When looking for work in Motueka, there are a lot of options to choose from. Depending on when you arrive you can find a job in the orchards around the town center. They are plenty.

The orchards grow kiwifruit, apples, cherries, blueberries and other crops that provide work from end of winter until the late autumn months.

�

From the end of September until half of November I worked for Mac hops. I did mainly propagation work and some planting. Lucky for me because the spring was very wet and propagation happens inside. Which meant that during rainy days I could still work. Every day we would start at 7.30 am.� Hop stems would be cut up and dipped in a rooting hormone. Then the individual stems would be planted into individual pots and cared for in the greenhouse. Those little plants, in 2 � 3 years, would then be planted out on the field. Whenever an old plant had died or did not produce enough buds, they would get replaced.

We worked with 10 people propagating and another 15 people outside, training.

During 2 weeks, in the afternoon only, half of the team would be thinning on the farms small block of kiwifruit. This was also paid hourly. There was never a day you would be bored on the job because in one day you could expect to do 3 different things.

Mac hops is a family owned farm that has been growing hops for 2 generations now.

Owners Brent and Owen share the management of the farm. Never have I met such a hard-working duo. You often find them in the shed when you arrive at 7.30 am and they will stay late to work long after you have gone. Which is understandable since the farm has just expanded with a new plot in Mapua.

Brent and Owen grow hops for Mac�s New Zealand brewery, famous for its craft beers. One of them the Hoprocker. The biggest workloads on the farm are during the spring and late summer. In October, the hops need to be trained, which is contract work. You can expect the training period to last at least 3 weeks. I did propagation which is paid $16 per hour + %8 vacation pay. Another job is planting which is also paid hourly. Then the harvest happens around the end of March. You can expect to do different jobs since there are many other tasks on the farm. For example, weeding the glass house, potting plants and sweeping the shed.�

There is staff accommodation available. For $100 per week you get a room with a shared kitchen and bathroom. If you plan to camp, it costs only $50.

Mac hops

91 Poole street

Motueka

South Island

Google maps:

https://www.google.co.nz/maps/place/91+Poole+St,+Motueka+7120/@-41.1078352,172.9972745,18z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x6d3b8729db2a0919:0xcd738be9b12e01bf!8m2!3d-41.1079444!4d173.0003805?hl=nl�

Kind regards,

Jozefien Nuyttens,
snowboard and ski instructor

Facebook:�https://www.facebook.com/coolcappucina
Instagram:�https://www.instagram.com/Jozynuyt
Twitter:�https://twitter.com/Jozynuyt
Website:�thesingingmonkey.com/

"follow your heart but take your brain with you." Alfred Adler

online from www.hostelworld.com and are ready to hit the ground running � making new

friends, exploring the local caf�s, and finding bars hidden down poster-pasted alleys. That was

my mindset when I arrived to Wellington, New Zealand in the middle of January. I did not have

many expectations when I first arrived, but I knew I wanted to try and find a temporary part or

full-time job and a place to live. On my second morning at Nomads Hostel, the kind receptionist

who knew I was new to the city and looking for work let me know that there was an opportunity

to do Work for Accommodation at the hostel. For those of who haven�t heard the phrase �work

for accommodation� it is where you do work at the hostel in exchange for free accommodation

plus other perks; these perks can vary by hostel from free wi-fi, complimentary laundry, and

even a free meal a day. The hourly commitment per week also varies per hostel and usually you

need to make a small bond payment to ensure that you will be there for the minimum two-week

commitment. Work for Accommodation was such a nice way to become familiar with the city

and attend local events such as walking tours, or Music in the Park with other people who have a

working holiday visa here or travelers passing through. And since you are only working up to

four hours per day, you can have the rest of the day to look for a job in the city. I recommend

Temp Agencies; these may require that you come in for an interview, but after the interview and

receiving your contact information they will contact you when they have a job that needs filling!

Extra eyes to help you on your way to saving some extra cash, so you can explore the rest of this

beautiful country! So if your goal is to giving life in the city a-go, then think about the work for

accommodation as an option to help keep some weight in your pockets, so you can go out for

that drink with your new friends in the bean bag chairs and enjoy the harbor view.

In December I applied for two different cooking jobs, one at Mt. Cook Village and one in Wanaka.  They both got back to me almost at once, and after googling photos of both areas (knowing almost nothing about New Zealand at the time), I decided to go with the Wanaka job!  I had worked as a baker and breakfast cook the summer before, so I was an ideal candidate, and I was offered the job as a chef�s assistant at Kai Whakapai following a phone interview. 

Honestly, I would have been happy with a fruit-picking job�anything to get me to New Zealand.  But Kai Caf� was perfect. 

I started my job the day after I arrived in Wanaka.  The flat I had lined up fell through (there was a miscommunication, and the room I wanted wasn�t available), but I was able to sort out a much better (and cheaper!) place that same day.  Basically I just sat at the lakefront while the flat-owner chatted to his mate, and next thing I knew I had a place to live! 

That was my first introduction to how easy and straightforward most things are in New Zealand. 

It was simple enough setting up a bank account with Westpac and getting an IRD number (required for anyone working in New Zealand), and then all I had to worry about was work and travel. 

Working at Kai Caf� was wonderful.  I had never been formally trained as a chef, yet I was given many opportunities to perform as a full chef, and the team was plenty of fun to work with.  I had coworkers from Scotland, England, the Netherlands, Germany, and New Zealand, and the owners were never afraid to step in and wash dishes if we were busy. 

Better still, with the high minimum wage and affordable cost of living, I was left with about $500 a week to spend on travel.  I visited Mt. Cook, Milford Sound, Queenstown, Glenorchy, and the Catlins; did a canyoning tour, a horseback riding trip, a 4-wheeling excursion, and a whitewater sledging trip; and hiked up mountains and to backcountry huts most weekends.  It was crazy!  I started to think of my work-days as �down time� in between the hikes and adventures. 

I worked at Kai Whakapai for three months, and afterwards spent three weeks traveling around as much of the South Island as I could see.  If I had the chance to do it all again, I absolutely would.  For me, it was comforting to have a home base to return to while I traveled, and a community to become familiar with.  And I gained enough experience in my role that I was later hired as a proper chef at an upscale restaurant. 

You can probably tell how much I loved New Zealand by the fact that I�m now a resident! 

Are you looking for an easy, relaxed job?

Dont like working up a sweat or getting dirty?

Afraid of a bit of sun or the wild elements of the New Zealand outdoors?

If you answered yes to any of the above, then seasonal work is NOT for you! There is dirt, there is sweat, there are bugs and hot sun and rainy days BUT dont get me wrong...I love it!

The work on a vineyard (or I would assume at an orchard or other farm as well) leaves you not only with money in your pocket but with the feeling of accomplishment and the joy of a hard days work. The pleasure of great company and the pleasure of working in the great outdoors.

My first experience in seasonal work was at a vineyard just South of Auckland in a tiny town called Whitford. I lived in a small house with a group of other travellers where we shared our stories, our food and a lot of wine! We did that at night that is...during the day we worked.

