Mill
Creek Rd., which is where I was headed, was very rocky and bumpy, and he seemed
to enjoy driving through the rocks. He dropped me off right in front of the
property. After eight rides and several hours, I was at my destination. It was
raining, so I had to put my bags in a dry area. I didn’t see anyone at first,
so I put my bags in a little outhouse, and then walked up the hill. There, I
saw their house. I walked all the way up, bags in hand, and they greeted me at
the door. There is no electricity, and I can’t even charge my computer because
all the power they have is on car batteries. They offered me some mashed
potatoes and baked beans for dinner; both very good. Nikki showed me around the
house. They have a pretty nice place. Nikki travelled around the world last
year and they said their last house burnt down while they were away. This is
the real New Zealand! I’m at a place where almost no tourists ever go. Nikki
and her family drink milk that isn’t pasteurized. Pasteurization kills all the
essential nutrients in milk, so raw milk has a lot of benefits. It was dark
out, and my laptop battery died because I couldn’t charge it. I played a game
of chess with Bill, Steve’s friend’s son. Steve is the father, and Nikki, Elly,
and Sheree are his children. Nikki is 22 and works at a day-care centre, and
Elly is studying film in Invercargill. There is a girl named Maria from Spain
also staying here. They were watching a movie, and I made a cup of tea and then
washed up to lie down. Since the gas is limited, Steve instructed me to boil
only enough water for me (or whoever wants a cuppa), otherwise it’s a waste of
gas. The sky had cleared, and I could see millions and millions of stars! This
reminds me of living in Arizona, only there is absolutely nothing around here
(other than cattle, sheep, and green pastures). By the light of the stars I
soon feel asleep.
It was
day #37 in New Zealand. Today I woke up at 8:30 and it had stopped raining. I
washed up and then made my morning tea. I’m hooked on the red bush tea. Since
the skies were grey the water wasn’t hot enough for a shower. Nikki had already
left for work and Steve had walked down to milk the cows. Lance asked me if I
wanted to ride Zina, the horse. They have no saddle, so bareback is the only
option. I put on my hiking boots and walked down to the gate. Zina was feasting
on the abundant grass. Lance met me there and tried for like 20 minutes to get
the bridle on. As I climbed up onto the horse I ripped my shorts. This was only
my second time riding a horse and the first time riding bareback. We went up
the hill to the house and I got off to let Lance have a got at it. Flo made
some pancakes and I had a few. He also heated up some of the lentil stew that I
made last night. That came out really good! After filling myself up and having
a hot cuppa, I went looking for Lance. Zina was near a shed close to the
highest point of the property, but I didn’t see Lance anywhere. Zina just kept
munching on the fresh green grass when I tried to ride her. Anyways I walked
back down to the house. I wanted to call Teressa but it’s a huge hassle trying
to recharge phone cards. I had to call back later. I lay down for a few minutes
researching what to do and where to go on the South Island. Lance came back at
about noon and offered to take me possum hunting. We made lentil stew for
lunch; he likes to put soy sauce in his. First, we had to go down to another
farm and pick up another horse. Steve fixed up a bicycle so we could have that
and Zina. Lance, Sheree and I set out. As I was going down the hill on Zina’s
back, I got nervous because I lurched forward. Sheree then took the reins. We
walked into the shed and got an extra bridle. I then wanted another go at
riding Zina. This time I was more confident. She ran and I had Sheree take a
photo. A few minutes later I got off and then Sheree rode her. As we passed
heaps of sheep and cattle, I rode the bike through the dirt and gravel with all
my heart. At one point I went straight through a raging stream and then waited
for Lance and Sheree to catch up. After going about 3 km we were coming around
a corner, and all of a sudden a stallion jumped over the fence and ran toward
Zina. The two horses were fighting, presumably as a courtship ritual. It was a
pretty violent fight and the stallion had skinned one of his legs. We had to
get out of the way or otherwise we’d probably get trampled. I’m not a horse
enthusiast but it was a great display of animal behaviour. Sheree said she
hopes Zina gets pregnant because they had to pay $200 last time so she could
have a foal. I’m going to be checking later in my travels to see if she’s
having a baby. They spent like an hour trying to separate the horses. I was
having fun busting up old cars. Sheree decided to leave Zina and leave a note
for the owner of the stallion. I hopped on the bike and decided to make my way
back. I went through that stream again and all the way back to the farm. I made
a cup of tea and then called Teressa. This guy simply will not leave her alone!
