Chapter 3: first post in NZ

I think it is along long time since we have updated this blog.

It has been almost a month since we have been here in New Zealand. Life is pretty much a hectic and bumpy one.

When we first reached Tauranga, we stayed at Ann’s house, a place where Jiahua’s brother lived last time when he was here. There were some Italians, English and Japanese. They were all doing Kiwi thinning. And we were told there were no slots for us to do it. The first week’s weather was bad too, raining almost everyday meaning there was no work for them too. Luckily during mid-week, some people left and we have got jobs on Saturday. So we went with them to do a $12 an hour Kiwi thinning. You see, it was not Kiwi harvest season in February so we only did thinning, which was just to pluck the deformed, tiny, or kiwis-not-suited-to-my-eyes-liking.

Towards the end of Feb, we were told again there will be a lull till mid-March when Kiwi harvesting will take place. That means 3 weeks of doing NOTHING! That means NO MONEY. That’s very sad. For the starting period in NZ, we found out that we could use a pre-pay SIM card with $0 balance to access the internet. So we found another job in Hastings and we quickly booked bus ticks to there and started on our next journey. But unfortunately, Vodafone seems to discover this plot of us and I believe many others out there so they rectified the problem and there was no more free internet.

On 1 March, we began a long journey to Hastings, for Apples picking. We reached the place, a farm stay place. With a common toilet and kitchen, people either chose sleeping in a tent or car which is cheaper or in a room shared with others just to enjoy the bed. Of course we had no tent or car; we had to sleep in the room. The next day, we started work immediately at the apples orchard. The rate is by bins. A bin cost $30 and depending on your speed how fast you can pick the apples. It is tough job. You have to climb ladders to reach for the higher apples, carry a bag in front of you to contain the apples, then unload them into the bins, sometimes being poked by the thorns of apple trees. I just found out that apples are actually part of the Rose family so freaking hell there’s THORNS. KNN! Pain.

On the following Monday, we started night shift work at ENZA packhouse. It was a nice place, warm, and slack job. There the rate was $11.50 an hour. Basically we were just packing the apples, grading them a bit, then put them on the purple trays you see in markets and load them into a carton. So this life continued for a week plus, picking apples in the day and doing packhouse at night.

But we began to realise we have no bloody talents in picking apples. Our speed is like half the speed of others. One person can fill one bin almost the same time we two persons fill one bin. So we decided it was time we are gonna find another job. Through some contacts and new friends made here, we found a grape picking job at vineyards. Okay, Hastings is located at Hawke’s Bay, the second largest region in NZ that produces wine. So there is lots of grapes picking job. The pay is $12.50 an hour. Much simpler job, no climbing, just squatting and snipping off grapes from the vines, and transporting them into a tractor that is just nearby of you. The only down side is your hands get real real sticky from all the ultra sweet grape juices. I tell you, though the grapes are tiny, they pack a punch of sweet juice. And the boss told us, the grapes that we were picking are made into chardonnay, and cost about $100 a bottle. Haha, I can’t afford to drink that wine.

So now, we also bought a car, a 1987 Honda Accord, for $950. Yes no COE, no other bloody tax shit, no ERP. It’s great course, we have to travel to work and with that car it’s so convenient. And also, we found out of a house that has free internet so right now we are parking our car outside the house, “stealing” the internet and posting this blog.

Personal Feelings:
Man U is good now man, top of the table, entered Champs league Quarter finals and vs Roma.
The bloody JI guy still not kenna caught yet. BOO!
Yay, Singapore won the YOG bid.
I miss my family and her and all my friends. This trip is my longest period out of Singapore, been adapting quite hard to it at first.

Ciao (like what all the Czechs say)

Happy Good Friday and Easter holiday. (it’s another bloody long weekend here, we have no work from Friday to Monday F***)

Ps: I think the blog title doesn’t suit what we are doing now haha!