The work the first day involved picking the grapes and loading them onto a truck that would later that day be delivered all the way down to Napier. Since I had worked on a farm growing up and had some experience driving four wheelers, I got the enviable job of riding around on the quad and bringing the grapes from the vineyard to the truck. It sounds like fun and at times it was great to ride around with the cool breeze cooling me off from the heat of a mid-March day in Auckland but it was also the hardest job of the day. I had to pick up hundreds and hundreds of baskets of grapes that weighed...enough to be a workout...and load them onto the quad trailer then eventually into the big rig truck. Needless to say, I got some good muscles in the two weeks I was there.

Aside from picking we had to walk through the rows early in the morning and scare out the birds that had settled to eat the fruit overnight. Sounds easy but with the dew on the nets and our heads scraping the soaked fabric, we would be soaked within minutes of "bird scaring". Banging sticks together and screaming at the top of my lungs at 8am made for an interesting start to the day but it just added to the surreal experience of the seasonal job of grape picking.

The hardest job we did...and the hardest job Ive ever done...was riding on the back of a tractor and pulling in the nets to these massive burlap sacks that were big enough to fit half a dozen full grown men inside with space to spare. The wet nets stretched across five rows of grapes made for quite the workout while pulling it in and I swear I couldnt feel my arms for the rest of the day. Again though, it was an incredible workout and by the end of the day I had a feeling of exhausted accomplishment that is just incomparable to anything else.

The early mornings in the crisp, fresh morning air, the sun baked afternoons followed by a night of relaxation and wine made it an unforgettable experience in the fields of New Zealand.

If you want to work in the Gods good land, experience and learn about the culture and industry of organic food or just need some money, this is a great opportunity!

So put on your work clothes, roll up your sleeves and get out and involved in seasonal work in the spectacular country that is New Zealand!

 A light drizzle. Some wind. Chilly air.

� Brilliant, nice light drizzle�, I thought, as I slipped my fleece jacket on top of my hoodie and waited for my bus. Welcome to New Zealand.

Weather Lesson Number 1.1 for any natives from sunnier climes (like me): New Zealand�s weather is unbelievably unpredictable and changeable. Be prepared. Layers layers layers - Waterproof jacket / pants, fleece, shirt, base layer / thermals, gloves, beanie, hat, sunglasses, sun block cream.

You might be wondering why I wrote Lesson Number 1.1 above. That�s because there were (and I�m sure are) many lessons learnt so far. LOL � Laugh Out Loud for the uninitiated and used in this context to take the piss out of myself.

As I sat in the relatively warm environs of the bus, I assumed that the light drizzle would surely peter out fairly soon. That would not be an unfair assumption to make in the context of Singapore. A light drizzle in Singapore usually abates after roughly half an hour to two hours. Nope. Not in Christchurch, New Zealand. I got off the bus to a rather heavier drizzle, just enough to wet all the backpacks and bags I was carrying and necessitating a troublesome extraction of the rain jacket. As you can see, I like making assumptions and I�m stubborn in that I don�t quite learn my lesson when I�m proven wrong.

Weather Lesson Number 1.2 : Have your layers packed accessibly. Common sense.

THE first seasonal job: Excitement, trepidation, happiness

Finding my first seasonal job was surprisingly easy. In this day and age, 21^st century Google Facebook internet age and all that, obviously the most convenient way of looking for a job is through the Internet. Some of the websites I used and still use regularly are:

http://www.seasonaljobs.co.nz

http://www.backpackerboard.co.nz/work_jobs/index.php

http://www.bbh.co.nz/travellers/billboard_home.asp

Internet Tip Number 1: Use a mobile phone or tablet to access online websites in New Zealand. Why? Because, in stark contrast to the rest of the world (I think?), hostels here do not have free unlimited wifi. The hostels generally restrict usage to a measly 200MB or less, or none at all, in the price of accommodation. So you either pay lots or use your ration up within an hour if you�re on a laptop. Personally, I have no issues doing most of my internet surfing and searching on my rather small old and reliable (touch wood!) Samsung S2 and found that I never exceeded the measly limit. My roommates who were using their laptops busted their limits all the time. Use your smartphone to limit data consumption. Presumably, mobile friendly sites are less data intensive and more navigation friendly for smartphone users.

As I came to New Zealand specifically to look for jobs that would involve working outdoors, that certainly affected the type of work that I consider viable. It seems like 95% of young children in New Zealand are looked after by au pairs ie. nannies of foreign origin with questionable suitability. JOKING. 

I managed to find a grape picking job through the job search boards listed above within a week of arriving. From what I gather, April is the middle to end of the grape harvesting season around the South Island and so there were some jobs of that sort around. Fortunately for me, the job description matched my dream job � working on a vineyard outdoors in the beautiful autumn sunshine in wine country. Paradise on earth.  Ah, the naivete of youth. Or rather, of a tropical city boy.  

I arrived just before 8 am at the vineyard in Waipara Valley, about an hour�s drive north of Christchurch, and found a fair few backpacker looking types waiting around for something. They were all dressed remarkably differently and yet all seemed the same. Odd isn�t it? Shortly thereafter, we were given brief instructions on what needed to be done, ie. snipping bunches of grapes off the vines, and led on a short invigorating walk up and over a damn steep hill.

It was a beautiful day, the sun was out, cows were lowing in the distance, there was a random dog making his energetic and excited rounds amongst all the pickers, I was warm � a rather rare occurrence considering that it was raining every darn day in Christchurch in the past week. As for the work, it was repetitive but satisfying. Start on a row of vines, check each bunch of grapes for the colour (eg. Black for pinot noir grapes), snip, toss in bucket, move on to the next bunch. Repeat x 1000. Eat some grapes occasionally if you so desire. I loved it.

Apart from the work, which was simple and relaxing, it was wonderful meeting people from around the world and getting to know them, even if only for a little bit. I know it�s clich�d, I know it�s overused, but the reality is that all of these wonderful  and engaging people are likeminded individuals. Why else would you be in New Zealand? And this makes for great conversations and bloody good yarns.

Back to the grape picking � needless to say, this first day was an amazing experience for me seeing as I come from a tropical tiny island city-state with a population of 6 million and no vineyards. Couple that with a previous job which required no physical effort whatsoever apart from typing, talking, making telephone calls and enduring 12 hour days, and you have a recipe for � happiness! Firstly, I could understand how importance (obviously) the grape picking process is to the final product to be made from them � hopefully good wines. The satisfaction of seeing rows of vines picked clear was also tremendous as each day there was tangible and visible progress. In addition, there is an element of team effort and working with a group of people towards a common goal. That requires no explanation surely.  You also get to learn so much from the permanent staff on the vineyards, who were, certainly in Waipara, extremely generous and friendly and always more than willing to share their knowledge about everything and anything to do with wine, winemaking, vineyard work, grapes and ... the weather! And when the weather is great, just taking a moment to look up and around does wonders.

