensive fish and chips shops several blocks away from the hostel. it was drizzling when we left the hostel but one thing i noticed here in nz is that they don’t make much use of umbrellas. even when it’s raining hard, people will just go walk under the showers unminding getting wet. back at the hostel, looking forward for a sumptuous meal of fish and wedges, i found in dismay that they gave me the wrong order! instead of fish and wedges, they packed wedges and chips instead! what would i do with 2 dishes of potatoes!! i ran my way back to the shop it was then a downpour. the attendant was nice apologizing about the mistake and they gave me a snapper instead! one of their finest catch of the day! it was even bigger than the normal fish (the one i was suppose to have) so i cut it into 2 and put the other half in my lunchbox and that makes fixed my lunchbox for tomorrow, plus some wedges. running like a maniac drenched under the rain paid off i guess.
back to the apples, it was my 4th day today having started last monday. kelly, the supervisor, is nice showing how things are done, but sometimes i just don’t get him as you never could do anything perfectly right. if i’m not picking too green apples, i’m leaving a lot of red apples to be picked behind in my lane or plucking leaves and branches unnecessarily. working and getting paid by picking apples in the orchard sounds definitely cool, and even suggests a pleasant way of earning money, but you have to believe me it’s not as easy as it sounds. yes, i can eat apple as many as i want (an additional benefit apart from the money compensation), and i eat lunch under the shade of apple tree (how idyllic is that?!?), but i also pick more than a ton of apples each day, and i refer to that ton as in the unit of weight measurement. on my first day alone, which was last monday, i filled in 2 and a half bin. a bin is a monster wooden case where we put all apples we picked using a small bucket (could hold probably around 10 kilos) strapped in front (like how you do a reverse backpack). a single bin has room for about 380 kilos, so that gives 950 kilos of apples on my initial encounter with the fruit. second day was bit better with 3 bins, as well as on my third day. today was my record having finished 3 and a halffuls bin, which is 1,330 kilos! you could only imagine how fast i picked, frantically moving from one tree to another.
it’s getting late now, although i would really love to write more about what’s going on as there’s so much apple tales i have to tell i better end this for now as work is early tomorrow. just wanted to make a quick post today to say everything is going alright with the short time i’ve been quiet.
until next time!
some pics from the vineyard:
my alcohol (not for drink!), one of the things i learned from my mom. often times, she has a small bottle of alcohol for cleaning the hands when dining out, and as working in fields, i find myself eating lunch in between vineyard lanes, or small trees to get some shade.
my shade under the sun. some days here could be really really hot, and i mean, it’s burning hot that the sun literally burn your skin in under 2 minutes!
a couple of weeks ago after a tiring day at the vineyard, i don’t have enough strength left to cook my meal so i just bought some fish and chips take away a couple of blocks from the hostel.
while i was patiently waiting for my order to come, there was this boy who walked towards a game machine in the shop. it is a very common game machine, you probably know it, an enclosed transparent box loaded with toys inside where you control a 3-tooth hook device to catch the prize. usually, heaps of colorful stuffed toys jumbled and imprisoned, alive as if teasing unguarded kids to play. the lights on the machine were colorful, vibrantly blinking. unequivocally pleasing.
if my memories served me right, i haven’t played this thing but something really tells me that winning is improbable. so in my mind, i was telling him, “hey kid, no. don’t do it. you’ll just lose your money. you’ll never get that toy. get yourself something else, like candy perhaps. something sure”. but reacting as if completely ignoring me, he inserted a coin and started to play. in just a few seconds, he got what he wanted. his precious reward. a small toy so simple, it could have cost the same amount as the coin he used to play, yet he looked at it in total delightfulness.
he looked at me for a second and walked out of the shop with the biggest grin i have ever seen. you can see the genuine hapiness in his eyes. it speaks of satisfaction, of fulfilment, reminding me that you can really get want you want. sometimes, it just takes a little more faith.
Hallo ´ti! Wie geht es Dir?! Mukhang laking project nyan ha? means laki kita! Goodluck! I am proud of you… keep it up!
goodluck jeremy!
saludo ako sa yo master
Jeremy and his last 2 days at the casino.
hi shiela! salamat sa pag-bisita! maybe life on a backpack, backpack gamit ko eh, hehe.
hello, je! musta na? just hang in there.. you can write a book abt the life on a suitcase..
thanks for dropping by!
Hey! Jere don’t give up…
hi ramil, i know it’s really sad, but each of us is different..just hang in there! you’ll know when to give up. haha “)
thanks carmi, will see you soon i guess!!
Jere!! I like that “Im not frightened because whats ahead of us will be better!! AJA!!!! AJA!!!
I feel for you bro… i am in the same predicament… hope we can have a cup of coffee before you leave…
Jeremy is workaholic = needs money.
Jeremy believes it’s going to be easier.
thanks!
belated happy birthday je~! ^___^
Haberday Je!!! Wala na ako kasabay mag bday
haberday!
mabuhay ka master!!!
pakshet sabi na nga ba yan ung ninong kong koreano e…HARHAR