We talked for awhile and I told her how much I love her. She had to go because
Olivia was calling so I told her I’d call back. I heated up some lentil stew;
it’s kind of like an Ethiopian dish I’ve had. Tonight I wanted to make
something sweet, like a cake. Steve showed me a recipe for chocolate cake that
he says is really good. We had everything we needed so I got to it straight away.
Sheree helped me out a bit because the recipe was a little confusing. After
putting it in the oven I called Teressa back to say goodnight. She’ll always be
my love. While the cake was baking I played chess with David; a man from
Invercargill who came while I was gone. Sheree and Lance (like two hours after
I got back) showed up and they brought Zina back. I’m not sure how they were
able to get her away from that stallion. We didn’t have enough time to go
possum hunting, and it started to pour down rain. It’s helpful because Steve
planted some avocado trees the other day. The cake took over an hour to bake
because the oven is so slow. Before that I had some porridge. That too is yummy
delicious! In all, today was a great day and I really got a first-hand experience
of country life. The cake turned out really well! For awhile we just sat and
chatted and let out some laughs. I was thinking to leave on the 10th
but I might stay until the 12th or 13th because it is so
nice here. David told me that he climbed Mt. Taranaki and that it’s amazing.
After everyone was starting to file out, David and I had a chess rematch. He
really brought his A-game this time and had an answer to just about all of my
strategies, but I won at the end. Nikki even said it was the quietest I’ve ever
been. I had one more cuppa before washing up to lie down. It’s raining and I
love hearing the rain as I drift to sleep.
Today
was an outrageously adventurous day in New Zealand. I woke up at 7:30 and
washed up. Steve and Nikki were having their morning cuppa so I decided to have
one too. Nikki left for work and Steve went to milk the cows. The sun shone
briefly but then we got some rain again. Heaps of rain can be a real hassle
sometimes but that’s why New Zealand is so green and beautiful. Lance promised
to take me possum hunting today. Steve was wondering what was going through my
mind yesterday when I was smashing up the old cars, but I was just having fun.
They didn’t belong to anyone, so no worries. The sun came out and I was hoping
it’d be out long enough to have a shower. I made a peanut butter sandwich and
another cup of tea and then waited while Lance checked the possum traps. Steve
sells the fur for about $100 a kilo, and it takes anywhere from 15-20 possums
to get that much. The other day I was hearing a bird that I thought was a
quail; David told me they were introduced and that it in fact is a quail. There
were no possums in the traps. Lance, David, and I started our trek up into the
hills. It started to rain again, but some trees were there to stand under.
Steve asked us to bring some cows down through the gate, but they ran off.
Samson was with us and we began our possum hunt. We had to go through this
dense, prickly plant called gorse. David went down another trail and we
continued on. Samson started barking loudly and there was a possum high up in
the tree. We tried to throw rocks and sticks at it to knock it out of the tree,
to no avail. Lance tried to boost me up into the tree because the nearest
branch was about three metres off the ground. That didn’t work out and I got
nervous and basically had to ride his back to get down. I then boosted him up
into the tree, but the possum was too high. We thought we’d come back. As we
were going down a hill, I slipped and slid wildly down the hill. My shorts have
really taken a beating these past few days; I’ll have to stop at the Salvos
when I go to New Plymouth or another city or town. It was a fun ride but
thankfully I didn’t slam head-first into a tree. Anyways, Samson caught and
devoured a baby possum. Lance’s gumboots were falling apart, so we decided to
go back and get the .22 calibre rifle and change our footwear. I stepped into
some really soft mud and my hiking boots sunk deep into it. They are the only
boots I have, and I may have to stop in Christchurch or elsewhere to get new
ones at some point. We walked all the way back to the house and I changed into
some gumboots and Lance got the rifle. I’ve always had a fear of guns, but I
was willing to try a shot or two just to say I’ve done it. I called Teressa and
talked with her for a bit. She used to hunt and fish when she lived in Utah.
She told me to be careful and always treat a gun like it’s loaded. You should
never look into the barrel of a gun, whether real or not. I made a cup of tea
and then walked up with Lance into the bush. We saw David on his way down as we
were going up; a good thing we did since we’d be using a gun. Samson started
barking loudly and he was onto another possum. He attacked and killed it. Lance
pulled all the fur off and fed a leg to Samson. Out of respect, we let a baby
possum go so that it has a chance to grow and enjoy this world. Samson is a
pure farm dog; he rounds up animals and never goes inside. We walked a few
metres up the path and the possum was still in the tree. I stood behind Lance
(as you always should when someone is using a gun) as he fired a shot into the
tree, and then another shot. This time the possum was hit but it was still in
the tree. Lance decided to climb up into the tree and get it down. Even though
the bullet struck his head, the possum was still alive and came down the tree.