In my mind I see the rolling hills of Waipara extending out into the distance, a patchwork of pine trees and regular tidy squares of farmland, a myriad of greens under the sunshine and clouds, imagine a tiny breeze on your cheek and the crisp pure air with every breath. The smells are not overpowering but gentle � the softly fermenting odour of grape juice on your gloves, the animal smell on the breeze and the earthy full whiffs of soil and mud complement the stunning landscape. Imagine the sticky feel of grape juice on your fingers, the taste of perfectly ripe black pinot noir grapes that leave a teasing suggestion of the wine to come and the chirping of birds in the background.

It was an amazing experience under the hot and welcome golden sun. But what was it like in the unceasing rain? I�ll let you know when I get down to writing about that soon!

I�m still travelling and working around the South Island. Can�t believe it has only been getting more amazing. Still loving it no matter the weather!

We arrived at that time of the day when the sun casts no shadows. The backpackers sign meant nothing to the junkyard where a collection of what seemed abandoned vans and cars rested, lifeless, at sight. We got off our vehicle and a black labrador greeted us and started walking towards a shed. Being that it seemed the only reception we were meant to receive I followed him and we went through a door hidden in between two vans. There was a hallway, and to the right a precarious bathroom with a shower and two toilets. And suddenly I was inside. The what question arose at that very moment. For the several �extirpated� car seats arranged in a semicircular fashion around a small wooden table put imagination at task, but not more than the eight hundred stuffed monkeys hanging from the roof and clinging to the walls. There was also a bar, guitars, a drumkit, lots of DVD�s, a pool table and a table tennis table, bicycles, boots, a bow, a fridge, lots of empty beer bottles, and lots of interesting things just laying here or there. Behind me, above the door frame, the wall was painted and an inscription said: �The Gorilla Hut.�

I heard some chattering behind a plastic courtain. English accent. I went through it and there were two guys dressed in cakis and workboots: �Damon�s not home right now, but he knew you�ll be arriving any moment. So he should be back soon. Just get yourself comfortable mate.� And so we waited, but not for long because a couple of minutes later we heard a car parking outside.

The man, in his forties, walked towards us with a smile in his face and a big hand to be shaken. He showed us around and then took us through a field where a cow grazed peacefully and some piglets were feeding. We arrived then to the farm house. It was the place where everyone gathered to have dinner, a meal that Damon cared to cook every day, and also where we chose to sleep.

The house reflected the spirit of The Gorilla Hut. One could say it was messy, or even dirty, or that the owner had no respect whatsoever for order. It was what hell would look like for your mother. But I prefer the word chaotic. Chaos is what humans try to seize, try to control, it is also what we fear. We love to impose an order into a world we believe to be ours. We build monstrous cities where we feel protected and things make sense, we put names on things, we believe that there is a place and a purpose for everything.

So when you arrive in The Gorilla Hut, you feel something quite different. And you get a reminder that sometimes is better to �Let the chips fall where they may.� Sometimes you have to abandon yourself to the situation and enjoy the ride.

The apple picking work was not good. They paid $32 per bin and in one day you were lucky to fill two of those. The heat was overwhelming because of the drought. And last but not least, in apple picking it�s more difficult to talk to some co-worker since you take care of a row of trees and are constantly climbing up and down the ladder searching for the god forbidden fruits.

�We are looking for experienced, tidy and responsible people to
join our team. Please send us your CV or come to the hotel�

If my mother was told one year ago that I was going to be a housekeeper at a five star hotel in one of the spots towns surrounding the beaches of New Zealand, she would have laugh really loud and said �no way�. But there I was, two days after that miraculous morning, introducing myself to the incredible world of the bleach, the mop and the air freshener. Becoming a master of the vacuum cleaning and the ironing. Willing to know new products everyday and using them as a professional and experienced cleaner. Extremely tidy and organized. Dusting, polishing and moping. Becoming the bellboy, the service guy, the pool man and the manager�s hand. And, at last but not least, being a member of the funniest, coolest and most cheerful (and international) housekeeping team in the world!
Our job started on a Sunday, can you imagine starting a job on Sunday? That is hard working! And it was only the beginning of the hard working. We spent the following three months working a lot, I think that we only stopped to drink some tea and have some cookies, no I�m just kidding we worked a lot but, luckily, we also spent some time going to the beach, cooking, reading and having the good life but not for a long time because, even tough we never thought that we were going to stay for more tan a week in Russell, I myself, found a second job (and yes, my mum is still laughing and couldn�t believe I was working double!)
So here comes the description of one my typical double shifts days.
8.00 am. Alarm clock went off for the first time.
8.30 am. Alarm clock went off for the fourth time and I jumped out of the bed.
8.35 am. With my face and teeth cleaned, I started to make and have breakfast
9.00 am. Signing in at my first job (still a bit sleepy)
9.01 am to 3.30 pm. Cleaning, dusting, cleaning, moping, cleaning, vacuuming!!! Cleaning, cleaning, cleaning!!!
3.30 pm to 4 pm. Quick shower, fast lunch and preparing myself for my second job
4 pm. Signing in at Sally�s Restaurant.
4.01 till late. Stocking the bar, making coffees and drinks, waiting, writing the specials on the board, helping in the kitchen, taking a ten minutes break, making the bills, counting tips, cleaning and closing the restaurant.
Late. Having dinner and some drinks at the restaurant, next to the Russell wharf, relaxing with my new friends (and the enigmatic someone that has been with me through all the trip) and having the best time of the day under the shining moon (unless it was raining. Then, it was only the restaurant�s roof)
Later (after late). Getting home in my Mercedes Benz, smoking a Cuban cigar, drinking my scotch on the rocks, listening to chill out music and taking a long bath. Oh no! I felt asleep again! Sorry! The last part of the day wasn�t that interesting so we�ll skip it.
Adventure means out of any convention for me so a fantastic summer spent in the unthinkable Russell, working with wonderful people, spectacular viewings and the best environment ever is an adventure itself without any doubt.
Our Working Holiday Visa Tour is still on, so buy your tickets. That was just the beginning.

Of course, the trip until Hastings for visiting the Pick NZ office and registered myself again in person was useless. The same answer, �we will let you know if we have any opportunities�. I started to search for orchards address on Internet and go there for meeting the manager in person and ask if there were some positions available, and send some emails at the same time. After 3 days of work, because as everywhere in the world, looking for a job, if you really want to get one, is a full time job, I received a positive answer. But the manager was looking for someone with experience with hydraladder� Hum, I could do it, I could learn something new very quickly, and I was very motivated so that worked ! The farm was located between Napier and Hastings and was also a wwoofing place. They gave me a go during the 3 first days as a wwoofer and finally they hired me. I was working 8 hours per day, 3 hours for food and accommodation, who was in a caravan with share kitchen and bathroom, and the rest was paid. The job was not very hard, apple thinning being just pick the small and bad apple and let them on the ground, so you get it quickly and can be very fast after only 3 full days of work. Of course, you must know that you go to spend 8 hours up, outside, concentrated on apples, and that could be boring sometimes. But compared to the workers that I met before, I was paid hourly and not by contract (per tree), so I had decent wages. There were other wwoofers over there so I could socialize. I worked there for 5 weeks and they offered me to come back for the harvest season. Of course I said yes, I didn�t really want to have the same bad days, care about money and job opportunities. And even if this year is a bad year for apple because of the bad summer, I met some great people and it was a great opportunity for me to learn something new in my job back home.
In conclusion, I would like to say to travellers who would like to enjoy a working experience in New Zealand to do not rely on those who say to you that they can find you a work but offer you nothing concrete and that�s always better when you do it by yourself.

