I am loving New Zealand and our WWOOFing experience so far. Mark and Colleen are our host "parents" and they are wonderful. Mark takes us out on the farm every morning and we feed the chooks (hens) and collect their eggs for our breakfast. Then we do other odd jobs such as planting vegetables, shelling macadamia nuts, cleaning or working in the kiwi orchard. We only work for 4-5 hours a day and then we have the afternoon to do what we please. They cook us delicious meals for dinner and I'm loving getting to know the New Zealand culture and lifestyle. Their house is beautiful and Christie and I both get our own room! (we're very spoiled here).
Today was a great day in paradise. We woke up and worked in the kiwi orchard for a few hours, had morning tea (a requirement here) and then worked for a few more hours until lunch. After that we went to Mount Maunganui which is an island in Tauranga. We hiked up to the top, which is what the picture of Christie and I is from (see below). It was a great hike and there were gorgeous views from the top, although the pictures don't do it justice. We explored the city for a few hours and had fish and chips for the first time, which were delicious. Tonight we're having chicken and leek pies which are a New Zealand tradition, so I'm told. We're going to jump into the spa (hot tub) after dinner and then get to bed. I guess we haven't completely gotten used to the time difference b/c I go to bed before 10 every night and wake up at 6 or 7 each morning. I guess I am a morning person here!