Samson chased it and attacked it. Lance had to go down the hill to get the dead
possum and pull the fur off. We had two kills already. We continued through the
thick bush. We came upon a stream and I wanted to go for a walk since I had
Wellingtons (gumboots) on. After just a few minutes I stepped into an area deep
enough that it filled my gumboots with water. I took them off and left my socks
on, because they act like a wetsuit. If you’re wading or walking through cold
water, your feet will be warmer if you wore socks than if you’re barefoot.
Lance and Samson followed along but I lost sight of them after awhile. I kept
walking on and on for like two hours or so. For a minute or so I was thinking I
was lost, but I used my wisdom and my instincts to follow the stream out. Being
a geographer, I know that streams have a mouth and that if I follow the flow
I’ll eventually reach a larger body of water and possibly a building, boat, or
something else. After more than two hours of walking through the stream I was
in a paddock. There were metal fences. I touched one and held on to it for like
three seconds and it shocked me really hard. I was shaking wondering how much
voltage entered my body. I was then trying to figure a way out. I had to go
under the electric fence in the stream and then I was in another paddock. I had
a mob of cows mooing at me. I had to wade under another fence as I was all wet
and trying to just find a way to the road. I then had to go under a third and
final electric fence; this time I had to completely submerge myself. I threw my
shirt over to the other side and then I went under. The water was cold, but
since I had been in it for quite some time it didn’t feel so cold. I put my
shirt back on and then had to climb over a wooden gate and I was on Mill Creek
Rd. It was a tough stream trek, but these were the types of New Zealand
adventures that you don’t have to pay for and typically don’t expect. I walked
in my wet Wellingtons all the way back to the farm and had to walk up the hill
to the house. Steve and Flo were sitting there talking. Today I really followed
what I learned here. Instead of turning back in the stream, I trusted my
instincts and told myself to relish the moment; not think about things like
“What if I’m stuck out here for the night?.” Steve told me it is quite a story
to tell. Out of all the places I’ve ever stayed on my travels (hotels, hostels,
home stays, etc.) this is the best place I’ve ever stayed at. I’ve learned so
much in just the week I’ve been here. Lance made some baked beans, so I had
some. David then made some porridge so I had some of that, too. Food is really
good there. They don’t cook any meat here, so I haven’t had any meat this week
except for fish & chips and what I’ve eaten had Subway. I then called
Teressa, but we only talked for a few minutes before the phone went dead. I
took a shower because I haven’t had one in a few days. I called Teressa back
and we talked for a good while. She really wants me to come home, and she gave
me an ultimatum to either come home by the New Year or she’ll never speak to me
again. I feel really sad that I left. She hurt me a lot by what she did last
month but I still love her very much. After talking for a good while, I made a
cup of tea. Steve was making vegetable lentil soup for dinner and it smelled
really good. A short time later the soup was ready. It was tasty delicious with
broccoli leaves, lentils, and other vegetables and spices. After dinner I made
some hot cocoa. David and I then had our chess rematch. He beat me this time
and I lead the series between us 2-1. Steve then put on a movie; this time it
was Kung Fu Panda. I’m not the biggest fan of movies. Today was quite a test;
going through that creek and really following the advice of what I’ve learned
here. I’m not sure what to do in regards to this journey; should I go back and
be with Teressa, or should I stay and continue this amazing adventure? I love
Teressa with all my heart but at the same time I love to see this beautiful
world and I’m not ready to settle down. I have a sore throat tonight and I sure
hope I don’t get a cold, because I don’t want to undertake a serious climb with
a cold like I did during the Inca Trail. I have to get some sleep because I
have a busy day tomorrow. See you soon.
I've only scratched the surface on all the stories I can share about this very special paradise deep in the heart of the Coromandel. You'll walk in as one person and leave as another, with a deeper appreciate for the land, food, nature, and people. It's one of the most, if not the most hospitable place I've ever stayed at! If you would ever want to meet "my other family" you're more than welcome to contact me and I'll give you their info. However, you must be willing to enter with an open mind and be a new person when you leave, and if you plan to stay for three days, you'll end up staying three months, I guarantee you!
