The Sandcastle

"You don't wanna kip out in the open tonight. It's going to rain. Go on up the hill over there and speak to Steve - He'll be able to sort you out with work and accomodation."

And thanks to bumping into Steve's mate Joe, on the beach, I found myself Wwoofing at The Sandcastle. And how amazing my time at The Sandcastle has been!  In return for only four hours(ish) work a day I get amazing food and a roof over my head. The work has been varied - Path building, fence building (and taking down), sheep moving, yoga hall building (sort of), and gardening. But that's only the half of it.

On the first Sunday here I was given the opportunity to take part in rowing on a Waka - The canoe type boat which the Maoris arrived in New Zealand on - with Steve, his kids, and Claire. We were one person down, but that didn't prevent us doing more than a few rounds of the nearby harbour. The unique design of the Waka all but prevents a capsizing in this situation, and despite my clumsiness, we stayed up right! But my arms and shoulders were soon on fire and my (lack of technique) quickly under fire from those towards the back of the boat. This only got worse as my fatigue grew. And yesterday I took my second spell on the Waka. My technique hasn't improved, and I gave the boat a bit of a battering, but we did at least manage to make it out of the harbour! And it's great to take part in something uniquely Kiwi!

Before and after sailing a ritual takes place. You must place your hands on the boat and (in my case at least) read from a script, in which the boat is blessed. Following this you touch foreheads and noses with your fellow sailors. I, being a reserved Brit, struggled slightly with this aspect!

I've actually found myself staying at a bit of a hippy haven. Shortly after Abby and Jillian, a couple of American girls touring New Zealand, arrived it was the full moon. Steve and his friends introduced us to the medicine wheel. As far as I can gather, the medicine wheel is a shamanic Native American Indian tradition involving a fire ceremony and paying tribute to various spirits. We ate, had a horoscope reading and then did a tour of the wheel, before sharing travel stories and enjoying a cuppa chai. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it all.

And it was all hands to the pump in order to get the yoga hall perfected before Steve hosted his inaugural yoga retreat. As a thankyou for the work we were doing Steve had arranged for us to be in on the first session. The first session consisted of going through some basic iyenga yoga poses followed by a lengthy relaxation - in which Sika, Steve's friend, a world renowned didgeridoo player played a major part. Whilst we were all slowly moulding into the floor, he was playing and swooshing his didgeridoo over us. It was actually quite surprising to be able to see the vibrations through my closed eyes. No, really.

And so, when I haven’t been hippying it up, or working I’ve been taking the opportunity to explore the area. Hitching rides all over the place, to Wharariki Beach, Wainui falls  and swimming in sea and exploring the many beautiful beaches in the area, with their golden sands and limestone cliffs.

And now, looking forward to Monday, when I’ll be hitching to Picton for the ferry to Wellington – Looking for a job and somewhere to live.
  

Wharariki Beach

Pohara Beach

Me at Tata Beach

Wainui Falls