All The Traffic Lights In Tokyo

The bars of signal on your phone drop from four to three to two to one to zero. No signal. The winding drive up the arm of the Marlborough Sounds can induce car-sickness in the even the most iron-clad of stomachs. But the paradise that lays beyond is worth it. The Queen Charlotte Track in the Marlborough Sounds.

Nestled in the heart of the Queen Charlotte Track, Punga Cove is a lavish resort that starts at the wharf and meanders up the hillside, paths snaking off to with luxury cabins hidden in the woodland.

Every day started with a walk down through the forest from my house on the hill to the boatshed bar on the wharf. I spent my day making coffees, talking to walkers passing through and taking time off to go swimming, fishing and growing and learning in ways only that type of seclusion can afford.

After one particularly great hazy evening filled with wine, myself and one of the chefs decided that the only fitting end to the taking the resort dingy into the darkness of the Sounds to really appreciate the tranquillity of the place. Ed, as mad as a box of frogs, would do anything for his friends, who ended up with a homemade tattoo on his toe courtesy of another staff member - but that's another story.

We headed out on the boat until the spotlight on the wharf became a distant dot. Shutting off the engine, we take in a few deep breaths and take a minute to be at peace with the silence. We joke that this would possibly be the most romantic date in history, thinking it couldn't get any better, when we hear an aquatic-sounding murmur in the distance. We look at each other, silent. The noise gets louder and louder until I saw a vision, a vision that will stay with me for years.

In the darkness, swimming around the boat, lit by the moonlight and highlighted by the phosphorescence in the water, dolphins. They circle and get closer and closer until they dive under the dingy. Like a wild-eyed child I lean over the side of the boat to see them swim just feet beneath us, perfectly silhouetted by the phosphorescence in the water.

As a job, it's going to be hard work to beat that Summer. Spending three months off the grid on a secluded holiday resort, growing, learning, but mostly having the type of fun and getting to share it with incredible people is something I'm not likely to forget.