WWOOF #6 - Gisborne

Dec. 17 - Dec. 22

We headed to the self-proclaimed "First City to See the Light," as Gisborne is the easternmost 'city' in New Zealand (and the world). It also boasts more sunny days than any other city in New Zealand, and we were ready to hit the beaches under the sun.

We booked our WWOOF to stay with the owners of Wright's Vineyard & Winery, a certified organic operation that even qualifies as vegan (and we did eat vegan during our stay). Loads of fresh fruits and veges, and we came away with a few good recipes and appreciation for lentils, tofu, and cooking substitutes. Our late night entertainment often included a few games of chess with a few glasses of wine, but we also helped set up Christmas lights and had the occassional beer from the local brewery. We even went to a neighborhood and walked around to see the Christmas lights at night. Of course, considering Geoff and Nicola had 2 young children (Noah - 2 yrs, Elija - 4 weeks), we got a few parenting tips as well! Thanks so much to the whole family for letting us stay, we just might be back in time for harvest....

Keris with 4 week old Elija. The camper van we stayed in is in the background.

The whole gang out at the vineyard. It's a family operation, and Noah loves riding on the tractor.

Although we spent much of our time at the beautiful beaches, enjoying the warmest weather of our trip thus far, we got right to work the night we arrived. Christmas orders for bubbly were in, and we had to finish labelling and putting on the foil caps. They own 2 vineyards in the Ormond Valley, just 20 minutes out of town. We spent our time working on the new vines, taping the stalks to guide wires, watering with seaweed water, and removing the dead vine cuttings from the guide wires. We also got to help out at the farmers market, our first taste of promoting and selling wine. It was a great experience and there were lots of other good food stands around.

Keris operating the foiler for the bubbly bottles.

Hard at work selling organic wine and garlic at the farmers market.

We really enjoyed the city of Gisborne. Laid back, California beach-town feel. Everything was within just a few minutes drive, including the local brewery, farmers markets, about 15 surfing beaches, and vineyards. With the weather so good, we went to 3 different beaches on 3 consecutive days, renting surfboards on the final day and getting our fill of the surf. Here's a few of the pics. Remember, the waves are MUCH bigger than they appear :)

Goodbye from Gisborne!