new zealand: week two

My second week in New Zealand started off with a visit to friends Hudson and Hannah, the sparks that made this whole trip happen. They live in the Christchurch beach neighborhood of Sumner, way up on the hill so the view is incredible. See above photo—this is right outside their guest bedroom window! I spent an amazing few nights there with them, and they’ll be my home base throughout the trip. Great meals, convo and cribbage at home, and they took me on a day trip/hike to Castle Hill (ate a famous meat pie from the Sheffield Pie Shop en route) and out to the Te Matatini Kapa Haka Festival in the CBD (Central Business District as Kiwis call their downtowns).

I then spent a week WWOOFing (volunteer farming) on the Banks Peninsula in Gebbies Valley. My host family lives in a log cabin they built themselves and had all sorts of fun-by-my-definition tasks for me: herding the sheep (herd of 10) and llamas (herd of 7) around the paddocks, helping shear the sheep, digging up potatoes, helping renovate a caravan, removing an old fence, picking up pine cones, etc. The meals were amazing, and the company the best. I really got to learn some Kiwi culture and recipes, and loved the creativity, creative drive, and community/outdoors focus of this family. I plan to return after some of my travels! Their home and Gebbie the llama are pictured above, and me with the family and German WWOOFer Victoria (and cat Oracle in the basket) are below.

Anthony and Karen knew my love for their llamas so they arranged for me to visit Llama Lookout in neighboring Governors Bay. They bought their first llamas from Robyn, and her and her herd of 40 were mind-blowing to meet. Combined with the view—it was unreal! Robyn let me call them all down to the house from the hills, so I got to witness 40 llamas run down a mountainside toward me.

I went on a solo hike before I left Gebbies Valley to Sign of the Packhorse Hut. Was such a beautiful experience with tons of sheep along my way.

Back in Christchurch after WWOOFing, Anthony and Karen treated me to a tram ride tour around the city. It’s truly amazing how much was destroyed in the earthquake. Entire vacant plots of land exist right downtown, many buildings are still in ruin, and many are being built. The most moving sight was seeing the Cardboard Cathedral, a makeshift church constructed out of shipping containers, laminated wood and cardboard (pictured below). I also loved the style of the Re:Start mall, just loads of cute shops and eateries in shipping containers and food trucks.