I am sure you will agree that there are not many countries as suitable for backpacking as New Zealand is. However, I am sure you will also agree that a green land far far away is not so keen on our pockets, which makes working here necessarily for almost everybody who wants to stay more than a month or two. And we all know that not even six months is enough to explore all the beauties of Kiwiland. The work itself is a nice opportunity not just to make some money, but to get to know the working system in another country, learn some extra skills and meet other travelers. It is great to put down a backpack for a few weeks and stay still in one place for a while before the travel bug starts kicking in again. But I am sure you already found out that this is harder than it sounds. It is not work that it�s a necessary evil, it�s finding it. Yes, there are different job agencies and services which you would expect to provide you with work and all the information you need, but my own experiences show, that like at many other things in life, you have to shift for yourself. Best way to get seasonal work is to go directly to managers of orchards or vineyards. Most of job seekers do that, which means they skip the middlemen and therefore they do not have anything to offer you. Ask travelers at the hostel you are staying and get managers contacts from previous employees. Call them and do not wait for the phone call you were promised to receive at an agency. Even locals I met didn�t prove to have very reliable information. They are all saying things like: �Oh, yeah! There�s hips of work here or there,� but they don�t know that there are also a lot of backpackers fighting for that spots. Websites like www.backpackersboard , www.agstaff , www.seasonalwork, ect weren�t very useful to me, but they can help you to find out what kind of work is coming up in different regions. Build your itinerary based on that.

One other thing that is important if you are looking for work in an orchard or a vineyard is having your own ride. There�s a reason why they ask you if have on at every agency. My experiences show that you are more likely to get a job if you have a car, but that�s not completely true, especially if you go directly to managers. Also not completely true, is that all job agencies are useless. Barbara at Wanaka Job Agency is a great girl and she does not just give you false hope, she indeed calls you, and not just once.

If you are looking for other types of work, the story is not that different. The best thing is to go to a sore, a restaurant or a caf� you want to work in and hand your CV directly to the manager. Be persistent. Go there many times so they will remember you and know you are serious. In my opinion work is easier to find in smaller and quieter towns where backpackers usually don�t stay for more than a night such as Twizel or Arrowtown. The competition in bigger cities is tough, especially if you are trying to get a job in a city center. Stores along Qeen St in Auckland will reject you by showing you a pile of CVs they receive every day. Again, try your luck in quieter neighborhoods.

Bottom of line, there is a lot of seasonal work in New Zealand and it is possible to get it, although it sometimes looks like it isn�t. Just don�t lose hope, look around you and be open to anything that comes your way.

Happy travels and best of luck,

Tomaz from Slovenia

I came here together with Janine, another Dutch girl that I met during my travels. We both hoped that we could get a job really soon! At the time we arrived here and we checked in, I was more happy than anyone in the world, as the hostel-owner said they should have a job for us in 2 days.  After all this seemed to be not exactly true, because it was one week later that we could finally begin. We were going to do picking, thinning and pruning Capsicums. When I first heard that, I laughed and thought how ironic it was. In Holland I live in an area where there is a big capsicum-business in glasshouses. So Isha goes to the other side of the world, to do the same thing she can do next to her own house in Holland! Haha!

 
The hostel-owner told us to wear a shirt with long sleeves and long pants, sport shoes, and a cap against the sun. We also put a lot of sunscreen on, because we were still a little bit sunburned from a few days before. Tip: Bring always sunscreen with you, although it�s not sunny in the morning, you know the changing weather conditions in New-Zealand! I brought my little 750ml water bottle, assuming that there would be a water tap, where I could refill my bottle. When we arrived there by car with 3 other people from our hostel, we had to sign a contract on the bonnet , which I thought was funny because I expected that we had to have an interview in an office with the supervisor or something. But no, only signing the contract and giving our documents was enough. Tip: If it�s your first day of work, bring your passport, and a copy of it, a copy of your visa, your IRD-number, and your bank account number.  Besides, there was nothing like an office there! There wasn�t even a water tap, which meant that I was going to die due to a lack of water;) Well, ok, it was not that bad, but you could say that I looked similar to one of the sad dried out Capsicum-plants at the end of the day! Tip: Bring always loads and loads of water with you!!  I never have had a seasonal job before and so the first day was pretty hard. We needed to sit on a plastic box, which was placed on a trolley, and put ourselves forward with our legs. Meanwhile we had to remove the side-branches, but to do this you needed to bend over. How later that day, how older I felt myself. In the end I couldn�t even sit straight anymore because my back was hurting and stuck at the same position. Haha, and with the sun shining, sweating like never before and a lack of water, the music in my ears was the only reason I survived that first day. Tip: Bring you I-pod with some good music and make sure it�s completely loaded (the last hours of the day you will probably need it the most)

The day after, I was better prepared. I had a short-sleeved t-shirt on, because there was no reason to put long sleeves on, and I had ten times more water with me. Unfortunately Janine didn�t come with me the second day because she had too much pain in her back.  When we arrived I was happily surprised because we had to pick the big capsicums! This was actually pretty funny to do. Except that we had to use a little knife, and that I (of course) cut a piece of my finger of. Haha, but even though I had a Vietnam wound now, which I secretly thought was really cool, the picking of capsicums was sweet hey! Just racing with your trolley in front of you, put the capsicums in the plastic boxes, and try to be the fastest.! I was sad that after 1 hour all the big capsicums where already picked. Now I needed to fasten all the plants to a cable with tape so that they can grow straight. This was less hard for my back, so that was good. But this time my hand was painful after a while, because you have to staple the tape around the plant and cable with your hand. But never mind, the first days your body just have to get used to the act or move.  So don�t be scared, in the end everything will be all right;) We have 3 breaks a day and in the break we just hang around the car a little bit. It�s nice to relax for a moment and secretly eat some blueberries from the other field! Tip: Take except your lunch also something sweet, something fresh and something salty to eat with you. Like a muesli-bar, an apple and some nuts or chips.

 
At my third working day it rained in the morning. I first prepared to go to work, than I heard that we didn�t have to work so I went to bed again. After ten minutes I heard that we did have to go to work anyway, so I stressed and tried to be ready at time. But then after 5 minutes my colleague got a text-message that there was no work today. Haha it was crazy, but in the end I went back to bed again. Tip: Check the weather conditions for the day after, so that you can prepared , and already know if there is a chance you don�t have to work the next day.
Well, this was a description of my first working days! I hope you enjoyed it. I think the first days are always hard because your body has to get used to it. But after a few days everything is ok, you will get to know the people you work with, and talk with them while you�re working. You can also listen to music, or think about your boyfriend (or girlfriend haha). So after all, it�s not that bad, and sometimes it will be even fun! You will get tan, and maybe lose some weight! You are outside, in the summer, with the nature around you and although the days will be long, I think it�s a nice way to earn some money!

