The drive to Whakatane was super windy and lovely, dodging around large hills and giving you heaps of both scenery and forest to watch as you drive. The worst part was a massive pothole that I hit, causing me to pull over. It was so loud I thought the tire had burst! Luckily that didn’t happen, but the car now pulls to the left when you let go of the wheel… we’ll fix that one day, I promise.
Actually arriving at my next Workaway was a bit of a challenge in and of itself. I drove through some farmer’s field by accident (thanks google maps), and I had to open and close a bunch of gates on my way through. Why did no one stop and ask me where I was going?
I then have to drive through a river to get back into the road I should have been on the whole time. I think “Oh brother, I know this isn’t great for the car.” I push through and make it up the other side, and as I finally approach the correct farm I’m told that I have to drive over SEVERAL little rivers to get there! My new host Api drives in front of me to show me the way to reach the far side of the river bed, and welcomes me onto their hobby farm and family land.
Despite the rugged and intense arrival, what I found was a calm, peaceful, idyllic series of homesteads and small farms, all situated between the steep forests that crept down from the surrounding hills.
Api and his family are Maori, and he tells me that the whole valley I’m in is divided up between the different members of his sub-tribe, or hapu. Up the valley they have a shared meeting and ceremonial centre called the Marae that I’ll visit later on.
The homestead had a couple of horses, some dogs, a large fenced-in yard, and three generations of family living there. Further up the hill, Api has started building a timber log, roundhouse-style home for his family, which will be my main project during my time here. He had already completed tons of earthwork to level the ground and build a road to the site, and most of the main structure’s poles were in the ground. The roof decking was being installed when I rolled up, and there I met his cousins and brothers who had all come out to help for the weekend. After a little while, his father rolls up on his ATV with his favourite pup and he immediately starts roasting his grandchildren.
I then found my room and got settled. It was a bigger shed and it had a bigger bed than the last place, so I was pretty happy with it. I then go to meet his four boys, and I slept great after a long day.
The next morning I found Api playing guitar while his kids tried to sleep in, and I grabbed a my regular coffee and oatmeal to eat. This first day we spent mostly planning out a new dining room addition for the structure, mapping out the space and discussing how we’re going to fit the six of them around the table. We also took off for a swim in the river, where the kids showed me Manu Bombs, a super fun way to jump into the water that I’d never seen before. I also may have done a decent cliff dive (don’t tell my mom!) and we were back for dinner.
Life here moved pretty slow. Long days of puttering around with chores and completing small jobs for the house, split with long lunches, afternoon naps, and family time. Which might be my favourite way to live life! I had tons of fun gettign to know the whole family, playing basketball and messing around with the kids, and driving out to the various swimming holes nearby with them (where I learned how to manu bomb!) With four boys between 9 and 17, it was always a little hectic but a total riot.
My first couple of days were full of sanding those roof boards that had been installed, but the most challenging work I did here was digging holes. We wanted to increase the total floor area of the house for a big kitchen table and seating, so we designed a bump-out that required four new posts to be put in. Since the big tools for the main posts had already been carried away, it was up to shovels and hand tools to make this happen. These were long hours, but the pay-off was pretty sweet.
During my time off, I made my way into Whakatane to catch the movie “One Life”, which was incredibly moving. It’s a bit of a weird feeling to walk out of a movie by yourself with puffy eyes and dried tears on your face. I really recommend that one. And also to just go see movies by yourself.
I also joined my host family on a drive into town to play some touch rugby! They regularly play in an intramural league and it was so cool that everyone knew each other there. I played rugby back in high school, but I wasn’t aware of the rule differences with touch rugby and I definitely made a fool of myself when they put me in to play. However, I think I redeemed myself out on the wing when I attacked the corner, caught the ball, and slid in for a try next to my whanau. The cheers were loud!!!!! It was so much fun.
I also managed to get out to Ohope Beach to try surfing again. My first round was in Cape Town the previous year, and it was nigh on impossible for me to stand up on the board. This time was a bit better, and I think my surfboard was a better type for beginners. It was a load of fun and I rejoined Salt Spray Surf School a second time to grab a rental board for a couple hours. They had great coffee next door too! Looking back on my two weeks here, I certainly did a lot.
Unfortunately, my host family had some emergencies to deal with and I wasn’t able to stay much longer. But before heading out, I got a tour of the Marae and community lands up the river. It was so cool to see the “cornerstone” of their valley, the gathering place of their people for generations. The building was in great condition, and was adorned with beautiful artwork around the entrance.
Then it was time to jump back in the van and hit the road!
