Dog Oven and Septic Worms

Jenny and Auntie Jill on the way to Umukuri Bay
see all photos »

It's not what you know, it's who you know. That's why it's sooooooo deliciously good to travel around a country littered with Ben's family. Arriving back in Blenheim we found Uncle Jock back from his stint in Indonesia, and Jock and Jill took us on a trip-- no, not up a hill, but to their bach in Umukuri Bay (lit. translation: Dog Oven, due to the culinary preferences of the original inhabitants) on Arapawa Island in the Marlborough Sounds. Now as some of you may not know, not all islands are connected by a comprehensive public transportation system, so we actually had to take Jock's boat to get there. Not only that, but as it started to get dark and we went to turn on the generator, we found that it wasn't working! So we had a romantic candle lit dinner, followed by candle lit bathroom trips and other things that aren't necessarily romantic without electricity, like keeping the fridge door closed tightly (don't worry, the beer was kept cool in a basket in the spring).  Thanks Jock and Jill- you are super hosts and this was absolutely one of the highlights of our NZ trip.

Yes, we'll install the new septic tank soon, Mousehead.
see all photos »

That is because this is an ideal place to relax, read a book, and tramp around the almost completely unpopulated island. But it wasn't all fun and games. We were there with a mission: to install a new septic tank, complete with fancy environmentally friendly composting worms. Fortunately we also brought a builder, a drain layer, and a plumber to help out, because it turns out Ben and Jenny aren't so skilled on the bulldozer. The logistics of getting work done on a house which is on an island are quite interesting; it involves bringing out (by barge) some big machinery, and people, and providing those people with food and a place to sleep. So they did the work, and we went kayaking and hiking and napping and fishing and reading, and we took a lot of photos of the construction as it happened. Now we know how to install a septic tank, which we otherwise would have never learned. And we also know not to take Jenny fishing, although we probably could have guessed that from the start.