My time in New Zealand is rapidly coming to a close, and there's a lot that I won't have time to do. I won't be able to see Mount Taranaki, the Coromandel Peninsula, or Cape Reigna-- in fact, I'll largely be ignoring the northern half of the North Island. It makes me very sad, but at the same time I think it's wise to leave a bit undone, so that I have even more excuse to come back one day. (Maybe when I go to Australia!)
However! There was one thing that could CERTAINLY not be left undone. And THAT is wwoofing... with alpacas! Such an experience was high on my goal list even before I got to New Zealand, but I didn't ever find the right moment for it. When I started corresponding with the Woodhouse Family back in Napier, I thought the time had finally come. I had really hoped to spend a week or two with them before settling to work in Wellington, but in the end I (happily) found a job faster then expected. Instead, Kara and Jordan went there and I was left to dream of the day I might hug an alpaca.
Murray and Lisa, and their four children (at home) Hana, Leah, Rory and Erin are basically the best. We spend the first evening relaxing in the lounge, discussing the issues of the world. I got to stay with Hana in "The Loft", which is a beautiful apartment they've put up next to their house. It was pretty epic to have a few nights of privacy after living in dorms for a year!
It was excellent. I'd never actually been to the races before, and I only wish I had been wearing a more stylish hat. The Wanganui races are pretty small, from what I understand, but there were two bigger races that a lot of people turned up for. They were also playing races in Auckland and Australia for betting purposes. And bet we did! I won $15 on a glorious horse named Zartan, but in the end I spent about $19 on the bets, so that was of course a brutal and cruel outcome! Apparently the Woodhouses usually do pretty good when they go, which means that I must be bad luck, which is a terrible way to repay their generosity. :(
The rest of the day was spent enjoying each other's company. Lisa's parents came over for a very nice tea, and it was a pleasure to meet them. Murray showed me his model train set, which was pretty sweet-- he even has a hole in the wall for the train to run through and a track around the garden outside. It brought back some very early childhood memories of my Gitie's model train set.