I will end my story with three other tips.
- Take many different clothes with you. If the weather suddenly changes you want to be prepared. So take a sweater and your raincoat with you!
- If you�re preparing for work in the morning, put some fresh lemon and some sugar in your water. Believe me, drinking this helps you surviving the heat.
- If you�re tired of all your music, because you have listened it for a thousand times, you can also buy some audiobooks and put them on your I-pod! Now you can enjoy a story, and earn money at the same time!

 
so that was just a brief explanation of my first time picking, i liked it so much that i returned a  few years later. I reccomend it to everyone

ps only problem is you may get sick of apples

�OK, Angie. It�s a deal then. We�ll be there in three days. See ya!�

Wow! I thought to myself, what a nice lady. Can�t wait to get there. I googled �RUSSELL NZ�, clicked the �image� tab and it seemed to be the perfect place. Really beautiful. So we packed our stuff, which is not so little, threw everything in the car and said goodbye to our woofing hosts in Tauranga. It was a really nice experience to woof on a farm, but we needed some extra cash and we thought we�ll be able to get a full-time or part-time job in Russell. Also the Rena mess made our decision to leave the region an easy one.

The deal with Angie, the owner of the Family Park in Russell, was that we work there for 2,5 hours daily for accommodation. Which sounded quite reasonable at the moment, comparing it to the 5 hours we worked at the farm for a room and most of the food. Plus we could apply for some afternoon paid jobs in the town, which there are �heaps� of.

So there we were. A 27 year old Slovenian couple, both with university degrees (not that it matters, not here not at home), full of energy and expectations parked at the Family Park to begin our work there. Angie greeted us with a voice that was a mixture of snobbish English and something I couldn�t figure out at that moment. She showed us our room, which was a big one with four beds and a small fridge. The furniture and the equipment in the room were slightly out of date, some 30 years, but so were the most things around the Park. Never than less we kind of liked it and were happy to finally sleep on a double bed after last week sharing a bunk, which doesn�t help the relationship balance.

�You guys relax, and go to the town to ask for some work. I�ve talked with the restaurants in the town and they need heaps of help there. I�m sure you�ll find something quickly. No worries. You�ll be okay here. Believe you me.�

�That� cool. Thanks Angie. And we start to work tomorrow? What type of work we will be doing?�

�Well, we�ve got cleaning covered, so that means you two can do a lot of gardening. Is that all right with you?� asked very politely, emotionless. 
�I guess so. I love working outside in the nature. And what time should we start?�

�Oh, I�ll tell you in the evening, I have to ask Bob, because he will be working with you guys.�

Bob was her husband, a Kiwi. An all right dude turned bitch whipped. But that�s how things turn out sometimes, even for the toughest chaps. She came from Australia and after getting to know her made me consider real good if I want to visit the country. They lived half of year in New Zealand and half a year in Australia. A well of couple with two grown up daughters. They bought the place ages ago as a type of investment and rented it out to different managers. I�ve been told that the prior manager turned the place into a dump. Having drug dealers living there and let it slowly rot away. Now it was their time to take over their kingdom again and regain power and the Working-Holiday Visa travelers were their servants that would make the magic work.

There were lots of other people working at the place. A 19 year old German couple so beautifully naive and full of hopes and dreams it made you feel like a teenager again. But they had to work 3 hours daily, because they stayed in a special lodge, which was much smaller than our room, but had a terrace and wooden floor. There was also a German girl (seems that these days the country has more German population than Argentina after WWII) who was also looking for some paid job, because she wanted to travel with her boyfriend who is on the way here. But she was more or less in her room watching soaps and searching for jobs that actually paid, so we didn�t had much contact. And not to forget a 6 head family, which were the coolest people we met so far. So we were the Park pack. Doing whatever there was, to keep it clean, keep it pretty to Australian standards and to be good obedient workers, which we were forced and proved to be just the next day.

�Why don�t we go down to the town to ask for jobs?� Katja asked me.

�All right than. I just grab the CVs and we�re off,� I replied, �it would be nice if we find something today, ha?�

�Yes, that would be cool. So we can finally save up something as we agreed to.�

The little town of Russell, which we didn�t know by then how little it was, was very little. It wasn�t just very little it was also a good hour walk from the Park. So here we go petrol money! The town center consists of four restaurants, two cafes, a pub, three souvenir shops and two supermarkets of the same company. Lots of opportunities for everybody I guess. So afterward I checked the web, telling me that that Russell has only about 2500 inhabitants. Hmmm. That�s for not doing your homework!

The next day we start at about 9 AM. Bob the chief rocka drove us in his SUV/4x4 around the property while we put the trash in the trailer attached to the car. Next stop, dropping the rubbish and then fill the trailer with what they call good soil. Actually it was just clay that stood there for ages and was hard as a�.
Well, I don�t mind working with picks and spades, but my girlfriend definitely wasn�t used to that kinda work. But we did as we were told to. And no time to breathe or go to toilet or get a glass of water. �Hey we have only two hours and a half,� said the chief. I�ve worked in landscaping for some time and I can tell you that we never worked this fast. Not because we wouldn�t want to, but because it�s just not healthy to work without a pause or hydration, especially under the world famous New Zealand sun.

A surprise awaited us just around the corner. The next day it was burning stuff day. Which means that we burned all the old invoices, files and papers, of course keeping the 30 year old broken folders for future generations to use. And they picked just the right spot to do it � on bare land in front of the trees.
�Don�t you think the forest can catch fire?� Katja asked Bob.

He looked like a wasp stung him in the nuts, like: �Nah. It�s gonna be all right. Don�t you worry. If that would be Australia we would be in trouble, but New Zealand got good trees, they don� burn that fast. Plus it�s not that dry here�

�Whatever you say� I go. Although it looked like a damn dessert.

Then we watch the fire that rose like three meters high slightly touching the manuka trees. He puts on more paper and some dry gorse. WOOOOF it goes. We just watch the spectacle skeptical and wait �til it would go down. He dontyouworryin� us again. Meanwhile Angie stops by and whispers in Bob�s ear: �Hey. Why are they standing around? They don�t do nothing. Get them to work.�

I just think to myself: �What a poor schmuck!� and �What a c**t!�

�You cannot load everything on the fire� Bob goes. �It�s going to be too big. The forest might catch fire.�

�OK, but still. Maybe he can get new folders and she can put stuff on the fire. They can�t just stand around.�

Of course this was a great idea and we finish the day smelling like smoked salmon. When we arrive at the so called base to return the gear, meaning gloves full of holes, they find out that there are still 5 minutes left so we do some other stuff for the next 20 minutes. How do you like that?
In the next few days we got the task to make a forest trail for the customers. What sounded like great, ended up frustrating, when finally Angie interfered. She wanted the trail to go through the swamp. Hmmm�

No problem. There you go. Now the people staying in the Family Park can freely enjoy the moist experience in the beautiful swamp. Just don�t forget to give them gum boots Angie. We stayed for two weeks all together. The 6 member family living there and some other woofers made the stay there enjoyable, but we needed some paid jobs. Where do we go from here? Let�s go to Wellington! We guessed in a big city it�s going to be easier to find a job, more people, more jobs.

