Wantoo Wantoo

Walnut and chestnut afternoon gathering.

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We had been tramping and camping for quite some time, come early April, making it up the beautiful west coast to the NW part of the south island.  We then found this wonderful place to stay and WWOOF for a few days (Wantoo Wantoo), which turned into a week, which turned into over three weeks now!  The time has gone quickly, and we have been learning and sharing alot with this family and mini-community.  There is a house that holds a family of 5, where we have been staying, a rental house below with a couple, a yurt with a couple, another yurt with one man, a teepee with a woman, a caravan with a woman, and a tent with a family of four that just immigrated here!  All in all, there are 18 people living on the property, including us.  Also there are three milking cows, 20+ chickens, three ducks, some sheep, a few steer, and a large vegetable garden.

Jess and Jasmine (milking on a beautiful morning).

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The family is very self-sufficient, meaning that the parents don't have jobs for income, except for some money that comes from selling some milk from the cows.  They don't need much, because their expenses are very low; they homeschool their kids, never used diapers, make their own bread, grind their flour, roll their oats, roast coffee beans, raise some cows and sheep and chickens for meat, chickens for eggs, a large garden, lots of preserving of veges, fruits, etc, make all of their own sauces (mayonaise, mustard, ketchup, etc), and from their cows milk they make yoghurt, sour cream, many kinds of cheese, kafir, and some other things I am forgetting at the moment.  So it is interesting to learn how the day-to-day life functions. 

Jess had the urge to milk something before she left New Zealand, which is funny because we came from the Dairy State back in WI all the way across the world for the urge to manifest!  She milks Jasmine every other day around 8:30am.  It takes about 15-20 minutes and produces around 7 litres of milk.  She was apparently a natural, her first try was a successful full milking!  We have learned how to and helped to make several soft cheeses: mozerella, paneer, feta.  Tomorrow we will make two hard cheeses; a gouda and a monteray jack.  Jess's Grandpa Thuli was a Swiss cheesemaker and would be proud!

Buddies - Eli hauling Cella.

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The farm is lovely, in the country backed by large hills (or maybe they are mountains, I can never tell).  Much of the land around us is state-owned and leased out for logging, so there is some blight in our view, but overall it is very relaxing and beautiful - about a 20 minute drive to the nearest town of Motueka, which is located very near the ocean.  The family is lovely as well; consisting of Irma (mother), Jan-Albert (father), Luca (9), Yiba (5), and Cella (3).  They are from Holland and immigrated here 13 years ago.  Eli has been connecting with the Cella, they have become great buddies - and it is sweet to watch them interact; reading books, hauling wood, eating...  The other people living on the land are also very friendly, as the place functions like a little community, everyone helping everyone, yet still being very independent.

Eli and Luca fishing - they caught 16 herring which we smoked and ate for dinner!

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Over the weeks we have really begun to connect with the family, and have been offered a place on the property to build a yurt - we will keep it in the back of our minds!  Today we sold our car, and are in the process of getting rid of "stuff" and moving back into our backpacks - it's time to begin the transition into the vagabond life once again!