WWOOF #5 - Ohope Beach

Dec. 14 - Dec. 17

Well, we're not sure if we should call this a WWOOF or not, considering we were working for Keris's mom, Mary K! But we'll get to that in a minute.

The drive from Martinborough up to Ohope Beach was an all day event covering some 600km in about 11 hours - taking so long because we chose to enjoy the trip. We picked up some snacks for lunch and then stopped off with a great view of Mt. Ruapehu. The lush green landscape coming to a discrete end, turning into a large desert below the rising mountain peaks.

Our stop for lunch with a great view of Mt. Ruapehu.

Our next stop was near Taupo, a great summer lake destination and home to some of the best trout fishing in the world. We opted for a short walk to Huka Falls instead. These aren't your typical falls though. It's more of a blasting river at the edge of the lake, churning and crashing down a gradual 200 meter slope before spilling over the 10 meter cliff at the bottom. The water was so crystal clear, it was absolutely gorgeous. A quick drive down the road, we found Craters of the Moon. Due to the largescale thermal activity of the region (hot pools and geothermal heating), the area had been tapped for power, but the drop in water level caused the surface of the Earth to start sinking, leaving behind giant craters and cracks where new steam vents and mudpools have formed.

The bridge over the upper part of Huka Falls

At the lower end of the falls
Some of the sink holes and steam escaping from the rock fissures.

In Ohope Beach, Mary K. rented a lower section of a house on the hill with a breathtaking view of the beach (this happens to be the same beach Keris and her mom grew up on and the same beach that Stuart proposed to Keris 9 months ago). We stayed with Mary K. for 4 days and did a lot of work on the house she owns (but is currently renting out) closeby. Fence building, deck prep and painting were the main objectives. It was great to share our stories and spend some time with her here in NZ. 5 minutes after picking her up at the airport, we stopped by Julian's Berry Farm for some berry picking (and eating!). I'm quite certain even though we had a 1 gallon container to fill with strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, loganberries, and ranuiberries, we ended up eating at least that much before leaving! Then we still had to eat the berries we took home, yummy. Hopefully we'll be able to return again soon and be able to stay in Mary K's house someday!

Out front of the Ohope rental house we stayed in.

A haircut with a view at Liz and Tim's house

Yum! Berries, berries, and more berries!

So many berries

Keris at work on the deck at Mary K's house

Fence work in the backyard

On the drive to our next WWOOF in Gisborne, we stopped off for some photos of the native Pahutakawa trees in bloom. These are sooo beautiful. The leaves are 2 colored, the tops a deep green and the underside a shimmering sage. In early summer, fluffy red flowers emerge and cover the whole tree. We arrived to the area just in time to catch the bloom, and were so happy to witness it. These huge trees canopy the drive along the beach, making it hard to leave...