Year of the Kiwi

 

 

My first bin of apples… Wait a minute… What? Let me backtrack a bit.

 

 

Working at Dog & Bone has been an awesome experience, but after 6
weeks of good times, it was time to say goodbye. Had my camera on me
the last week to capture some souvenirs.

 

 

Me and my angels.

 

 

Saying goodbye to my stinky sandals.

 

 

Spent much of my afternoons at work watching the cricket test matches
between the Blackcaps and England. There were literally hours between
lunch and dinner shift when there was bugger all to do. Blackcaps won the
series by the way. Woohoo!!!

 

 

If I made food as good as Chef Don, I’d be scarfing it down too.

 

 

What a professional looking crew we’ve got!

 

 

Someone decided to accessorize a statue on the waterfront.

 

 

I never had to work as hard when Stacey and Nicole were on the floor.

 

 

Mika’s always a jokester. Gave me the most memorable birthday gift
as well… a free swing at his head with an inflatable plastic bat. It was
very therapeutic at the end of the crazy Sevens night.

 

 

 

The last feast the kitchen hooked me up with, a tray full of gorgeous
chicken wings! The beautiful girl’s name is Chloe. She has a degree in
art restoration and was on a working holiday in NZ as well from France,
so we had countless things to talk about. It’s a shame she only started
on my last week.

 

 

Stacey treating me to a beer across the street at The Occidental.
We sometimes get some of their workers at the Dog & Bone as well.
It’s a bit odd.

 

 

Saying goodbye to Nicole.

 

 

Being totally bad. Well, it’s not like they can fire me at this point

 

 

Byes to Phil and Sam…

 

 

Though I saw Phil again later that night when a bunch of us from the pub
headed to the Malt House to go on the piss on fancy international beers.
Totally disappointed they didn’t have a Coor’s Light though.

 

 

Me before I got fairly drunk on some really strong doppelbock beer. Had some
BK across the street to try to settle my stomach, but that probably wasn’t
the brightest of ideas.

 

 

 

 

Rich plays a pretty mean game of lawn bowls. I’ve never seen the game
in action so it was a treat when he invited me to come watch a game.

 

 

This is also a treat, Bundaberg gingerbeer. I’ve become quite
addicted to this stuff. Too bad it’s an Aussie product.

 

 

Bowlers have incredible control over where the ball ends up. The target
is probably about 40 meters away and these guys get it within feet,
 if not inches. I was mesmerized.

 

 

Mountain hugging roads. Haven’t had to face these kinds of roads for months. 
Absolutely sublime driving experience.

 

 

Wind turbines in the distance.

 

 

…Which brings me back to this picture. Yes… I’m back at Rakaunui…
good ole’ Rakaunui. As great as Wellington was, a change of pace
was needed… And I really wanted to see how my thinned trees
looked… the fruit of my labour.

 

 

It’s a change to catch up with Dave as well before he heads back to England.

 

 

…And see shit like this I didn’t notice the first time around. What is it???

 

 

So, for the next two weeks… sweaty, backbreaking, character building labour
under the hot Hawkes bay sun. All for 1.5 cents per apple picked from the tree.
I must be a masochist.