After spending one month in Wellington interviewing for a few different web development jobs (which I didn’t get) and trying hard not to spend too much money on good coffee and beer, I decided it was time to leave and try to earn a bit more cash before my sister and friend arrive at the end of May. The easiest option was to drive north to the Bay of Plenty (the area even sounds like it is teeming with opportunity!) - the kiwifruit capital of the world - and catch the tail end of kiwifruit harvest.
Before I go any further, I should make something clear about New Zealand and the word “kiwi”. If capitalized, the word Kiwi refers to a resident of the country (much like an Aussie or a Yank). If left lowercase, kiwi refers to the beloved flightless, nocturnal bird…which ironically is the symbol of the NZ air force…seriously. However, if refering to the fuzzy fruit with the green inside, the proper word is kiwifruit…at least in this country. And it is this little fruit which has brought me halfway across the country to Tu Puke, the kiwifruit capital of the world.
I’m staying at a small hostel just a block away from a beautiful beach in the seaside town of Mount Maunganui. The town gets its name from the 236m (~750 feet) extinct volcano that protrudes from the sea - it is really a unique and beautiful landscape, and I’ve referred to it as New Zealand’s Rio de Janeiro, but seeing as I’m the only one that calls it that, and that I’ve never been to Brazil, I don’t think it is a very credible claim.
Anyhow, for the past 10 days, when the weather cooperates, I’ve headed out with a group of backpackers to the various orchards in the area to pick kiwifruit. It is not an easy job, as we have to hang large fruitpicking bags from our shoulders (like wearing an open backpack on you stomach instead of back) and continuously fill them with kiwifruit. Once the bag is full (takes about 5 minutes, and weighs about 40 lbs) we empty it into a wooden bin and return to picking. Sometimes the fruit is at eye level and easy to pick, but at times we have to reach high above our head or bend down to nearly ground level. This must be done as fast as possible, because we get paid according to how many bins we fill as a team in a day. And a typical day is about 8 hours of picking. The first few days were pretty tough on my back and knees, and Ive developed a carpal-tunnel like pain in my wrists from twisting the fruits from their stems, but it is really not a terrible job. Being outside all day really helps, and anytime I get frustrated I just take a deep breath of fresh air, look around at the palm covered gullies and strech of glistening bay in the distance and I realize that I am unbelievably lucky to be working in such an environment. Plus, I can always distract my discomfort by striking up conversation with one of the others on my team, who range in nationality from French and English to Brazilian, Samoan, and of course Kiwi. And the pay is actually quite good. My team stays motivated and can fill as many as 250 bins per day - a rate which works out to more than $20/hr.
The only problem is that we are entirely dependent on weather. And although I began with four solid days in a row, we have been cursed with rain for the past week, and I’ve had one day off for each day of work.
On my days off, it is usually raining, leaving very little to do other than play cards or watch movies, but I’ve managed to take advantage of the area by swimming in the ocean, running along the beach (when else am I going to live just one block from a long stretch of beach?) and soaking my sore body in the geothermally-heated salt water pools at the base of the Mount. I also climbed up to the top of the Mount for wonderful views of the area. I didn’t expect to like it much here, as I only came for the work, but it is a really nice area…after all, it is New Zealand…everywhere seems to be extraordinarily beautiful in this country.
I have two more full days of work (if the weather permits), and then I will head up to Auckland to meet Katie and Steve. The three of us plan to see some of the major sites of the North Island and take a brief loop tour of the Queenstown region of the South Island. After nearly two weeks, Steve will head back to New York, and Katie will stay here with me. I’m really looking forward to their arrival, and I’ll do my best to keep the site updated with our travels.
All for now.