RIGHT?
WRONG!

A great deal of seasonal agriculture work can be found through the local hostels and motor parks within the respective area. After talking with a contact at the Hairy Berry we soon found ourselves packing Kiwi�s by the thousand in an enormous warehouse at Satara, one of several packhouse chains in the area; a line of work that did not pay particularly well but made up for it in the available hours (sometimes 60+). Its a monotonous environment, the air filled with kiwi fibres and the noise of conveyor machinery, but like many things its something you can get used to. Soon after this we tried our hand at the much more physically demanding (but equally more soul rewarding) actual picking of the Kiwis. We both moved into a caravan park on the other side of town for a much cheaper rent whose minor inconveniences could be resolved easily by a bit of forward planning ahead of the 20yard walk to the kitchen and the $5 purchase of a 2nd hand electric heater. Contracted to be paid by the value of a crate divided by how many people were picking to fill them, this inspired a motivation and impetus to pick the Kiwi�s, hanging between 5 and 7 feet off the ground, at a ferocious rate.  Myself I achieved a truly joyful efficiency in grip-to-drop rate that must have amounted to around 3-4 pieces of fruit in the chest-mounted bag per second, filling the bag in about 4-5 minutes. At about $14 per crate, an average of 8 people per team and about 30-40 bags filling a crate... well, you do the maths.

The work was exhausting and on occasion annoyingly infrequent when the rain clouds appeared. But this was an authentically, and literally �Kiwi� experience that I would never change. Pierre and I shared solidarity with each other and all others we met of a kind I believe can only be felt by those from lands far away, joined together and engaged in a sporadic physical labour on foreign shores. But much more than this, because of the PSA infection, a congenital disease that has now spread across almost the entire Kiwi industry in New Zealand, this seasonal work that has kept working-travellers flowing through this region for decades, may well entirely come to an end within the next four or five years according to many growers that we spoke to. For this reason alone, I feel privileged to have been a part of it".

What I gained from seasonal work was all that and more. I gained character. Working outdoors in the elements can have its ups and downs but at the end of the day it�s always worth it. You retreat back out of the sun to wherever it is you came from and enjoy a fantastic glass of Marlborough wine, quietly wondering whether the grapes that went into the wine came from a plant that was once tended by your own hands in summers passed.

The people from all walks of life who join you working along those long rows of endless summers will stay with you forever. For several summers I watched a friendship blossom between myself and two friends as we bud-rubbed and wire-lifted away our days together. Those girls are now young women, and will be escorting me down the aisle as my bridesmaids in January. I watched a romance grow as two people working together over the summer leaned over the wires and whispered things to one another. They are still in Love and still spend their summers working together as a couple, 5 years on. One year I worked with a Tongan family for a few weeks and learned things about their language and culture that helps me relate to people in many situations.

Those people who have experienced seasonal jobs like me will agree that although it feels like you are just picking up a bit of work over a period of time, and although it feels like a temporary state that will be gone and forgotten, this is not true. Seasonal jobs COULD change your very life as you know it.

I arrived at 6am in the morning and was told I wouldnt be able to check in until 1pm - so after a long flight with no sleep I had to battle on before I could finally rest. I took myself to job boards in hostels, the post shop to get my bank account and IRD number sorted and then to an internet cafe. I plodded on and got myself 2 interviews for the next day and another 3 for later in the week - I really wasnt messing about.

The rugby world cup although expensive for me, helped me out as I got a job immediately as a Transport Advisor, which was a tad ironic, informing people where to get their transport from when I had only been in the country myself a mere matter of days. I have also worked for other companies; at a food event making cocktails, at Ellerslie Racecourse for the Melbourne cup and a door knocking milk man! I have been none stop in my quest for work and the search continues. I like the adventure and experience but it is also not as easy as I thought it would be securing a job.

Thanks for reading.

Emma

When I arrived in Hawke�s Bay, I soon found a seasonal job � thanks to my roommates who informed me. A local company hired us to work in a nearby peach orchard.
Our task was to cut off most of the peaches, so that the remaining ones had enough space to grow really big. Doing this we had to use a ladder in order to get to the top branches of the peach trees, nevertheless some of them seemed to be unreachable. Observed by Indian supervisors we had to finish at least 3 trees per hours, which sounds quite easy but it is almost impossible. Work started every morning at 7 a.m. and ended at approximately 4.30 p.m. in a six days per week schedule. We were promised to earn $5 per tree; in the end we all got just $13.25 per hour (before tax, which is minimum pay).
Working in a rural orchard means silent environment, fresh air and time to think about everything, but also itching, bloodshot eyes and skin irritations due to sprayings and sunburns and dehydration due to only few breaks during the day. In addition to that we had to stand the so-called Indian way of motivating people, which meant threatening us with losing our job in such bad English a three-year-old could express. As a result many works were fired after having worked 2 days and many quitted deliberately. At least the salary was in time.
All in all this job is a good means to earn money quickly for 2-3 days if you need it urgently, but nothing more.

If you want to work in NZ you will need to do the following first
before you are permitted to work for a year. The New Zealand
government offers something called a Working Holiday Scheme which
simply involves you applying without needing to provide any evidence
that you have even received a job offer. I am a UK citizen so it was
not necessary for me to apply for a Visa.

Finding work for me was easy only because the work found me! To my
advantage, I was able to assist my friend who is a bass guitarist in a
band but he now plays for a band in LA called �Tribe�.I ended up
assisting his band with some odd jobs such as some promotional filming
and carrying gear. Nothing major, but that was how I got by! All the
while I was able to watch a live shows, for minimal effort.

It was great being able to spend time catching up with my long time
friend and his family. He was able to show me a good time on the North
Island, with us having some eventful nights in Auckland. I also had a
site recommended to me called http://www.askalo.co.nz/ that I found pretty handy
on figuring out what I should do next.His family also owned their own
boat, so one weekend we were able to get an amazing view of Auckland
from a distance. The view had then become pretty blurry since I got to
hang off the back of the boat on one of those rubber tubes.

My personal highlight of my time in New Zealand though, would have to
be jumping out of a plane from 15,000 ft in the air over lake Taupo.
If you get the chance, you must do Tandem Skydiving! That is something
I will never forget, and the view on the way down was truly
breathtaking.

All in all, in case it is not apparent I really enjoyed my time in New
Zealand and if I had the chance I would most definitely visit again. I
now work full-time, so I hopefully will not have to do any odd jobs ;)

Email: Gavin.Lammin@locanto.co.uk

Twitter: @Gav_at_Locanto

Some of the less milkable tourists were put to work in the vineyards, producing precious booze for the colonialists. They talked about the size of the locals cellphones and the sameness of all people, seeing only themselves reflected in everybody that they met. These tourists of the world were given rather a raw deal from dodgey contractors who would take on far too many of them in order to fill contracts they couldnt afford and then lay them off at random when work ran low.

