Orapuki

Say it, "Or-A-Puk-EE". Fun, isn't it?

It was. Prue, the head chef at the cafe generously lent her car and her home to me over my last days off from work. She bought this adorable, rustic little cottage a few months ago. After finally kicking out the former eclectic tenant she was able to check out the gem that is her purchase.

We arrived late afternoon, after stocking up on groceries, going overboard at the prospect of our own kitchen. We bought enough cheese, bread, pasta, olive oil and fruit to last us for at least two weeks.We had been given explicit instructions as to how to light the coal range and stove. After fumbling for (slightly less than) an hour, covered now in a lovely shade of soot, we had heat! Unfortunately, the taps were not offering water. We soon discovered that the giant concrete tank outside the house that was to collect rainwater had an alarmingly hollow sound as we threw pebbles in to determine the depth. It seems as though we were in a single unit drought.

A drive down the road and a quick conversation with the volunteer fire brigade, we had a fire truck parked outside our door and a hose filling the well. "These boys needed practice with the hoses anyway."


With flowering bushes and fresh mint growing outside the kitchen door, sheep baaing in our backyard and cats wandering through the yard, a fireplace and wine to keep us warm, music and books to keep us entertained and rainbows and hailstorms to keep us awe-struck; it was a perfect few days away.

We ventured down the southern scenic route to charming towns of Riverton (I bought a new hat and had a great meal) and bustling Invercargill, (we saw "Walk the Line") and played in beaches called Cozy Nook and Gemstone gathering driftwood to feed to our fireplace.

It was hard to come back! Today I left work early to hike Key Summit... a beautiful afternoon and giving of needed perspective. I am starting to feel the panic of my limited time here. I am not ready yet.

OK OK, so I am getting the not so subtle "so you are not quite blogging as much as you used to" hints. I am a busy girl. And ultimately, I realize that the day to day patterns that become our lives as we are working, eating, sleeping are far less interesting than flying off cliffs or driving through mountains.

As I write this I am at work waiting until the cafe closes so I can count every bottle of coke/juice/water, every bag of chips, and every candy bar and Cookie Time. Very exciting.

Life is very good in Milford these days. I had a low few weeks when it rained constantly, but I am loving it here again. I love the isolation and how it has drawn all walks of people who share the same gypsy spirit. It is encouraging to be around 30 year olds who are wandering, working here and there and traveling constantly. It is nice to be around people who have a passion for life and take work less seriously than living.That being said, I love my job and am learning alot about the operation and managment of a cafe.


I am beginning to plan my trip to Australia, or rather, Tara is planning down to the second the entire first week and a half. We are going to the a ballet/indigenous dance performance in the Sydney Opera House our first day there! And the best news is that Matt has not yet backed out of the trip so I have a fabulous few weeks with him to play up the east coast of Oz.

Valentine's Day came with a bouquet of roses delivered to me all the way from a Florist in Invercargill, 3 hours away. I am completely dumbstruck as to who they could be from. They included a card that said "Be My Kiwi". The roses were beautiful and successfully changed the color of my cheeks to a similar shade of red. If any of you blog readers sent them to me, a very grateful thank you! They are lovely, and it is very strange to have a secret admirer, but fun as well.


Days off again in 3 more days. We are hoping to drive down the Southern Scenic route, maybe staying a friend's house and not spending a lot of money. I hope for sunshine and time with a few books.


Also- If anyone is interested in visiting:

http://airfare.travelzoo.com/international-airfare/227427

Vantastic

So who wouldn't jump on the opportunity to drive a van from Te Anau to Christchurch free of charge? No bother that the last drivers accidentally drove it off the Milford Road, breaking a back window and scraping off the driver's door handle and mirror. A small thing that there was no registration or warrant. Easy that the contact asked very few questions and provided very few answers. I'll trust any Kiwi who says that a van is "fit to drive".

And she was. Lovingly dubbed "Lady Lucy", our little van drove us from Milford to Queenstown. We camped on the roadside, asleep in minutes after a long day's work and drive. After a perfect soy latte at my favorite cafe in QTN and an hour too long in "The Warehouse"( (NZ's solution to Walmart) looking for a CD player to take on the road we were on our way through to Wanaka for lunch in sunny fabulousness. Wanaka has become perhaps my favorite town in NZ... holding all of the modern amenities, cafes, art galleries and lakeside activities as Queenstown, without the soulless, tourist driven commercialism. If I come back to NZ it will be to live in Wanaka.

From there we drove on the West Coast Highway, stopping at a deserted mountain lake to swim, and browsing in the small 100-200 person towns along the route for fresh fruit or ice cream. We stayed in Franz Josef that night at a lovely holiday park and enjoyed a bottle of wine and dinner of cheese and crackers, fresh avocados and tomatoes. Yum.

The next day we drove the SPECTACULAR coastal road through Greymouth to Punakaike, home of the pancake rocks. Though the rocks themselves are amazing and impressive, the entire road is exquisite. There are sheer 300 meter cliffs into crashing surf, the road weaving in and out of lush rainforest and sandy dirt roads. It felt good to see the ocean and sleep with waves crashing nearby. We all return to the sea. It is my home wherever I travel.



The next day we drove across the country via the Lewis Pass, where little Lady Lucy had a rough time, over heating frequently and refusing to start on a few occasions. But we made it safely to Christchurch and got a buzz from the very citiness.... sirens and people and cars and beeping and Traffic! A bit overwhelming at first, I quickly slipped into the enjoyment of it all. It is good to be around people doing their daily thing... bustling to work and catching up with their friends. And none of them knew who I was or cared. I miss anonymity at times. It was good to refuel.

We flew back to Queenstown after two nights in Christchurch and a horrible plane ride which made me wish I was dead (puking and cramping and horrible) but made it into a sunny day and onto an early bus back to Milford. And after an 11 hour day of work I am still feeling great.

New Zealand is the fairy tale land that you imagine as a child, or read about in books, but never really thought existed. It is right here, green and cliffed and water dense and glorious.