I find that sometimes it is those completely unplanned, random moments that stick with me throughout the trip. It might be squeezing into a horse trailer on the way to the farm or having a conversation about organic food with Graham (the owner) or even finding yourself in a cemetery on Halloween surrounded by people you’ve come to know and love. Clearly our time on the farm was indeed superb. We were welcomed with opened arms by Graham. He was not only extremely inviting to us, he also shared his knowledge with us on farming, eating organic food and having a good work ethic. The work was strenuous and difficult at times, but I must say that it was quite rewarding. Some painted windows while others weeded gardens and planted vegetables. And I mustn’t forget about our other great responsibility at the farm: taking care of the lambs, chickens, dogs and cats. Everyone also spent some of their mornings and afternoons all day in the kitchen making lunch or dinner for at least twelve people. The home-cooked meals were not only delicious, but made us all feel more at home.
Although Halloween is not celebrated in New Zealand, we all took advantage of the fact that we had the farm to ourselves that day. Laura made us some delightful goodie bags with chocolate and candy and although we couldn’t carve any pumpkins, Greg and Nina made us some delicious pumpkin pie for dessert. Shortly after the sun went down, Casey and Stefan took us all on an adventure to gaze and the unbelievable stars. We were surrounded by the sounds of sheep crying out and the only thing visible besides the stars in the sky was one single candle that had been lit. We told ghost stories in honor of the holiday until we became too tired and headed back to the farm.
As we all piled into our two rented vans and headed for Te Anau, I looked back at what we were leaving behind. Our journey on this trip thus far has been incredible, but our stay on the Marama Organic Farm was an experience I know none of us will forget.
And in case you were curious…
-Alex F. and Laura spent an entire morning and afternoon tailing sheep
-Alex W. fed the wee lamb everyday and nursed it back to health
-Michelle made two furry friends named Clyde and Tiger (two of the cuddliest farm cats)
-Stefan and Casey took a long drive up to Queenstown to pick up the two vans that we will driving in all through free travel. Thanks to them for going so far out of their way to pick them up for us!
-Catherine cooked lunch and dinner for us at least six times (and it was always delicious of course)
-Nick was always up for the most interesting and unique jobs.
-Nina ate pumpkin pie for the first time!
-Greg was fantastic at handling the oh-so-scary puppy-dogs.
That’s all for now.
Sincerely,
Michelle Blau
