Well, it was finally time to put the work part of our holiday-working visa to use these last few weeks and build up the checking account a bit again. I guess the whole trip can't be a holiday! Overall, we had a good experience working but are ready to get on the road again and seek out some new adventures!
We are in the city of Dunedin, which is a lovely harbor city nestled next to the ocean between impressive rolling hills and with architecture that brings you back to the Victorian Ages. Dan found construction work and spent the last three weeks rebuilding a house that was destroyed by a fire. He struggled a bit converting to the metric system and learning the Kiwi terminology for everything but has adjusted and excelled quickly. It has been a great way to meet new people and experience the Kiwi work culture.
We were able to find a Helpx host for 3 weeks and luckily only a 10 minute drive from Dan's work! We had a lovely time with our host and her son Perrin. I helped out for about 4 hours a day doing various things in her impressive gardens such as pruning, making and distributing wood chips, and weeding. Dan helped us out on the weekends and together we insulated her basement. They were wonderful hosts; super welcoming, great food, and easy to interact with! We felt right at home and really enjoyed getting to know them.
It was nice to have a home base again. We completely cleaned out and reorganized Waka and thanks to Perrin's car-washing skills she is shinier than ever! Our host gave us lots of tips as we continue our adventure and helped me liven up our own camper-van garden with some fresh chive and parsley plants! (my first chives have not fared too well) Now I have a bigger pot with much better soil! I am excited to be growing something at least :) We did not only work while in Dunedin, we took advantage of our free time and checked out the city as well! We took a train ride into Central Otago which was absolutely stunning! The fall colors added so much and the river valley was spectacular. We also visited their museums, walked up the steepest street in the world, and visited Tunnel and St. Clair beach which was surfer central. The surfers were very close to shore so we spent a long time watching them ride the waves.
Dunedin also has a beautiful peninsula. We did a few hikes here and visited Lanarch Castle, the only one in NZ. There is a lot of history in this home and the carvings and details in the woodwork are incredible. It is surrounded by beautiful gardens and impressive views of Dunedin and the harbor.
On Saturday, we will leave Dunedin and head towards Queenstown. We are anxiously awaiting the arrival of our second visitor!! We will meet our amazing friend Matt in Queenstown on Monday and he will spend 3 weeks traveling with us! From Queenstown we will go to Milford and Doubtful Sounds and then travel up the West Coast. We cannot wait to see him, catch up, and most importantly share this amazing country with him! Dunedin has been a wonderful home for us, and we are so thankful to our hosts and blessed that Dan was able to find work for 3 weeks. Now, the savings account is a little healthier and we can look forward to the upcoming adventures with our MN mate!!
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