The more fortunate tourists worked in the orchards picking cherries to be sold in Japan for a buck each. They worked under much more favourable conditions since they worked directly for an orchard owner. This gave the added benefit of discounted onsite accommodation in many cases.

The tourists almost without exception drove around in poorly running and occasionally dangerous vans which they bought in Auckland for way too much money. This gave them something else to talk about besides when each of their visas would run out and how ignorant and old-fashioned the locals were. These vans could be seen parked at most rest areas except perhaps in the small hamlet of Alexandra, where ignorant and old-fashioned locals would write obscene messages of hatred on the windows for no particular reason. Alexandra is what happens when you take a white-picket-fence suburb and leave it out in the desert for twenty years. Deprived of their mall, the residents turn on each other in oft-repeated drunken brawls and attempt to impress girls they are probably related to. This results in a town with one cop per square inch of scorched earth and a river of shitass boyracer cars that meanders through the KFC drive-thru every weekend.

So in summary, try and work on orchards and not vineyards if possible (or else as a bartender or waitress if youre pretty), NEVER work for contractors, dont go to Alex and remember that travel does not constitute a meaningful personal experience, no matter how long the flight was. This requires independent thought processes and self-actualisation to avoid acting out a TV show or walking around with a mirror infront of your face.

After our second anniversary and also after almost two years during which we spread this information among our families and friends, everybody became a little bit bored by our plans and stopped hoping we might ever get there. At that time I finished my economy studies and had summer holidays ahead. This was the time when I had to decide whether to find a job or simply leave and extend my holidays. I had a lot of free time to browse on the internet and gather the needed information. As I was not completely decided yet, I started to apply for both and let the faith decide.

While I went to some job interviews, we sat down one evening and applied for the Working Holiday Visa. Knowing that there are various companies in the Czech Republic which can arrange the visa for you and worrying that we might make some mistakes by trying to get it by ourselves; we did not hesitate and visited the immigration websites (www.immigration.govt.nz). After creating our accounts and downloading the right document, we started to fill it in. The questions were very easy to understand and much easier to answer. At the end Tomas applied for his visa himself (without the knowledge of a single word) and was very satisfied that he could understand the conditions without having to pay to any agency. We paid by our visa card online and could wait for the reply.

To our surprise, we got the visa approval within two days. From now on we had one year for getting to New Zealand, and then the possibility to work and travel for a year. Our dreams were slowly becoming true, I no longer applied for another job, Tomas prepared his own business for enclosure and we started to plan our journey.

There are some very useful Czech websites concerning traveling and working in NZ, e.g. www.hedvabnastezka.cz, www.cestananovyzeland.cz. Moreover, it is not difficult to find many English ones: www.newzealand.com, www.i-site.org.nz etc. For some more information we also used many blogs of people who were here before, or we simply contacted some people through facebook or used the information given by the immigration of NZ. Even though we got plenty of useful info and advice, we still felt very unprepared and scared about traveling around half of the world and not knowing anything for sure.
It was the right time for getting our plane tickets. When we visited our largest travel agency, we found out that the ticket would cost us arms and legs. After a little bit more searching on the net, we found a highly recommended private ticket trader Oldrich Ther on http://letenky-levne.sletenkou.cz/ and decided to use his services and travel by Korean Air. A return ticket per person cost us about 1800NZD, which was just a little bit more than a single one (you need a proof of having a leaving ticket at the customs and we also wanted to be secure in case we were unsuccessful in earning any money for the journey back). By the way, the tickets included a really wonderful stop-over in Seoul, Korea in a brand new 4-star hotel with all meals included. There are of course some other options, e.g.: www.airasia.com, www.airnewzealand.co.nz, www.koreanair.com, www.emirates.com ...

One of the important parts was to arrange a good health insurance. I am not sure if it applies in your country as well, but we have to show to our authorities that we are insured if we do not pay the insurance at home. We chose the one designed especially for working holiday workers Orbit Protect (www.orbitprotect.com). Try to compare the prices of different companies, but I am sure you will appreciate the fact that Orbit is held by a New Zealand company and therefore easy to claim in case of an accident. Moreover, it also includes most of the Pacific Islands, which are a popular destination for hard-working backpackers. :-)

Once we got to New Zealand, we were trying to run away from Auckland as soon as possible, and therefore we needed a new car. What we may highly recommend in this case are either the famous weekend car-markets in Auckland, walking around some back-packers notice boards, or simply get out of this concrete jungle and have a look along the roads. Getting a car and change the ownership is the matter of ten minutes in the Post office. Some other websites are: www.trademe.co.nz, www.sella.co.nz �

We slowly started to explore this amazing country and meanwhile we were slowly heading down to the south, we were looking for some jobs. In http://www.picknz.co.nz/ you will find a very useful map of the main horticultural areas with their seasons and other important information. From our experience, working here is basically a matter of combination of both knowledge of the peak seasons and a good luck. You may apply for a job through a mail, or a form on various websites: www.seasonaljobs.co.nz, www.seek.co.nz, www.trademe.co.nz or www.backpackerboard.co.nz. From our experience, the best thing you can do is ask people, stop at farms, ask farmers, read ads in local stores etc., more than through the internet. This is how we got all our jobs. If you are really desperate, sometimes it helps when you accommodate in a backpacker and the owners will help you with finding the job.

For accommodation, I recommend: www.trademe.co.nz, www.easyroommate.co.nz, www.couchsurfing.com or any local newspapers and ads in supermarkets.

First we were working in Blenheim at vineyards. The job was called �wire-lifting� and was physically really hard. We were working for an Indian company, paid 3-4c per a tree. Even though we were trying our best and almost running the whole day without having a break, we could hardly reach the minimal wage. We quit after four days and immediately found a job in strawberry picking. This was paid 2$ per a small box. We could easily earn about 80$ in six/seven hours and enjoy the sun the rest of the day. Unfortunately the season finished soon and we had to move on. It was the before X-mas and cherry season was already open. Some friends of ours got a stone-fruit picking position in Cromwell and ask if we would like to be a team with them, as a team of 6 was the condition for this job. We moved to Cromwell and picked apricots, plums, nectarines, peaches etc. The supervisors were awesome and sometimes helped us. We had better money than the minimal wage and were really satisfied. The problem when you work in a group of people and share the price is that somebody takes it easy and it might drive you crazy sometimes.

After the stone-fruit and cherry season, start apple and kiwi fruit picking. We decided to travel and enjoy our time. After two months of working we had enough money for almost two months of traveling. We moved back to the North Island and found jobs in a kiwifruit packhouse. The position was called a �grader� and we worked nightshifts, 12 hours a day, 6 days a week. We were paid 13,5$/h + 1$/h night allowance. Tomas soon became QC (quality controller) and enjoyed it much more. Even though this was a monotonous job and picking might have been more fun, less hours for better money (depending on contract) and in the fresh air, we knew some friends picking and complaining about the never ending rain. So we finally earned much more money in the same period of time.

