Apples, Apples and more Apples!!!

Well got to my accomodation in Mot and it was quite nice and tidy. A little bach. It has a kitchen and table in one room then you walk thru to the bedroom. The laundry and toilet are outside in a room off the bach. Very small but bigger than the tent. I got myself settled in. The next afternoon Loren arrived. A 17 year old who was going to be my flat mate for the next 10 weeks. I decided not to spend all my time in the bach so i headed out that night to see what happens in Motueka. So once again I found myself sitting by myself in a local bar having a drink. The bar was called 'The dodgy ref', it's a sports bar. The place started to fill up, and i got bored very quickly by myself. This rather rough looking moari guy was sitting by himself having a beer so I thought 'what the heck'. Would you like to join me? I said. So once again I sat talking to a complete stranger,(Jay) he was entered into a tatoo competition across the road at "The Postie" (another pub). So we went over for a look to see if he had won anything. It was pumping!! the place was so packed, the music was good(a live band). Jay had to take off, so I decided to stay and started to get to know a few of the tatoo covered people that were there. Danced heaps and then asked this guy to dance, he was looking like he wanted to but had no one to dance with.( I didnt bother to say I was dancing by myself, ha ha). So this was my first encounter with Mike. He is from Germany and is no doubt going to be a friend that I will always keep in contact with. Work started a couple of days later, and all I can say is "Apples wait for no man". It is one of the sayings around the packhouse. I have met up with a couple travelling in their bus around N.Z. Ruth and Ian. I quite often walk around to their bus after work for beer-a-clock. And we sit and have a beer and talk APPLES!!! Not! Well we try not too. I am now in my own caravan. Loren and I had a few differences. She watches T.V where is i like to listen to the radio. Just little differences that could make it hard in the future, so i ask for my own place and got it. Its great. No tele. Mike and I went to the local market last Sunday. There was 2 chicks busking down there, i think they were from America. One was playing a piano accordian and the other had a big hand saw and a violin bow and was playing the saw. It was great. It is one of our favourite places to go. Lots of little stores and Mike likes it because they have a couple of German Food shops there. And I got to try a german hotdog. It had a sausage, sauces and sourcrout. And I can say honestly if there had have been no people around i would have chucked it up so bloody fast it wasnt funny. Sourcrout is the most disgusting thing i have ever tasted. Mike had great satisfaction and laughed like hell at the specticle i put on.(I thought i was being low key). I shall never again eat sour crout. Well a bit more next time on my life in Motueka. But for now life is good all is well.

Motueka, here I come.

Well hitting the road again, first stop Wairoa. Stopped and stayed another 2 nights with Annie and Bruce. Got there to find out they were entered in a fishing competition. Just surf casting off the beach, biggest snapper $1000. Yep I was in. So down to the beach real early, fishing could start at 8am. There must have been well over 100 people along the beach and to my amazement not one person caught a bloody snapper. How bad is that!!! It was great spending some time with them again. But i had to keep moving. So onto Napier to stay with Matt(Pete's Brother). We went out to dinner along the main road by the water front. What a beautiful little city. Took a quick stroll after tea then went to meet Matt's girlfriend, shes very nice. And Matt seems quite taken with her. It was a short stay in Napier cause the road was calling. Onto the big city lights of EKETAHUNA. What a little place!!! Got there quite early that morning, Jesse was hanging out her washing. They have a great house, and they seem so happy there. We did a couple of chores for her mum, then went to her mums place so Jesse could have a swim in the river. Sorry but know way i was going in, not a chance in hell. Spent the night playing cards, listening to music and talking. It was so good to sit and relax. She was so excited about her upcoming wedding. Hope it went off well. Well onto Wellington to see John and catch the ferry that night. Got there in one piece, so rang John and met him for lunch. Took a walk along the waterfront then i came home and rang and changed my booking on the ferry. I stayed with John for a week, Wellington was great. I went to Te Papa. They had a space exhibition there, it was interactive, you could launch your own rocket and land a space shuttle(i managed to crash it most of the time). You could also try and fix a space station by flying the shuttle to it (I also crashed that one, then i ran out of oxygen). Ha ha. Had heaps of fun there. Caught up with John, it was great, i havent seen him for 15 years and it was a bonding experience i needed with that side of the family. We talked heaps. My last day in Wellington, what to do??? Was walking back to John's and stopped in at an Irish pub. I was the only one there so had a beer with the barman. He was telling me all about Ireland, it was great. Then an older guy came in (maybe 63). I asked if i could join him for a drink. Of course he said. Well, what can i say, it was one of the best afternoons that i have had. He had travelled all around the world, hitch hiking place to place, he told me all about it and i told him what i was doing. We must have talked for bout 3 hours. He was amazing, funny thing is he thought i was the amazing one. He wished me luck on my travells and said good bye, probably never to see him again unfortunately. But the ferry awaits, John got up at 12.30 am with me and we said goodbye, then i headed for the ferry. The weather was good so it was a smooth crossing. I slept most of the 3 hours on the way over, and decided at 4.30am in the morning not to stop and wait for day light. Just jumped on the bike and headed to Nelson. I think I made it to Murray and Jackies about 7.00. They were still in bed. They have a beautiful place there and made me feel so welcome. Well what is there to do in Nelson?? BREWERY TOURS!!!!! Yep so thats what i did. Mac's Brewery was the one i chose. It was really good, met some people from England that had moved to N.Z bout 6 months ago. And the tour guide made me a little mini motorbike out of the beer bottle tops. Got quite tiddly at that one. Then rang and booked myself on a winery and brewery tasting tour. And guess what? The first stop Mac's Brewery. They threatened to put my name on the bar stool if i was going to make this a daily experience. We went to 2 Brewerys and 4 Wineries and i got pissed. Got back to Murrays and flaked. But I did find my one true love on that tour. FEIJOA WINE. Yum Yum Yum. Murray and Jackie took me for a drive around and showed me Motueka and the surrounding districts. So i could get my bearings. So Nelson had it all good beer and a true love. What will Motueka hold???