We felt really tired and exhausted after our 3months kiwiseason. We bought tickets to Samoa and spent the rest of winter over there (3 weeks). When we got back we found a great family and now we are staying at their place, doing wwoofing. The spring is wonderful, everything is blooming and we enjoy working 3-4hours, 3-4days a week for food and accommodation. We are getting to know the kiwi way of life and meet many interesting people. When we get tired and broke, we will move on and find another job. It is really easy, and you may not believe, but also fun!

I arrived on June 27th to Auckland, where I had a friend who waited for me for two months. When I arrived, this friend already had an apartment where I was able to live for $100 on K road!
 My friend was obliged to keep his job as barman till the end of the rugby world cup and wanting to travel with him, I thus decided to stay in Auckland waiting for him. Meanwhile, I made all the necessary administrative procedures to work in New Zealand (IRD Number, Bank Account). Make sure to have all the necessary papers to do that (they ask to proof of ID: Passeport and International Driver Licence or letter from your employer...). It took only one week for me to have everything I need to work.
 But the thing is that I never really looked for work as I didnt really want to stay in this huge city that is Auckland.
 Thats why, instead of earning money to travel, I spent all my money in 1 and a half month.
 
After that, as I was really pissed of Auckland, I left to Blenheim (where I am at present) to work in vineyards.
I found my first contract thanks to one of the numerous backpackers you can find here, in Blenheim. Then, I found all my other contracts by myself (friends, internet...) because fortunatly, I bought a van in Auckland so I was able to stay in there for free (only 3$ the shower in Blenheim community pool) instead of paying rent for a backpacker...
 
My first job in vineyards was "stripping". It was in a huge vineyard and the boss wanted us to make a minimum of 60 plants per hour (1 per minute). It was the very first time I was doing this job and the second day, I made 54 plants per hour. In spite of this, this guy fired me (and the three other guys working with me) because we wasnt fast enough haha!
 After that, I found another contractor thanks to a friend of mine, and I worked for him during 1 month, until the end of september, when there isnt a lot of work in vineyards anymore.
 Now, I am still looking for a job around Blenheim and in the South Island, and its really difficult because I think all the jobs starts at the end of october or on november...
 So if you have some informations about works on october, you are welcome ;)
 
Cheers

It all begins one morning in Auckland. Tired and disappointed about the lack of responses to my
text messages seeking for any position available anywhere in N.Z, I went to sleep early just waiting
for the next day to come. Just before getting to the stand by state before sleep, I start hearing
my text message ringtone. I jump out of the bed and grab my phone. It said:�Hi Mariano, we are
contacting you from ####### Orchard. The job starts in two days. We will be waiting for you.
Cheers�. My happiness was indescribable and the day ended with a great future ahead.

My destination was Hastings, Hawkes bay. Someone told me there were too many vineyards down
there, but I never thought there were so much as I saw.

I arrived at 8pm, and went directly to the accommodation arranged. I stayed in one of the many
flats the place held. I lived with 4 asian guys, one from Taiwan and the other three from Malasia.
They were working in the same orchard as I Would so, as I had no car, we arranged they could take
me to work.

Next day, at 6:30am I was up getting ready to be taken to work at 7:00am. I had to prepare a bag
full of food and drinks because the day was going to be long and hunger and thirst needed to be
satisfied.

Once in the orchard, I was given some tools and taken to my respective block. The job I had to do
was vine pruning. They you have a big scissor, a small one and some paper tyers. Basically your
task is to cut the tree big branches first with the big scissor leaving just 3 branches. One of those
will finally be cut too. The second step is to use the small scissor to cut little branches coming out
of the 3 branches. After that you pull all the cut branches out. Finally you roll two branches (one
from each side) to the lowest wire and you tie the last but of the branch with your tyer.

It sound quite easy but it isn�t. After some hours, your hands start aching, so does your back. You
get really hungry and thirsty and you get paid per contract, that means the amount you get paid its
up to you.

The positive thing is that you have time to talk with the guy in front of you and meet a person
from everywhere, that�s how I met Sonia.

Sonia was a Chech girl that was working in Hastings since last year. She was good and really fast at
pruning. She was a money machine, and she was gorgeous too.

As days passed by we got to know each other pretty well. I taught her some Spanish words and the
other way round. She made me try some tipic Chech food and so did I. We were starting to fell in
love with each other, but we were to fool to realize.

At the same time,the job was finishing and Sonia and me were going to take different routes,
which made us feel quite sad about it.

Anyway that month in Hastings was awesome. The experience of working outdoors, in an orchard
or farm is really unique although its pretty taught too. I met many people from different countries
and we managed to exchange stories and culture. I also had a love story with this beautiful lady
that will keep a piece of my heart for ever.

I recommend you whoever is reading that this are things that happen just once in life. This are
opportunities we must not let them pass away. We have to live our life as if every day was the last
one, trying to learn from everyone and from everything.

Hope you had enjoyed my storie

Cheers

Mariano from Argentina.

Still in the air, of course I couldn�t have known how closely I was to see these rows, but I was soon to find out. There was very little time in fact, between my flight and the search for some sort of employment. It had been three months since I had done a days� work, back in my hometown of Bristol. Since then I had been on the road, which had taken me from Paris to Turkey from Istanbul to India, through Thailand to Cambodia and New Zealand was the final stop. My partner was a Kiwi and so Blenheim was the destination and after months of spending Lira, Rupees and Baht it was time to make myself some dollars.   

This town was a haven for the travel-weary backpacker, looking to boost the funds. Marlborough was the home of countless vineyards and at this point in the early summer there were contractors crying out for casual workers all over town. By the time I had unpacked my trusty backpack and slept off my jetlag, I was signed up with a vineyard contractor and my alarm was rudely announcing the start of my first day on the job.

 Stumbling sleepily in to a bus full of softly spoken European languages, I learned that our first job was skirting. This involved working our way along the rows, snipping the stray and overgrown branches from the underside of the plants. We were paid just a few cents per plant, which sounded rubbish but there were a lot of plants in a row and the work was easy and swift. The weather on that first day was beautiful, and it never changed throughout the two months I worked in the vineyards. Marlborough is known for its sunshine (which explains the grapes, I suppose) and those continuous bright summer rays didn�t disappoint. The scenic mountains and hills that surrounded us added a feeling of place and atmosphere to the days we spent working.

   The jobs I did over those weeks were varied. Sometimes the work was hard, the heat was always there and the repeated application of sun cream was important, but none of the jobs were beyond me and the variation of tasks meant that I was never bored. I particularly enjoyed the work I did on a new block of plantings, which involved a number of days in a shed, making up a million green plastic grow-guards, which were put over the tops of the baby plants. We then clipped several miles of irrigation pipe in to place, positioned to quench the thirst of the little plants as they grew. As they matured the grow-guards were removed and the plants were given the support of new wires that we strung in to place. I found this period of work very rewarding because I felt like I had seen the process through from the very beginning.

Later, as the mature fruit were almost ready for harvest, the last of my jobs was leaf plucking. This involved giving the plump bunches of grapes space to breath, by removing some of the leaves from around them. This was a simple and rewarding job, which happened just before harvest. For me though, this was as far as my grape journey went.  I was never to see the harvest because my traveller feet had become itchy again and it was time to move on!